The excellent Meursault Charmes is potentially outstanding. This offering reveals oak-infused talcum and floral aromas, as well as a sweet cookie dough, new wood spice, and mineral-laced flavor profile. It is an impeccably-crafted wine, with each component in place. Yet it lacks the personality and soul required for a more exalted review. Drink it between 2000 and 2006. 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.

The excellent Meursault Charmes is potentially outstanding. This offering reveals oak-infused talcum and floral aromas, as well as a sweet cookie dough, new wood spice, and mineral-laced flavor profile. It is an impeccably-crafted wine, with each component in place. Yet it lacks the personality and soul required for a more exalted review. Drink it between 2000 and 2006. 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.

Displaying elegant floral aromatics, the Meursault Charmes is a handsomely-delineated, medium-to-full-bodied, silky, and feminine offering. On the palate, the taster encounters loads of freshly cut flowers, nuts, and minerals. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2006. 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.