Montrachet 1995 75cl

Monumental, racy wine built for the cellar. Very complex, elegant and firmly structured, with fresh, pure and clean acidity playing against the lovely fruit. Compacted, with tropical, honeydew, ripe pear and apple notes mixing with the deftly toasted character. Full-bodied, with a long and delicious finish that never seems to end. Best after 2004. ?PM

Dominique Lafon was faced with an interesting problem after the 1995 harvest. The low yields provided him with only enough Montrachet to fill 2 and a half casks. He considered using a half-cask and 2 regular ones but decided against it because he feels wines do not age well in small casks. His solution was to have a new cask built that would hold the equivalent of one and a half regular ones. To offset the new oak flavors of this large vessel, the second cask he is using has been used previously to make five vintages of wine. Possessing a super-tight and unyielding nose, this full-bodied Montrachet displays intense minerally fruit, and striking elegance. While not as forward or sultry as I expected, it has a superb structure. This tight wine will need 6-7 years to blossom, and will drink admirably for another 15-20.