(a good percentage of this négociant bottling is from purchased fruit, as opposed to purchased wine): White peach, white flowers and spices on the lively nose. Delivers an outstanding combination of richness and brightness, with vibrant lemony acidity framing and energizing the flavors of stone fruits, lemon and acacia flower. This very long, palate-staining Batard should offer superb aging potential.

The 2014 Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru is much more convincing and energetic on the nose compared to the Bienvenue with upfront, flinty scents storming from the glass. The palate has a touch of viscosity on the entry, predicating a powerful and broad shouldered Bâtard that is determined to make an impression, which it does. It is very well balanced, very intense and just a lovely white grand cru Burgundy. As is becoming tradition these days, I spent two mornings at Louis Jadot on the outskirts of Beaune, one dedicated to their whites and the other their reds. Apart from enjoying the wines that I think are doing very nicely under head winemaker Frédéric Barnier, the marathon offers an overview of the Burgundy region across geography and across hierarchy. I began our conversation asking about the factors that influenced the quality of the 2014 vintage...