5 | Wine | 1998 | Page 2

"Deeply pitched aromas of candied citrus fruits, pear skin, peach, anise and smoky herbs, with slow-building florality. Toasty and broad, showing impressive power and focus to its ripe orange and pit fruit flavors. Brighter on the finish, which hangs on with excellent tenacity and leaves behind notes of candied nuts, flowers and citrus pith. This Champagne has loosened up a bit since I tasted it last year and is showing more complexity, but it still deserves some patience, or at least an hour of air."

"Light gold. Intensely aromatic nose offers a complex bouquet of smoky orchard and pit fruit aromas, along with exotic orange zest and white pepper. Deep and chewy, displaying impressively concentrated but brisk pear and bitter citrus pith flavors and an undercurrent of buttery brioche and lees. Finishes with palate-staining persistence and a subtle anise quality. As usual, a stunner."

"Stony peach and pear aromas are complicated by smoked meat and Asian spices. Round and filled in, with admirably deep pit fruit flavors, a pliant texture and a fresh mineral kick on the finish. Leaves a strong pear impression on the palate and an echo of minerals."

"The 1998 Amarone reveals a gorgeous nose along with ripe red cherries, cough syrup, spices and minerals on a medium-bodied frame. Made in a sweet, inviting style, it offers excellent length as well as purity in a very classic style. It also appears to have enough fruit to compensate for the volatile acidity which is present."

"Light gold with a lively mousse. Impressively complex bouquet of citrus, pear, toasted hazelnut, flowers and musky herbs. Fleshy and deep, offering a broad array of orchard and pit fruit flavors along with deeper toffee and butter qualities. A snap of dusty minerals adds vivacity and extends through the palate-staining finish, which leaves floral, mineral and fruit skin notes behind. This is already showing a lot of personality but it has the depth to evolve in bottle for at least another decade."