The classic 1994 is one of the stars of the vintage. It offers up a gorgeous, black-raspberry, cassis, olive, and violet-scented nose. Amazingly complex (as are all great Cote Roties), the wine hits the palate with copious amounts of fat, smoky, cassis-like fruit, medium body, sweet tannin, and a long, rich finish. While it is already stunningly aromatic, the flavors have yet to catch up with the wine's super bouquet. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 10-15 years. Last tasted 6/96.

Chapoutier's Cote Rotie Cuvee Mordoree is made from a small parcel of 75-80 year old vines adjacent to Guigal's famed single vineyard, La Turque. The classic 1994 is one of the stars of the vintage. It offers up a gorgeous, black-raspberry, cassis, olive, violet-scented nose. Amazingly complex (as are all great Cote Roties), the wine hits the palate with copious amounts of fat, smoky, cassis-like fruit, medium body, sweet tannin, and a long, rich finish. While it is already stunningly aromatic, the flavors have yet to catch up with the wines super bouquet. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 10-15 years.Chapoutier's top cuvees are consistently among the world's greatest wines. Unfortunately, they are made in extremely small quantities, ranging from 250 cases of the St.-Joseph Les Granites, to 600 cases of the Hermitage La Pavillon. They are also expensive, but no one can argue the fact that consumers are getting some of the world's greatest, most natural expressions of terroir, varietal character, and vintage personality. Moreover, these special cuvees have been remarkably brilliant in such difficult vintages as 1992 and 1993, where the finest Rhone wines were produced by Chapoutier. If my tasting notes read like a promotional campaign for this estate, it is because these are among the greatest wines I have ever tasted.Michel Chapoutier is quick to say that 1995 is one of the all-time great vintages for the northern Rhone, and in particular for Chapoutier. He compares it with 1990, 1961, and 1947. He is also quick to see the problems that 1995 presented, and the fact that too many Rhone Valley producers followed the same pattern as in 1994. In the latter vintage, it was essential to harvest early, but in 1995 harvesting early only produced wines that were made from physiologically unripe fruit, with extremely high acidity. Chapoutier's top vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Joseph, Cote Rotie, and Hermitage were harvested very late - in early October. He claims that in the five years that have passed since the great 1990 vintage, he is a far more talented winemaker as he "knew how to make noise in 1990, but now I know how to make music." Yields were tiny throughout all the estate vineyards, with most of the vineyards coming in under 20 hectoliters per hectare, and some of the top vineyards harvesting under a ton of fruit per acre. All in all, 1995 looks to be a sensational vintage for Chapoutier, with a number of extremely long-lived wines. Moreover, now that the 1994s have had some time in bottle, it can be said that 1994 is also a great vintage for this firm.Importer: Paterno Imports, Chicago, IL; tel. (312) 247-7070