1999 Lafon Volnay 1er Santenots

While the Clos des Chênes performed as expected relative to the cask sample, the final Santenots was even better than the cask sample. Wonderfully expressive with massive amounts of spicy black fruit and seductive flavors; the wine has an enormous amount of underlying material and is incredibly complex. But it's the length that defines this wine as it simply goes on and on. It's not hard to see why Lafon believes this is one of the finest wines ever produced at the Domaine. Simply magnificent.  Burghound 94 Points Outstanding  (this was racked for the first time in September of 2000, and was bottled in September of 2001) Saturated medium ruby. Explosive, profound aromas of redcurrant, cherry and dark chocolate, complicated by enticing oak tones of smoke and exotic spices. Superripe but not roasted; superrich but impeccably balanced and lively. Red fruit flavors nicely accented by chocolate and minerals. Finishes with terrific persistence. Showing virtually no sign of the recent bottling. Perhaps the most complete red wine made to date by Lafon. -- Stephen Tanzer/Vinous 94