BATARD-MONTRACHET GRAND CRU

Tasting notes:

The Bâtard-Montrachet has a beautiful bright pale yellow robe with straw yellow reflections. Incredible complexity even in its youth, its nose develops a predominately floral aroma with light toasted notes with a touch of menthol. The mouth is full and powerful with a beautiful mineral structure which gives persistence. The finish is long and aromatic with subtle amber notes of crystallized fruit and sweets.

Serving suggestions
:

Savour this Grand Cru with delicate fine fish (sole, John Dory) or big shellfish. A lobster with just a simple dash of hazelnut oil, truffle juice or fleur de sel. Otherwise try an earthenware oven-cooked sea bass with small crunchy spring vegetables.... just taste the excellence !

Serving and keeping
:

Serve at 12°C (53°F)
Laying down: With time and a long keep (30, 40 years) under the best possible conditions this wine will reach the sublime.

A legendary wine, a symbol and part of Burgundy heritage... the Bâtard-Montrachet appellation, like its' neighbouring «Le Montrachet » is indeed all of these. This is the true jewel of this vineyard area which stretches across both the Chassagne and Puligny communes (and to which the name "Mont Chauve" has been given). The terroir of this very unique Grand Cru is composed of brown marly limestone soils with oolite and scree from the middle-Bathonian era. It is with great humbleness and caution that we craft the grapes from this vineyard plot which really is unlike any other.

Work in the vineyards
:

Our approach to viticulture at our estates serves as a reference for our partner growers. Their vineyards are followed up on by our teams with the same care as for our own vineyards. Long-term partnerships with growers allow us to establish precise objectives to be reached, especially as far as the health of the grapes, yields, and the ripeness of the grapes at harvest time are concerned.

Vinification
:

Made with purchased grapes or musts (the grapes are pressed by our partner growers), we vinify this exceptional wine in oak barrels, of which 35 % are new. The diverse origins of the barrels (the Tronçais, Allier and Vosges forests), their particular degree of toasting and their age all contribute to our quest for bringing out the aromatic complexity that this special terroir has to offer. Alcoholic fermentations are long, lasting from 6 weeks to 2 months, and are carried out at cellar temperature using indigenous but not aromatic yeasts.

Ageing
:

In our centuries-old cellars, we age this wine for 14 to 16 months according to tradition in oak barrels (50% new oak). During this time, the wine acquires structure and complexity through stirring of the lees, malolactic fermentation and the influence the barrels have on the wine (olfactory interactions and oxidoreduction).