2014 Le Montrachet Grand Cru Blain-Gagnard

A discreet application of wood easily allows the brilliantly well-layered aromas of acacia blossom, lilac, menthol and once again both white and yellow orchard fruit scents to be appreciated. There is a positively gorgeous mouth feel to the powerful and muscular yet caressing big-bodied flavors that also brim with a seemingly endless reserve of dry extract, all wrapped in a markedly dry, linear and hugely long finish. This is impressive and there is so much underlying material that it's possible that my score may ultimately prove to be unduly conservative.

The 2014 Montrachet Grand Cru, which is matured in a single 350-litre barrel, has a captivating, stony, flinty bouquet that takes several minutes to really unfold. The palate is driven by the salinity here. Tightly wound and linear, it is full of tension, gently building towards the minerally finish that is saving everything for those with the patience to give it a decade in bottle, although uncorking within three years is pardonable.

A whiff of the sea makes the aromas enticing, while flavors of peach, apple tart, nut oil and stone follow through. Powerful and balanced, yet this needs time for all the components to find equilibrium. The intense finish is long, laced with apple, stone and toast notes. Best from 2020 through 2033. From France.- B.S.