2015 Batard Montrachet
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru from Pierre-Yves Colin is fabulous, and one of the white wines of the vintage. The youthfully reserved bouquet blossoms in the glass, revealing notes of preserved lemon, petrol, beeswax, toasted nuts and white flowers, continuing to gain in detail and complexity over the course of several days. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, multidimensional and complete, with immense depth and substance, bright acids, and a tight-knit core. For all its power and chewy extract, this is in fact a decidedly reserved, harmonious wine which deserves prolonged aging. Though he doesn't own them, Pierre-Yves farms these 90-year-old vines in Bâtard (on the Chassagne side, but bordering Puligny), and they clearly knew how to handle the heat in 2015.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
(this was the ripest fruit in 2015 at 13.7% potential alcohol, according to Colin, who noted that the berries were small, highly concentrated and clean): Bright lemon-yellow. Very reticent nose hints at ripe yellow peach, lemon oil and hawthorn. Great concentration and thickness without weight; more voluminous than any of Colin's premier crus, conveying a broad, silky texture to its ripe stone fruit flavors. Not yet penetrating; in fact, this is still almost monolithic owing to its baby fat.
Cask sample. One large barrel of second use, 228 litre. On the Puligny side, his strategy is to pick early because he tries to avoid heaviness – 1 or 2 Sep. 80-year-old vines with no stress. Deep greenish gold. Big and beefy and it tastes as though it’s in a boxer’s satin dressing gown! Very different from the rest in its careless sassiness. Very ripe. Very long and with amazing polish and confidence. He has never seen such perfect grapes. Extremely long. (JR)
(13.4% alcohol, the highest of these 2015s; just a single one-year-old 350-liter barrel): Bright yellow. Deep, thoroughly ripe aromas of peach, mirabelle and clove. Sweet, plush and long on extract but with almost shocking freshness for such a fat wine. This very dense, thick wine will need longer in barrel and bottle for its sweetness and penetrating acidity to harmonize. Outstanding potential here.
About the producer
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey (known by many as PYCM) is a négociant and domaine that has become one of the most popular white wine producers in Burgundy – with a prolific number of cuvées from the top Grands and Premiers Crus vineyards in the Côte de Beaune.