Paul Pernot Batard Montrachet 2016

This classic, standard-bearing Bâtard-Montrachet comes from three different parcels, one in Puligny and the other two in Chassagne, with vines that range between ten and thirty years old; this wine ferments and ages in barrique (about 20% new) and is bottled about a year after harvest. A complex, textured palate that’s rich with stone fruits and flowers flows across a muscular body. At once fleshy and delineated, this Bâtard-Montrachet is pure pleasure.

Pale, green-tinged yellow. Vibrant aromas of lemon and lime peel, white peach and crushed herbs lifted by white flowers; very precise for a young Batard, especially from such a warm year. Wonderfully suave and brisk in the mouth, conveying a lacy texture to its citrus and stone fruit, licorice and fresh herb flavors. The resounding finish is rich, salty and very long. A wonderfully complex young Batard with outstanding potential. It's often hard to choose between Pernot's two grand crus in the early going, but not this year.