1997 Chambolle-Musigny

The Ligniers have capitalized on the great ripeness of the '97 vintage, making wines with extravagant, sometimes gamey richness and great fat in the mouth. "They were Cote Rotie like before malo; now they're more pinot," is the way Romain Lignier describes the evolution of these wines during their first year in barrel. (Some of these wines reminded me of ripe year right bank Bordeaux in their density and structure.) The Phs, Lignier adds, are in the high average range; there wasn't much malic acid in the grapes and thus little acidity was lost during the secondary fermentation. The village wines had not been racked at the time of my November visit and were to have been bottled in January and February, whereas the crus were racked last summer and will be bottled in April and May. The Lignier '96s, meanwhile, are superb, and destined for long life. Lignier describes this vintage as fruitier and higher in acid than 1990 but similar in style. 1997, he added, is more like 1991.