2011 Domaine Étienne Sauzet Montrachet Grand Cru

(from vines on the Chassagne side; three of seven barrels were new, the rest one year old): Pale straw-yellow. High-toned, expressive aromas and flavors of lime, peach, iodine and spicy oak. Large-scaled, spicy and deep, as tactile as a solid without coming across as obviously phenolic. A real essence of Burgundy in its density and concentration. Wonderfully integrated acidity leavens and extends the explosive, smooth finish. No rough edges here. This is 13.6% alcohol but is neither overripe nor lacking in acid spine. (As high as my score is today, the 2010 version is still likely to surpass this wine in the long run.)

Lemon, lime, mint, white flowers, honey and Chamomile are woven into the 2011 Montrachet. This is the lightest and most elusive of the Grand Crus. A wine of exceptional finesse and persistence, the 2011 impresses most for its textural length, silkiness and polish.

(from vines on the Chassagne side of the cru; this was the only 2011 to have been chaptalized: it's now 13.5%): Bright yellow with a green tinge. Reticent aromas of lemon and lime. Intensely flavored and tightly wound, with strong lemony acidity contributing to the impression of energy. A bit ungiving today. Rich and dense but not yet hugely complex. The most horizontal and the longest of these 2011s, but in need of five or six years of bottle aging. These 2011s are solidly built but this is the only one that seems austere today.