2017 Criots Batard Montrachet
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Tasting notes
Despite its warm mesoclimate, Céline Fontaine told me that the 2017 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru didn't suffer in the dry August weather. As usual, the wine is rich and dramatic, bursting with a musky bouquet of mandarin orange, honeycomb, citrus blossom and spices. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad and succulent, with an ample, textural attack but nice purity and delineation on the finish. The most precocious grand cru in the cellar, it will drink well out of the gates.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Allen Meadows, Burghound
More reviews and scores
(these old vines, some of which were planted in the 1930s, produce very small grapes and "never a big yield," according to Fontaine): Bright lemon-yellow. The nose offers a wet stone aroma along with an element of honey. Fat and dense, even glyceral, but with surprising lemony acidity neutralizing its slight impression of sweetness. Conveys an impression of substantial alcohol but not particularly honeyed in the mouth. Finishes savory and smooth, with lovely building length. A potentially superb vintage for this bottling.
A restrained and ever-so-mildly exotic nose features notes of mandarin orange, melon, mango and floral nuances. The silky and highly seductive broad-shouldered yet refined flavors brim with mouth coating dry extract before terminating in a beautifully persistent, complex, balanced and harmonious finish. This is excellent and while it will clearly amply reward extended cellaring, it should be approachable after only 5-ish years.