1997 Chambolle-Musigny Fuees

Christophe Perrot-Minot produced an average of just 25 hectoliters per hectare in 1998, and barely 20 h/h in his grand crus, due in large part to oidium, which was widespread in vines hit by spring frost, and to millerandage. The wines, he says, are tannic due to the thick skins of the grapes (i.e., a relatively high skin-to-juice ratio). The '98s here were developing slowly in barrel, and Perrot-Minot planned to bottle at least a couple of them two or three months later than usual. The extremely ripe '97s, all at least lightly acidified, were bottled last April and were aged in a slightly lower percentage of new barrels than the '98s. (Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NJ)

Christophe Perrot Minot, whose breakthrough vintage was 1995, bottled a stunning set of '96s whose strong acids, he believes, will enable them to last for 25 to 30 years. These are quintessential '96s: wines of great freshness, aromatic complexity and grip, with plenty of flesh to support their backbone. In 1997, Perrot Minot produced just 24 hectoliters per hectare, on average. While he does not consider the latter vintage a grand vin de garde, he believes it will hold well. Perrot Minot told me in November that he originally planned to bottle the vintage before the '98 harvest, "but I've tasted the wines every week, and they're not ready for bottling even now." Perrot Minot has an elaborate device that enables him to quickly and precisely chill his musts in order to do an extended cold soak before the fermentations begin. Thus, even under the very warm harvest conditions of '97, he was able to do a maceration a froid lasting a full week. (Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; importers include V.O.S. Selections, Inc., New York, NJ)