1997 Vosne-Romanee

"Less Laurent, more pinot" is how this outspoken winemaker described his '97s. "1997 was a year of extraordinary grape maturity, a year in which the juice itself was almost liquoreux in its ripeness," explains Laurent. "The perfume was in the juice, not the tannins. It was a year to vinify the pinot noir like a white wine, to do a gentle extraction and then take the wines off their skins quickly. The most important thing was not to cook the aromas or burn off the fat of the wines. One could not afford to be egocentric when vinifying the '97s." That said, it must be pointed out that although Laurent is working increasingly closely with his regular suppliers at the vinification stage, the quality of Laurent wines still depends largely on decisions made by the growers long before Laurent takes possession of the material. Still, Laurent clearly believes that many of his wines have captured the great potential of this superripe year. Many of these wines have almost freakishly high alcohol, but from ripe fruit rather than from chaptalization, and the best of them may shock us with their longevity. "I believe this vintage will be my testament," says Laurent. (Martin Scott Wines, Ltd., Little Neck, NY; and Jeffrey M. Davies/Signature Selections, imported by T&C Distributors, West Nyack, NY)