2017 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets

I tasted the 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru twice within a fortnight, on the second occasion served blind. It is turning into a very serious white Burgundy, as I expected from barrel. The very delineated, quite assertive bouquet reveals an intriguing licorice note after 10 minutes in the glass. There is a touch of struck match, but it is very subtle and does not obscure the terroir expression. There is clearly good weight on the palate and a killer line of acidity. This brims with tension, offering fleeting glimpses of pineapple and grilled walnut and fanning out wonderfully on the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at La Trompette, London.

Unwinding in the glass with notes of Anjou pear, spring flowers, blanched almonds, citrus zest and white peach, the 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is full-bodied, deep and incisive, with a layered but tight-knit core that's built around racy acids and chalky dry extract, concluding with a long, searingly mineral finish. This might be the finest wine produced at Domaine Lamy-Caillat to date.

The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru has a strict, linear bouquet with scents of apple blossom and walnut and just a faint touch of licorice in the background. The palate is very well balanced with lovely orange pith, dried mango and light spicy notes that gain intensity with aeration. This has lovely weight and depth, and just a hint of ginger toward the finish that lingers long in the mouth. Superb.