1989 Domaine Michel Niellon Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

One would be tempted to think that Niellon's best wine is his Chevalier-Montrachet, but it never is. (Perhaps I have never tasted a fully mature Chevalier-Montrachet.) For me, his greatest wine is his Batard-Montrachet, made from a tiny .24 acre parcel planted in 1927. The 1985 and 1986 are other-worldly, but the 1989 Batard-Montrachet promises to be nearly as compelling. An enormous wine, it exhibits a buttery, coconut-scented nose, huge, opulent, glycerin-laden flavors, spectacular depth, and a mind-blowing finish. How I wish all Montrachets would taste this good! Niellon's wines are best consumed within their first 10-15 years of life. Niellon made phenomenal 1985s and 1986s, but his 1989s might ultimately eclipse even those two exceptional vintages. There is no doubting that these wines possess decadent levels of fruit and an almost syrupy viscosity. They are so overwhelmingly rich and opulent, they could easily be compared with some of the greatest white burgundies made in the last decade. Importer: Chateau and Estates, New York, NY.