Laroche produces 15,000 cases of the Chablis St. Martin, the only one of his wines that is made exclusively in stainless steel. As is regrettably the case with the vast majority of Chablis, this wine is the result of mechanically harvested grapes and a blend of commercial (75%) and indigenous yeasts. That being said, the 1996 is a lovely wine. It reveals mineral scents and nice aromatic richness as well as an oily-textured, medium-bodied, and glycerin-laden personality with strident acidity and lemon/lime flavors. Drink it between now and 2000.
Michel Laroche, the dapper director of this large Chablis producer, stated he had not witnessed a vintage comparable to 1996 in the thirty years he has been crafting wines. Laroche sighted the bright sun (luminosite) that drove up sugar levels through photosynthesis while cool temperatures (22C daytime and 4C evening) maintained high acidity levels. He went on to say that 1996 is 10% richer in sugar and 10% higher in acidity than 1995, another excellent Chablis vintage. Furthermore, he said that in 1997 his wines attained high sugar levels from heat, not sun, and therefore had low acidity levels.
Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel (312) 247-7070.
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