The Rancy 1959 Rivesaltes Ambre leads with scents of decaying and smoldering autumn foliage and a maritime mingling of saline and alkaline elements, all of which migrate to a firm and remarkably juicy palate where they fascinatingly compliment toasted hickory, candied orange rind, dark chocolate, and plum distillate, whose zest, piquancy, and pungency rally for a finish that practically sizzles. There is to be sure lots to meditate on here, but if you are thinking of remaining in a contemplative mood while sipping your way through a glass of this, think again, because it has too much nervous energy and is too insistently penetrating to let you! If fame depended solely on quality, Jean-Hubert Verdaguer ought to be famous for his trove of ancient Rivesaltes. His younger Rivesaltes can be outstanding, too (see for example the 1996 about which I wrote in issue 184) - I just don't happen to have tasted any new examples of those in the past three years. Nor - on the basis of recent experience (though I have still not visited him) - ought Verdaguer's dry wines to be overlooked, either.A Connie and Patrick Allen Selection, United Estates Wine Imports, Worthington, OH; tel. (614) 543 1427