1997 Chambolle-Musigny Village

Enologist Francois Millet was in the process of racking the '98s for the second time in November. The wines blossomed nicely during the summer, he explained, but then started to close up again in September and needed "a breath of air." In addition, he explained, the '98s may be fined prior to bottling, and it would be risky to fine the wines if they still retained a substantial portion of their lees. Yields in '98 were in the infinitesimal 15 to 18 hectoliters-per-hectare range due to frost and sunburn, according to Millet. The estate eliminated affected berries in both August and September-"otherwise we would have picked fruit afflicted with rot." Millet, who normally describes vintages eloquently in terms of the nature of their fruit, summarized the powerful '98s succinctly: "The strength of this vintage lies in its structure." (Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; Barrique Wines, Chicago, IL; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; The Wine Company, Minneapolis, MN, Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH)

Enologist Francois Millet describes this estate '97s as approachable, elegantly structured wines, with bright jammy fruit and a spicy character. They are exotic, he says, but in a positive way. Yields for the grand crus were in the tiny 20-to-25 hectoliters per hectare range, vs. 35 to 40 in the generous '96 vintage. Partly due to the low crop levels, grape sugars were the highest since he began here in the mid '80s, reaching 13%. Very little chaptalization was done, according to Millet, who was in the process of racking the wines for the second time when I visited in November. The domain '96s have turned out very well, but will require patience. (Dreyfus Ashby, New York, NY; Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; Barrique Wines, Chicago, IL; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; The Wine Company, Minneapolis, MN, Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH)