2014 Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting, Girardin's 2014 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a crisp, chalky and focused bouquet that gradually opens in the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a killer thread of acidity, impressive salinity and an intense, much more Bâtard-Montrachet-inspired finish that lingers long in the mouth. This did improve in the glass, gaining a little more precision although in tandem, the oak became a bit "loud-mouthed" on the finish, hence my prudent score.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Fine pale straw with lemon and lime touches. Very graceful, suave, gently oaked nose, becomes quite buttery. Also fat and fleshy on the palate before being reined in by brisk lemony acidity. Not quite convincing, maybe a little late picked, and the buttery character of the oak imposes.
Bright green-tinged yellow. Wonderfully expressive, elegant nose offers scents of lemon, noble herbs, mint, tea and honeysuckle. Vivacious and sharply delineated, showing almost painful thrust to its flavors of citrus fruits and wild herbs. Brisk and penetrating like the Batard, but this wine conveys an impression of higher acidity (actually 4.2 grams per liter with a low pH of 3.1, according to Germain). The salty finish leaves the tongue and salivary glands humming. A superb showing (and Germain did present this wine after the Batard!).
(a tiny crop from S04 rootstock): Bright yellow with a green tinge. Highly nuanced aromas of crushed herbs, fleurs de vignes and white pepper, plus a note of gunflint reduction. Wonderfully elegant and fine-grained, showing terrific underlying energy. This is almost painful today in its intensity. Finishes tannic and salty, with outstanding cut and length for the year. Great potential here.