2016 Batard Montrachet

(all of the fruit in 2016 came from the Puligny side of the appellation, as one of Leflaive's parcels on the Chassagne side has been pulled up for replanting and another produced no fruit following the frost): Bright, pale yellow. Fresh yellow fruits and mirabelle are accented by a floral note. At once creamy and delineated on the palate, showing noteworthy cut and floral lift, not to mention brisk acidity. Perhaps not as powerful as the 2017 version, and in need of patience to reveal its inherent personality, this very promising Bâtard needs time.

The 2016 Batard Montrachet Grand Cru was vinified together rather than in four different parcels due to the frost (in fact one plot was pulled out). It has a much more involving and expressive bouquet compared to the Bienvenues. The palate is slightly viscous on the entry countered by a keen thread of acidity, not as tensile as the Bienvenues but surprisingly richer than one would have expected, with traces of wild honey toward the caressing finish. This may well turn out to be the pick of Leflaive's 2016s.