2020 Bouchard Père & Fils Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

BP&F own all of 2.5 ha of this 7-ha vineyard. Plots on each of the four terraces which are vinified separately and blended only at the end. They are incredibly different apparently. The first is flat, just above Montrachet: rich, dense and a sometimes a bit Riesling-like. The second terrace gives elegance. Third terrace is very hard and rocky but sunny so matures grapes well. Fourth terrace is small but produces very tight, precise, mineral wine. Weber foresees very long ageing potential. Much more fragile and evanescent than the Corton-Charlemagne that was provided in the same collection of 10-cl tasting samples. But it certainly builds on the savoury, persistent finish. Almost grand cru weight…! Certainly had admirable presence in the mouth and on the finish. This would disappoint no one except perhaps someone who was counting the pennies… (JR)

The 2020 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru opens in the glass with notes of citrus oil, musky peach, tangerine, nutmeg and buttered popcorn. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, it's chiseled and penetrating, with a tightly wound core of fruit and a racy spine of acidity. As readers will remember, this bottling hails from the three terraces on the hillside above Bouchard's La Cabotte, their bottling from the latter—which abuts Montrachet itself—being more muscular and powerful, whereas this cuvée is finer-boned and more ethereal.