At the insistence of several American clients, these wines were bottled unfiltered six months earlier than normal. The cuvee that will be sold in Europe will be bottled early next year. Many observers have felt that Leclerc's practice of bottling his wines after more than two years in 100% new oak was excessive. There is no doubting that in top, highly concentrated vintages such as 1985 and 1990 the wines can tolerate more oak than in light years such as 1991 or 1987. The current offerings all performed significantly better than when I last tasted them with Leclerc in November, 1991. There is a heavy overlay of oak in the Gevrey-Chambertin-Les Champeaux. The deep ruby/purple color, and the big, toasty, herb, prune, and plum-scented nose make for a dramatic, if obvious first impression. In the mouth, there is lovely richness, medium to full body, that unctuous thickness that Leclerc often obtains in his wines, and a chewy, medium to full-bodied, long finish. Drink it over the next decade. Importers: various American importers, including Ideal Wines, Medford, MA and William Grant and Sons, Edison, NJ.

Rich and oaky; isn't everyone's glass of wine, but offers loads of cedar, tobacco box, plum and leather flavors in a tightly wrapped package that contains extremely firm tannins. From a producer who prides himself on aging his wines for about two and a half years in new oak barrels before bottling them unfiltered. Needs until 1998. -