WTN: Ponds

1996 Bonnes-Mares, Robert Groffier

The wine has the classic deep, brick-red color of mature pinot noir. Very abundant aromas of dark fruits with a touch of oak in the background. Everything's so well-integrated that it's hard to pick apart individual aromas. In my experience 1996 produced concentrated and forceful red wines in the Cote d'Or and this one is no exception. But the power is matched by grace and balance. The finish is long, complex, and just a wee bit rough--I think the wine may still be coasting up to its plateau of maturity. This is a great example of what grand cru Burgundy can be but so often isn't. It is this sort of wine that keeps us chasing the Burgundy holy grail. Double Curly Moe. Will probably improve over the next several years.

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

Nice! Groffier was sometimes a bit clunky in the 1990s. Glad that it came together so well.

I recall it being very darkly colored, pretty rough, and very structured when it was first released. Most of the red '96s were. Overproduction was apparently a problem for the grands crus. One grower told us that he'd pruned back the vines as far as he could without killing the plants and they still overproduced. The villages wines were exceptionally good that year. Excess grand cru production isn't supposed to end up in villages wines, but I suppose mistakes can happen in the cellar.

-Paul W.