2001 Le Montrachet

The powerful, layered 2001 Montrachet jumps from the glass with mineral-infused pear aromas. Medium-bodied, highly expressive, forward, and dense, it coats the palate with liquid minerals, spices, toast, buttered pears, and stones. This satin-textured wine also reveals an outstanding, apple-laced, lengthy finish. Drink it over the next 10 years. Maison Louis Latour appears to have faired significantly better than many of its fellow negociants in 2001. "We are very surprised, these were hugely acidic prior to malolactic fermentation but really good afterwards," said Jean-Pierre Jobard, Latour's winemaker. His boss, this firm's director, Louis-Fabrice Latour, added that "we've come to love the 2001 whites with time, they keep improving during elevage and we find that there is, in this vintage, a large step in quality between the village AOC wines and the premier crus." Maison Louis Latour has a different importer in each state.