The profound Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroye Vieilles Vignes has a deeply spicy nose and a thick, rich, broad, full-bodied character. This offering's mouth-feel is more reminiscent of a red wine's than a white. Layered minerals and gravel can be found in its concentrated, extracted and deep flavor profile. Its long and delineated finish reveals smoky nuts and traces of oak spice. Projected maturity: 2002-2009. This wine was tasted from barrel prior to racking. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. A year ago, Jean-Marie Guffens told me that 1996 was the greatest vintage of his lifetime. While he did not repeat that comment when I visited him in November, Guffens was bursting with pride as I tasted the wines. A Peter Vezan Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42654293), importers include: North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 848-8910, and a Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-44706293), various American importers, including Bacchus Importers (800) 525-9699.

From yields as low as 15 hectoliters/hectare, the aromatically spicy and minerally Chassagne Montrachet La Maltroye Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is a great wine. Fabulously complex and beautifully precise, this deep, thickly-textured wine, with intertwined flavors of star anise, spices, minerals, and stones, is truly outstanding. This wine is vinified in wood and aged in oak casks, which can be new or up to 4 years old. It was not filtered, but was fined as Guffens says that tiny particles of bacteria that can create off flavors need to be removed from white wines (the reality may be that Verget is a large commercial operation that cannot afford to have its clients rejecting bottles because of sediment. It is telling that Guffens neither filters nor fines the wines he makes at his private estate.) I have never encountered a line-up of Chassagne Montrachets of this quality from a single producer and vintage. A note on availability: Verget's top wines are sold on pre-arrival, making them very hard to find after they have been reviewed. I apologize for this inconvenience and will make every effort to taste them prior to their offering in the coming years. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Critics say that Verget wines will not age. The '95s have good fruit, balance and acid structure, all the components necessary for cellaring. Guffens also makes every effort to prevent oxygen from entering into contact with the wines because this can cause them to either oxidize or can stunt their ability to evolve in the bottle. When I asked Guffens about these comments on the aging ability of his wines, he scoffed and replied that some people believe that if a wine is good young it can't age well, "so maybe they should buy bad wine and age it," he said. Another criticism is that the wines all taste the same. After having tasted all of the '95s and having had a number of Verget wines from previous vintages the following is clear: Guffens pushes for silky textures and long finishes, and his wines are generally thick and often full-bodied. The only other similarity (and I was looking!) is an herbal spiciness that can be found on the nose of many of the wines. Most importantly, each wine reflects its terroir. Moreover, each wine is one of the finest examples of its appellation. Note: Guffens feels that 1996 is the most exceptional vintage of his lifetime. I would not repeat most growers' statements about the next "vintage of the century," but my experience in the retail trade established that Verget's wines usually sold prior to arrival, and were nearly impossible to find after reviews have been published. A Peter Vezan Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42654293), importers include: North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 848-8910 and a Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42843822), various American importers, including Bacchus Importers (800) 525-9699.