This wine is a spectacular, extremely unctuous offering with awesome flavors, with massive sweetness, glycerin, and extract, as well as amazing honeyed, earthy, spicy, jammy aromatics. The scent of Piedmontese white truffles is unmistakable. After spitting, orange marmalade, apricot jam, and white truffle-like flavors continued to linger on the palate, even though there was no wine left in my mouth. This legendary wine will have 50-100 years of longevity.Importers: Langdon Shiverick, Cleveland, OH; tel. (216) 861-6800 and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524

An updated report on the 1996 Hermitage Vin de Paille (initially reviewed in issue number 140) (700 bottles produced). Fermented for five years before it became stabilized, this 100% Marsanne cuvee exhibits a deep garnet/amber color, an unctuous texture, and a sweet nose of roasted nuts intermixed with white truffles, marmalade, and molasses. It possesses huge body, great richness, and tremendous underlying purity. It finished with 15% alcohol. Drink it now and ... over the next 75-100 years. This family-run estate continues to go from strength to strength, with the father and son (Gerard and Jean-Louis) team pushing all the right buttons to achieve success at all quality levels. Jean-Louis Chave is responsible for several negociant wines. Importers: Langdon Shiverick, Cleveland, OH; tel. (216) 861-6800 and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

Chave's 1989 Vin de Paille is the quintessential honeyed, highly extracted sweet dessert wine. I cannot say I like it any better than a great Selection de Grains Nobles from Alsace, but it is an amazingly rich, thick, unctuous wine that represents the essence of wine. A half bottle will easily serve 10-15 lucky people. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2060. Last tasted 12/95.

This is one of the most extraordinary wines I have ever tasted. It was made with no sulfites, so it can be drunk by people who have allergies to sulfur. With its deep golden color and huge honeyed bouquet that offers a smorgasbord of decadent sweet fruits, this stunningly rich, intense, unctuous nectar must be tasted to be believed. It is nearly perfection, and probably will last 20-30 years. Last tasted 12/94.