1995 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

Following a super-ripe, concentrated nose of tropical fruits, the Batard-Montrachet serves up layers of spice-laden tropical fruit. With great staying power, this intense, long, full-bodied wine is a true Grand Cru. Drink it between 2000-2010. According to Lardiere, the Batard had 13.7% natural sugar, eclipsing the Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles's 13.5%. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Ratings with a range of scores in parentheses indicate the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pierre-Henri Gagey, the director of the highly respected Louis Jadot negociant house and his extremely talented winemaker Jacques Lardiere, are excited about their '95s. Like everybody else in the Cote, they saw the flowering on their whites get seriously damaged by the May snow fall. This resulted in a 30% reduction of their overall production, with some vineyards having yields more than 50% below the norm (Montrachet for example). The resulting grapes were very small and packed with concentrated juice, thereby providing fabulous raw material for Lardiere to display his considerable talent. Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; (212) 490-9300.