2015 Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru Domaine Bachelet-Monnot

Lightly spiced and a little salty with a fine creamy overlay. Refined, almost gentle, cool, long and extremely elegant. Fresh and salty/mineral on the finish.

The 2015 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, which has just been racked, was unsurprisingly a little muted on the nose. The palate is elegant and understated, very well balanced, though I wonder whether it will develop the tension and mineral drive of its Premier Cru "underlings" (the Les Referts and Folatières). At least afford this 3-4 years in bottle and I am sure this Bâtard will come round and become a worthy follow-up to the stupendous 2014.

Medium yellow. More exotic on the nose than the Folatières, with aromas of pear, peach and candied orange peel complicated by a suggestion of lichee. Silky and broad on the palate, showing more power and thrust than the Folatières but no obvious surmaturité or roasted character. Flavors of mandarin orange and minerals are framed by adequate acidity. Thick in the middle and still a bit youthfully aggressive on the finish but the wine's slowly mounting length suggests that it will reward mid-term cellaring. Drinking windows: 2019-2027