Bouchard Pere et Fils, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, La Cabotte 2016

Knockout pure-but-reticent nose melds deep yellow fruits, oak char, baking spices and minerals (this always needs a lot more time than the Chevalier-Montrachet here, notes Frédéric Weber). Wonderfully silky and rich but light on its feet; a serious mouthful of lemon zest, crushed stone and spices with outstanding focus and supporting salty minerality. Really shines today for its inner-mouth tension and explosive palate-dusting finish. Bouchard's Montrachet production was off by more than 50% in 2016 (to around 23 hectoliters per hectare), but the Cabotte was less affected by frost, producing three barrels, vs. four in 2017. This wonderfully plush, fine-grained, concentrated wine is built for a long and eventful evolution in bottle.

The 2016 Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte Grand Cru has a similar bouquet to the regular Chevalier-Montrachet this year, albeit with a subtle oyster shell scent that surfaces with time. The palate is very poised and a little nuttier and more saline than the regular bottling, although for me it does not quite deliver the same precision right on the finish. It is a bit broody at the moment and maybe closer in style to the Montrachet. Three barrels produced (since the vines were less affected by frost).