Domaine Michel Niellon Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2013 750ml

I was a bit surprised at how reserved this is relative to the Chevalier because it’s usually the Chevalier that is the more restrained of the two. Be that as it may the reticent but wonderfully complex nose offers up notes of honeysuckle, pear, spice, lemon grass and a hint of citrus, all of which is trimmed in just enough wood to notice. The broad-shouldered flavors are even denser and more powerful with plenty of palate coating dry extract that once again serves to buffer the very firm acid spine on the almost painfully intense finale that delivers stunningly good complexity and length on the perfectly well-balanced finale. In any given vintage you never know which of Niellon’s two big boys is going to be the better wine but in 2013 the early nod goes to the Bâtard as it seem all but guaranteed that this is going to be very special.

• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Appellation: Cote De Beaune
• Sub Appellation: Batard Montrachet
• Size: 750ml
• Color: White
• Alcohol by Vol: 13.5%

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.