1997 Chevalier Montrachet

Niellon, like many of his forthright colleagues, described the 1997 whites as "delicious and easy to drink." No hyperbole at this address. In the corner of Michel Niellon's cellar stands a barrel on which he places the bottles he serves visitors. When I arrived for my annual tasting, Niellon did what he always does, he moved those bottles to the floor, and pulled new, unopened ones from the stacks awaiting shipping. To my shock they were painfully closed and reeked of sulfur. After some prodding, Niellon acquiesced and allowed me to taste from the wine that had been opened for a few hours. Readers take note: these comments are from a bottled wine that had been opened and had benefited from exposure to air. The Chevalier-Montrachet reveals superb ripeness in its expressive, mineral, and chalk-packed nose. This fabulous offering is medium-bodied, rich, concentrated, beautifully focused, and has mouth-watering mineral flavors that last throughout its extended and bone-dry finish. Projected maturity: 2002-2009. Importer: Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel (212) 572-7725.