2018 Chevalier Montrachet

Here the wood treatment is more prominent and includes whiffs of toast and vanilla on the very ripe aromas of pear liqueur, baked apple, spiced tea and plenty of floral nuances. There is exceptionally good richness to the caressing and enveloping broad-shouldered and powerful flavors that coat the palate with dry extract while the beautifully complex finish offers excellent length. This classy effort is also quite tightly wound and should amply reward a decade plus of cellaring.

There are three barrels of the 2018 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, a lovely wine that mingles scents of lemon and orange oil with notions of freshly baked bread, dried white flowers and pastry. On the palate, it's full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with a fine spine of acidity and a penetrating finish.

The 2018 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru was more backward and demanded much more coaxing than the Bienvenue tasted alongside, touches of wax resin and menthol filtering through the light tropical fruit. The palate is quite rich and generous on the entry. A fat Chevalier-Montrachet whose richness slightly detracts from the tension and mineralité of the terroir. It is highly enjoyable, yet does not deliver the same level of intellect as other vintages I have tasted from Vougeraie.