1996 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru

As fans of this domain know, Thierry Matrot makes distinctly unsexy white Burgundies without the make up provided by new oak barrels and extended lees stirring. At their best they are spectacularly true to their soil, but they will not win any early tastings. I confess that I often wonder whether these wines might be freshened and sweetened by the judicious use of new wood (to my taste, there is often a fine line between an aroma that reveals no new oak influence and one that suggests old wood), but I have no complaints about the quality of Matrot best '96s. The vines suffered from drought during a hot August, said Matrot of '96. Maturity came from the brilliant sunshine of September, which brought "great photosynthesis. We have never seen such a combination of sugars and acids before." Natural alcohol in these '96s, adds Matrot, was between 13.8% and 14.2%. Although 1996 is a "dynamic" vintage that will reward aging, the wines can also be drunk young for their freshness and fruit with lighter spring and summer dishes. The '95s, in Matrot opinion, are solid, tightly wrapped, very concentrated vins de garde not at all like '96, '92 and '90, which can give pleasure when young but also have the capacity to age. Matrot declined to show me his '97s, explaining that they were all at various stages of their secondary fermentations.