1992 Chassagne Montrachet Maltroie

Michel Niellon is among the top half dozen white burgundy producers. He consistently turns out brilliant, frequently awesome wines from his tiny domaine of 12.5 acres. In terms of decadence and complexity, Niellon is at the top of my personal shopping list. He fashioned terrific 1992s and 1991s. The 1992s were bottled a month before I saw them, and despite Niellon's belief that they were subdued, I was blown away by most of them. Niellon's perennially low yields are reflected in his wines. Even in lighter years, they possess a superb mid-palate and that unctuous, rich, chewy personality that can only emanate from low yielding Chardonnay vines. The 1992s are all fat, ripe, concentrated wines. The 1992 Chassagne-Montrachet-Maltroie is restrained, with slightly less fat and unctuosity than Niellon's other 1992s. Still voluptuous, super-rich, deep, and full-bodied, it should be drunk in its first decade of life. Importer: Chateau and Estates, New York, NY