1996 Batard Montrachet

Jeroboam. Smoky nose. Tight and lots of acid. But it grew in the glass. Long. It is opening out. Very long. More brightness than the 1995. (JR)

The 1996 Batard-Montrachet has replaced the 1995 as the finest wine I have ever tasted from this estate . Displaying deep, floral, white peach, and mineral aromas, its amazingly rich, full-bodied, and oily-textured core explodes as waves of candied citrus fruits, minerals, metals, pears, honeysuckle, and sweet toasty oak are unleashed across the palate by vibrant and bright acidity. Hugely-structured yet fat and chewy, this expansive, broad and highly-delineated wine possesses an exceedingly long and intricate finish. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Jean-Noel Gagnard's brilliant 1996s will require patience as they have bracing acidity. These are rich, ripe and extremely well-made wines that, with time, will provide remarkable complexity, minerality, and, most importantly, pleasure. Importers: Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel (617) 731-6644; and Martin Scott, New York, NY.

Perfumed aromas of lime, quinine and grilled bread. Even sweeter and fleshier than the Caillerets, with the powerful extract to buffer its strong acids and stony minerality. Very impressive mid-palate weight and intensity. More deeply pitched and thicker than the Caillerets. The finish starts slowly, then builds and builds.