Only two barrels (50 cases) of the 1997 Chassagne-Montrachet Champs-Gains were produced. It offers a nut and mineral-laden nose as well as a rich, marzipan and hazelnut-flavored core. This medium-to-full-bodied and gorgeously silky-textured wine would have merited a higher score if its finish had been longer. Anticipated maturity: now-2003. In the past I have not been a huge fan of Domaine Bernard Moreau's wines, finding them correctly made yet unexciting Burgundies. When the estate's U.S. importer/broker, Russell Herman, called and told me that the wines had improved, I decided to make a visit. Based on the one vintage (1997) I have recently tasted, it appears Herman was right.
Bernard Moreau's winemaking practices includes a foulage, a five to six day debourbage, the use of 25% new oak on village wines, 33% on premier crus (the Chenevottes sees 50% new barrels), and a batonnage every 10-12 days until the malo-lactic fermentation. Additionally, Moreau fines, filters, and bottles his wines in the August following the vintage. The resulting wines tend to be more similar than dissimilar, yet are plump, opulent, and delicious. Moreau characterized the 1997s as "rich wines that will need to be drunk early, unlike the nervous and ageworthy 1996s."
Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; tel (908) 771-9082. Various importers.
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