2016 Bâtard-Montrachet, Grand Cru, Domaine Bachelet-Monnot, Burgundy
Critics reviews
Neal Martin - 29/12/2017
About this WINE
Domaine Bachelet-Monnot
Domaine Bachelet-Monnot in Dézize (Cote de Beaune) was recently created by Marc and Alexandre Bachelet, grandchildren of Bernard Bachelet.
They own 10ha of vine in all, covering Maranges, with 1er cru wine La Fussière in both colours and the semi-monopoly of Clos de la Boutière, Santenay and Puligny-Montrachet, including 1ers crus Referts and Folatières along with grands crus Bienvenues-Bâtard and Bâtard-Montrachet. The whites wines are exceptionally fine.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.
Bâtard-Montrachet
Renowned for its exceptional white wines, Bâtard-Montrachet is a Grand Cru appellation, situated in the heart of the Côte de Beaune subregion of the larger Côte-d'Or department. The vineyards are nestled between the villages of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
The terroir is characterised by a mixture of limestone and clay soils, with a significant proportion of limestone, which contributes to the unique mineral character of the wines. The region benefits from a continental climate with some influence from the nearby Saône River, providing ideal conditions for cultivating Chardonnay grapes.
The wines are celebrated for their complexity, richness, and intensity and typically exhibit ripe fruit flavours such as citrus, pear, and peach, along with notes of hazelnut, honey, and minerals. Bâtard-Montrachet wines are known for their exceptional ageing potential, often improving and developing more complexity over many years in the bottle.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
The 2016 Batard Montrachet Grand Cru was touched by the frost and reduced by 25% in quantity, not as acute as others because they believe the vines were offered protection by the stone wall at the bottom of Montrachet. That equates to a barrel and a half, and it was still in barrel with racking due when I dropped by. It has a lively and generous aniseed-tinged bouquet that opens superbly with aeration. The palate is quite rich on the entry with a slightly honeyed texture. It is marked by a fine thread of acidity, just a dab of ginger and spice toward the finish that bristles with energy, furnished with a long and pure spicy aftertaste that leaves the mouth tingling. This is an excellent Btard-Montrachet that should give 15-20 years of drinking pleasure.
Neal Martin - 29/12/2017
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