Bâtard Montrachet 2017 75cl

A Bâtard that does not win you over with its muscle and strength, but charms you with its solid center palate and beautiful, precise fruit for the vintage. Full-bodied, reserved and focused. Give it two or three years to open. But a beauty.

The 2017 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru opens in the glass with a youthfully reserved but nicely integrated bouquet of citrus oil, crisp yellow orchard fruit, ripe peaches, toasted nuts and smoke. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad and powerful, with a deep core, succulent acids and a layered, muscular profile, concluding with a long and expansive finish. While it needs a couple of years in the cellar, I suspect this will offer a broad drinking window. Though it's bigger than some of Leflaive's 2017 premiers crus, I don't think it dominates them in terms of quality.