Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Chardonnay

Yellow flowers, sweet lemon, corn. Acidity, salinity and lovely focus. Rich but bright. Young. Long. From mag

Light and focused. Chalk and floral notes. Light but very sophisticated. Delicate but powerful. Wow. From mag

The 2005 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru came from an original bottle, i.e., not reconditioned at the Domaine due to premox problems. It has a rich and concentrated bouquet, with hints of wild honey intermixed with white flowers and broom. It shows a wonderful definition, a hint of candy floss emerging with aeration. The palate is very well-balanced with great poise, a silver thread of acidity and a dash of white pepper and crustacea towards the sustained finish. Outstanding. Tasted at Clarette in London. (Neal Martin, Vinous, June 2024)

Poised and gorgeous. Balanced. Light citrus and floral notes. Light and bright and very approachable. Very detailed and refined. Excellent, with years ahead

Quite restrained. Angular and tight still. Lovely balance. Pretty midpalate. Very good

Struck match and lemon. Bright and vital. Gorgeously intense with a succulent midpalate and a long finish. A great bottle.

Visceral and punchy. Bright lemon, struck matches, oyster shells. Thrilling acidity and great fruit. Young but gorgeous

Flint, white flowers, minerals, salinity. Focussed and precise with really great structure and balancing acidity. Another great recent Leflaive tonight… victory! This is really good. A little less shower then the 09 Bastard alongside but really classy stuff. Excellent

Tasted blind. Medium gold color. Matchstick nose. Notes of apricot, citrus, white stone/limestone, petrol, tan spice. Massive acidity in the mouth, matched by a ton of fruit and structure. This evolved all night, getting better and better. Guessed 99 Leflaive Batard. 96+

Poxed