Tasted, but no tasting note given. As always, ratings with a score in parentheses indicate the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. According to Didier Burelle, the domaine's winemaker, wines destined for the U.S. market have not been filtered since the 1989 vintage. Moreover, the 1995s are the first wines not to have been fined (wines bottled for other markets continue to be subjected to filtration). New oak is used sparingly. The grand crus are aged in 25% new oak; the others in used casks. Floral, perfumed aromatics and tangy Pinot Noir fruit with adequate structure for moderate aging characterize this domaine's wines. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel (205) 980-8802.

Notwithstanding this estate's recent return to the form that made it so famous in the fifties and sixties, the 1993 vintage was not handled successfully. The wines are unyielding, extremely tannic, often over-oaked, in addition to being hollow and tough on the palate, with an angularity, high acidity, and severity that make them unacceptably hard, in addition to being dubious candidates for long-term cellaring. I am a great admirer of the immense progress Merode has made over recent vintages, but readers are hereby forewarned, and thus forearmed, about these 1993s. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Chester, VT; tel. (802) 875-2139