2010 Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

The 2010 Chevalier-Montrachet is very pretty. It boasts gorgeous inner perfume and terrific balance. Honey, apricots, smoke, nectarines and vanillin all come together in the glass. There is a plushness, sweetness, and a generosity in the Chevalier that is highly attractive. The seamless, finely-knit finish leaves a lasting impression. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. Michel Niellon told me the key to the vintage was choosing the right picking date, especially after a thunderstorm in Santenay on September 12 forced many growers to pick a few days earlier than they had originally expected. Yields are down 15-30%, depending on the appellation, mostly because of the irregular flowering. The domaine’s parcels had a high percentage of coulure (shatter) and millerandage (shot berries). According to Niellon, it is the uneven size of the berries that marks the vintage, as the smaller berries gave concentration, while the larger berries contributed acidity. As was the case throughout the region, the malos were quite slow to develop, and a few of these wines were bottled a little later than usual, something that is now possible because of Niellon’s huge warehouse facility in an industrial section of Chassagne a few kilometers from the old, historic part of the village. The 2010s were aged in barrel until just before the 2011 harvest, at which time Niellon bottled the Chassagne-Montrachet, Champ Gains, Vergers and Chaumees. The Clos St. Jean, Maltroie, Chevalier and Batard (which I did not taste) were bottled in October and November 2011. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (707) 299-2600

(this one finished its malo very early, in January): Bright, green-tinged yellow. Aromas of orange marmalade, flint and powdered stone. Rich and round but penetrating, with lovely intensity to the yellow fruit, mineral and floral flavors. Almost deceptively gentle in texture today, but there's a steely spine of acids and minerals here. Seems more consistently ripe than the Batard. Long on the aftertaste, with a firm acid edge.

The 2010 Chevalier-Montrachet is very pretty. It boasts gorgeous inner perfume and terrific balance. Honey, apricots, smoke, nectarines and vanillin all come together in the glass. There is a plushness, sweetness, and a generosity in the Chevalier that is highly attractive. The seamless, finely-knit finish leaves a lasting impression. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. Aug 2012, www.robertparker.com