1996 Charmes Chambertin

Lafon segregates the grapes from his Meursault Charmes' youngest vines, blending them with his village Meursault cuvee. The most intense and concentrated berries are ear-marked for his premier cru bottling. His dedication to quality is evidenced by the 1996s tantalizing floral, white peach and toast aromas. Medium-to-full-bodied, thick, and yet feminine and gracious, this superb offering combines power with lace-like definition. Ripe white peaches, flower blossoms, and traces of anise are found in this precise, pure, and ageworthy beauty. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2010. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Dominique Lafon performed more batonnage than usual on his 1996s, "to give them more richness," he said. However, unlike some other vignerons, Lafon abandons the practice when the malos start because he wants his wines to be protected by the carbon dioxide gas that is a by product of a wine's malo-lactic fermentation. Lafon's yields were between 35 and 45 hectoliters/hectare, demonstrating his dedication to quality in this potentially high-yielding vintage. Importer: Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel (617) 731-6644.