2008 Le Montrachet

The 2008 Montrachet is surprisingly rich, buttery and opulent. Layers of fruit saturate the palate in this expansive, voluptuous Montrachet. This is a decidedly forward style for the year, with more of an emphasis on textural depth than minerality. Oddly enough, I find more freshness in 2009, at least at this stage. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier showed me a wide range of 2009s during my visit in late June, 2011. Many of the jewels among the 2009s are hidden in the villages level wines, which I highly encourage readers to check out. I also tasted a selection of 2008s. The 2008s are quite fat for the year. Yields were lower than in 2009. Lardiere made the decision to age the wines longer on their lees to give them more richness, which he felt was lacking because of the inconsistent, high acid vintage. As a result, these are fairly big 2008s. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756

Vibrant, precise aromas of lemon, fresh peach and nut oil. Then fine-grained, juicy and elegantly styled, with a captivating element of white flowers and perfectly integrated acidity. But this is ultimately less accessible today than the Demoiselles and seemed to shut down in the glass. Long on potential, though.

Very pale. Sweet, correct start with real weight and confidence. I hesitate to use the word but this is ‘manly’. Assertive and with superior weight. This is by no means resting on the laurels of the appellation. Very good stuff! Great balance and should probably please for a long time. (JR)