1996 Meursault Tete de Murger

The Meursault Cuvee Tete de Murger, a one-third blend of Meursault Casse Tete and two-thirds Meursault Les Murgers, is an extraordinary "village" offering, on par with first rate premier crus. Revealing cake batter aromas, this wine's explosive attack is followed by an awesome hold and length. This harmonious, intricate, medium-to-full-bodied, and oily wine is jam-packed with ripe pears and salty almond cookies whose flavors linger on through its long and intense finish. Javillier stated that he had always been baffled by the East-facing Casse Tete vineyard. Wines from this site had an excellent attack yet lacked hold and persistence. To rectify this, he blended Casse Tete with Les Murgers, which in his opinion produces wines with magnificent body and length, but has a "boring front end." The blend is remarkable! Projected maturity: 2000-2005. What's Javillier's spin on the 1996 vintage? "It has the most perfect balance between body, acid, fruit, extract, and purity in my lifetime." All the "regular cuvees" were bottled in September, 1997. Importers: David Shiverick, Langdon Shiverick, Cleveland, OH; (216) 861-6800, and a Peter Vezan Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42654293), importers include: North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 848-8910.