1996 Château Ferrand Lartigue

The owner of this tiny gem of a property does everything possible to produce the finest wines. In 1998, he brought in the son of Francois Mitjavile (of Tertre Roteboeuf fame) to produce the wine. The 1996 is one of St.-Emilion's stars. Even though it is not a premier grand cru or even grand cru classe, it is superior to many wines with those higher pedigrees. The dense purple-colored 1996 reveals lavish toasty new oak in the nose intermixed with framboise, kirsch, and black currant fruit. In the mouth, it displays a sweet mid-palate, gorgeous purity, moderate tannin, and a round, impressively long finish. This wine is accessible, but readers who have tasted previous vintages of Ferrand-Lartigue will want to cellar it for 1-2 years, and drink it over the following 12-15. It will be atypically long-lived for a wine from this estate. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2013.