2007 Batard Montrachet

Boillot’s 2007 Batard-Montrachet is smells of almond and toasted brioche, lemon and peach. Despite what the toasty aspect of the nose or the reputation of the appellation might lead one to suspect, this is an exceedingly bright, lithe, energetic wine, offering counterpoint of ripe peach, lemon, and almond paste, and finishing with penetrating persistence. This is palpably dense and quite expansive on the palate, so that one could easily imagine it seeming monolithic and perhaps even a bit coarse, were it not for ripe, efficacious acidity. This needs time to knit – or perhaps to be tasted on a different day – but promises at least 6-8 years of pleasurable interest. Jean-Marc Boillot is now operating out of a re-modeled cellar and with a sophisticated new bottling line. His early harvest date in 2006 had been explicable on any number of levels, not least his personal preference for refreshment and minerality (as reflected in his love of classic – i.e., the presently endangered sort of – dry Alsace Riesling). But Boillot picked early in 2007, too – on August 28, no less, and for only 5 days – again citing his desire to retain acidity, and adding that encroaching botrytis was also a concern. “I think my 2007s will evolve a bit like 2004,” he predicts, “which gained volume in their elevage and in bottle and are proportional, not massive” making clear that both collections reflect his ideals. But he was clearly out to assist this process by having been strict about settling his musts, but then “done lots of batonnage.” Potential alcohols at harvest were in the low 12s and even after chaptalization, none of the finished wines reach 13%. Importers: A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet; fax 011- 333-80-24-29-70 and Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Reticent, rather cool nose hints at lemon, clove and white flowers, plus an intriguing grilled nuance. Boasts very good density and volume but little obvious sense of weight; in fact, the dominant impression here is of juiciness and precision. Shows the tight structure of the vintage's better examples. Finishes long and energetic, with a slight youthfully phenolic character. This is a moderate 13.4% alcohol, notes Boillot, vs. 14.3% for the 2006.

Mineral-driven aromas of crushed stone, menthol, mint and acacia flower. Dense and stony, with lovely acidity and firm limey cut giving energy and punch to the mid-palate. The brisk lime, stone and mint flavors reminded me of the 2004 vintage. A very vibrant 2007.