2018 Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

The 2018 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has quite a perfumed bouquet with touches of honeysuckle and quince, fine delineation, maybe just missing a bit of mineralité . The palate is well balanced with quite a sappy entry, fine depth and concentration, tangy orange peel and quince once more. It just misses a little mineralité on the finish. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.

Charming and demonstrative, Carillon's 2018 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru delivers aromas of peach, mandarin orange, buttered toast and crisp orchard fruit. Full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's open and textural, with a fleshy core of fruit and bright girdling acids.

There is a whole half a barrel more of the 2018 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru than in 2019. It has a strict and focused, marine/oyster shell driven bouquet that gains intensity with aeration. Yet it remains classic in style. The palate is very well balanced with superb weight on the entry. There is a penetrating bead of acidity, quite citric towards the finish with orange rind and light passion fruit notes coming through with time. Great length. A serious Bienvenue that should offer 20-25 years drinking pleasure.