2013 Chevalier Montrachet

From five and half barrels, the 2013 Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru has a clinical nose with wonderful delineation. It is teasingly aloof at first, distant with faint oyster shell and brine notes, but glimpses only. Then it opens the door ajar with limestone and dewy green apple scents. The palate is extremely well balanced with clearly much higher level of tension than the Premier Crus from Niellon. But it is strict and very linear, long but without the peacock’s tail that will develop with time in bottle. There is almost a Riesling-like poise here, a Chevalier to cellar away while you enjoy the more open Bâtard-Montrachet. Excellent.

Bright yellow. Pineapple, menthol, wet stone and smoky oak on the nose. Silkier than the young Batard, showing lovely sweetness to its ripe flavors of pineapple, pear, honey, menthol and stone. Not as thick as the Batard but conveys a captivating light touch and lovely inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with terrific floral lift and subtle persistence. The crop level here was a normal 49 hectoliters per hectare, vs. less than 30 in 2012, according to Michel Coutoux.

From five and half barrels, the 2013 Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru has a clinical nose with wonderful delineation. It is teasingly aloof at first, distant with faint oyster shell and brine notes, but glimpses only. Then it opens the door ajar with limestone and dewy green apple scents. The palate is extremely well balanced with clearly much higher level of tension than the Premier Crus from Niellon. But it is strict and very linear, long but without the peacock’s tail that will develop with time in bottle. There is almost a Riesling-like poise here, a Chevalier to cellar away while you enjoy the more open Batard-Montrachet. Excellent. Dec 2014, www.robertparker.com