1995 Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

Exhibiting beautifully ripe fruit aromas, the Bienvenue Batard Montrachet offers abundant spicy, minerally flavors. All the components are present for this wine to be outstanding, except for slight bitterness in the finish. I look forward to tasting this medium-to-full-bodied wine after it is bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2012. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Ratings with a range of scores in parentheses indicate the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. My expectations were high when I arrived for my tasting at this world-renowned cellar. I had drunk the 1978 and 1992 Chassagne Montrachet Les Ruchottes with a good friend over dinner a few nights before, reminding me of the beautiful wines Ramonet is capable of making. While the 1995's were excellent, I found them to be disappointing for an estate of Ramonet's stature. (The few 1994 Ramonets I have tasted were also a let down, lacking fruit and revealing signs of oxidation). Importer: Chateau & Estate Wine Co., New York, NY; tel (212) 572-7725.