Revealing an attractive gravel, rock dust, and nut-filled nose, the Meursault Perrieres (tasted from barrel on two separate occasions) is a medium-to-full-bodied, oily-textured, concentrated, extracted, and rich offering. Broad layers of spiced pears, minerals, and sweet toasty oak are found in its deep, well-balanced, and persistent personality. It should be at its peak from 2002 to 2007. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Jacques Montagnon, the Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet's young, dedicated, bright, and dynamic winemaker is leading this estate into the top echelon of Puligny's domaines. The Chateau's yields averaged 40 hectoliters/hectare while many of Montagnon's more esteemed, and more expensive, neighbors harvested 40% more. Not one to mince words, Montagnon described the 30% increase in permissible yields Puligny's vignerons obtained from the INAO to be a "total aberration and heresy." Robert Kacher, this estate's US importer, is given the permission to select the barrels he would like, as are other nations' importers. In 1996 Kacher's "cuvees" have been subjected to a longer elevage than England's and the rest of Europe's. These notes reflect the wines that will be shipped to the US. Montagnon's 1996's have the ripe, rich, and lively qualities I associate with this outstanding vintage, yet seem to have avoided its potential pitfalls, namely hollowness from high yields and teeth-clenching acidity. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel (202) 832-9083.