2014 Chevalier Montrachet
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Tasting notes
(the Colin-Deleger 2014s did their malos later than the Bruno Colin wines aged in the same cellar): Aromas of pineapple, smoke, butter and nuts, plus a powerful spicy oak element. Fat, round, full and rich, with rather full-blown flavors of yellow stone fruits, pineapple and smoky oak; less woody on the palate than on the nose. The very long, slowly mounting finish shows some edgy acidity.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
An element of leesy reduction adds sex appeal to aromas of peach, gingery spices and crushed stone. Dense and thick on the palate; a real high-wire act of sweetness and acidity, conveying terrific depth and almost painful intensity. Orchard fruit and smoky mineral flavors are complicated by a suggestion of exotic fruits. Finishes salty, tactile and very long. These old vines yielded a moderate crop of about 40 hectoliters per hectare in 2014. The semi-retired Michel Colin now farms only 0.7 hectares of vines; his 2014s finished their malos in mid-March, later than son Bruno's wines, which are raised in the same cellar.
The 2014 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru impresses in terms of purity on the nose, although after more than a decade, there remains a patina of oak that needs to be subsumed. Hints of fennel and freshly baked brioche join the citrus fruit with time. The palate is powerful with superb grip, just a little honeyed in texture. It delivers the complexity and mineralité you expect from this noble vineyard, and its persistence deserves applause.