1999 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (7/4/2008)

I opened a bottle of this white wine on the 4th of July.This is made from old vine Marsanne grapes (20-40 years old). 1999 was an excellent year in the Northern Rhone valley so I thought I'd try a bottle of this when I saw it on clearance for $3 a bottle. Not really my style of wine. This is made in a reductive and slightly oxidized style. I thought it could use more fruit. Medium body and linear on the palate. Notes of pear, marzipan and somewhat flinty. Tanzer gave it 87 points but I liked it less. 84 points.

VM