Produced from a blend of the premier cru Chanlins and Mitans vineyards, the Volnay 1er Cru is medium-to-dark ruby-colored and exhibits deep aromas reminiscent of black cherries and cassis. This full-bodied and vibrant wine comes on at full-bore, with loads of minerals, blackberries, and cherries. It is more masculine, firmer, tighter, and more tannic than some of the other offerings yet reveals impressive richness, dense fruit, and a certain refinement. Projected maturity: 2002-2007. The score, on a range and in parentheses, indicates that the wine was tasted from barrel. Michel Lafarge and his son Frederic have produced, once again, a fabulous line-up of wines. My only regret, and one that I know is shared by many readers, is that these wines are extremely difficult to locate. My local wine shop, staffed by admirers of Lafarge's wines, sold out of the 1996s the date they bought them as futures (no, no one thought of calling me). Whereas Volnay producers averaged close to 47 hectoliters/hectare in 1996, the Lafarges (who finish each other's sentences the way only two people who have lived and worked together for decades could) say their yields were 35 h/h for village wines, and 30 h/h for premier crus. Even so (low yields promote earlier ripening), they waited "for a few days after the ban de vendange (the first day that vignerons are allowed to harvest)" before sending out their harvesting teams. The 1996s took a great deal of time to finish their malo-lactic fermentations, but according to the Lafarges, the malos "were calm, they did not tire the wines." These offerings will be bottled unfiltered in April/May, 1998 (with the exception of the Passe-Tout-Grain and Bourgogne which were already assembled for bottling when I visited the estate in November, 1997). The Lafarge style is, as I wrote in Issue # 112, supple, precise, and succulent, all three also characteristics of the 1996 vintage. Michel and Frederic Lafarge's magical touch, combined with the pure and juicy 1996 vintage, created a cellar full of beauties. A Becky Wasserman Selection, French Fax # 011-33-3-80-24-29-70, various American importers, including Esquin Imports, San Francisco, CA; tel (415) 398-1200, Martin-Scott, Lake Success, NY; tel (516) 327-0808.