Valette's experiments with long elevages can best be witnessed in his outstanding 1998 Pouilly-Fuisse Clos de Monsieur Noly Reserve Vieilles Vignes. Scheduled to be bottled in February, 2003, this wine spent 48 months in new oak barrels and 3 months in an assemblage tank. Its highly nuanced aromatic profile exhibits sweet, spicy oak, poached pears, candied apples, nuts and gingerbread. Light to medium-bodied, oily-textured, deep and hugely complex, this offering combines richness with detail as well as purity. Drink it over the next 10+ years. Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Fran Kysela, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228

Valette's experiments with long elevages can best be witnessed in his outstanding 1998 Pouilly-Fuisse Clos de Monsieur Noly Reserve Vieilles Vignes. Scheduled to be bottled in February, 2003, this wine spent 48 months in new oak barrels and 3 months in an assemblage tank. Its highly nuanced aromatic profile exhibits sweet, spicy oak, poached pears, candied apples, nuts and gingerbread. Light to medium-bodied, oily-textured, deep and hugely complex, this offering combines richness with detail as well as purity. Drink it over the next 10+ years.Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Fran Kysela, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228