2000 Château de la Maltroye Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

($110) Explosive, superripe nose of nectarine and pear, with an almost exotic suggestion of dried fruits. Hugely sweet but fresh, pure and light on its feet, with palate-staining concentration and a vibrant flavor of pineapple. A wine of great clarity and grip, finishing with outstanding length. Showing spectacularly today. Certainly one of the best wines I've tasted to date from Cournut.

Author: Stephen Tanzer

Issue: September/October 2002

Big, powerful, expressive, spicy and toasty new wood aromas combine with even bigger, indeed massive flavors that do a remarkable job of remaining both detailed and balanced. There is really exceptional harmony present for such a substantially-scaled wine and ripe, solid acidity is more than able to buffer all the sappy, sweet extract. This should be capable of improving a decade or more without difficulty.

Issue: 3rd Quarter, 2002