1995 VERGET 1995

Quite possibly the most powerful dry white wine I've ever put in my mouth, the Batard Montrachet is so long it should be used in Timex commercials (over 40 seconds!). A sultry, ripe, enticing nose is compelling. Sweet, chewy, red berry fruits and roasted peaches build in the mouth to reveal unreal levels of power and intensity. Only 850 bottles of this nectar were produced from yields of 15 hectoliterhectare (1 ton of fruit per acre). Drink it between now-2015.This wine is vinified in wood and aged in oak casks, which can be new or up to 4 years old. It was not filtered, but was fined as Guffens says that tiny particles of bacteria that can create off flavors need to be removed from white wines (the reality may be that Verget is a large commercial operation that cannot afford to have its clients rejecting bottles because of sediment. It is telling that Guffens neither filters nor fines the wines he makes at his private estate.) A note on availability: Verget's top wines are sold on pre-arrival, making them very hard to find after they have been reviewed. I apologize for this inconvenience and will make every effort to taste them prior to their offering in the coming years.This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Critics say that Verget wines will not age. The '95s have good fruit, balance and acid structure, all the components necessary for cellaring. Guffens also makes every effort to prevent oxygen from entering into contact with the wines because this can cause them to either oxidize or can stunt their ability to evolve in the bottle. When I asked Guffens about these comments on the aging ability of his wines, he scoffed and replied that some people believe that if a wine is good young it can't age well,

A wine to worship. Otherwordly, its different parts structure, flavor, texture--are in total harmony. Super balance between the acidity, the fruit and the oak, with beguiling flavors of lemon, honey, pear and spice. Thick like a Sauternes yet elegant like a Montrachet, with the acidity of a fine Tokay it's simply mind-boggling.