2012 Batard Montrachet

The 2012 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru was served after the domaine's 2014 Montrachet—a hard act to follow, but it made a valiant effort. Since I last encountered it a year ago, the wine has become quite exotic, with an extravagant nose of white peach, petrol, iodine and tangerine oil. On the palate, the wine is ample, concentrated and generous but rather heavier and missing some of the energy displayed by the wonderfully restrained and vibrant 2014 Bâtard. It appears to be evolving quite rapidly, so this is a good candidate for near-term consumption.