Produced from 8 year old vines, this ruby-colored wine displays aromas of violets, stones, and dark fruits that give way to a refined, easy-going, tangy, medium-bodied, and fresh herb-tinged core of sweet cherries, raspberries, and currants. It will be at its best if consumed before 2001. Bruno Clair described this vintage as abundant (he says his Marsannays averaged 40-45 hectoliters/hectare and his other vineyards averaged yields in the 35-40 h/h range) and perfectly healthy as not a trace of rot was spotted. He went on to say that his '96s have as much as 4 grams per liter of acid, the highest level he has ever seen in Burgundy. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel (205) 980-8802.