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Bâtard Montrachet, Domaine Leflaive 2012

Tasting Notes

(bottled in mid-May): Bright lemon-yellow. Deeper-pitched than the Pucelles, with nectarine and spice flavors complicated by leesy and smoky nuances. Big, rich and sweet, with peach and smoke flavors lifted by high notes of grapefruit and jasmine and enlivened by bracing acidity. Best today on the penetrating, rising finish, where the wine's grapefruit cut leaves the mouth refreshed. Great potential here, but in need of at least eight years of aging.

96+
Stephen Tanzer, vinous.com, September 2014

**Note: from 3 different parcels, two on the Chassagne side and the third in the Puligny sector that is near the border dividing the two communes**
Mild reduction knocks down the nose but it seems reasonably clear that the underlying fruit is ripe. What immediately impresses about the broad-shouldered flavors is how fine they are which is not always the case with the typical Bâtard. This refinement only adds to the seductive palate feel of the extremely rich yet precisely focused, intense and strikingly long finish. 2012 should be a terrific vintage for this storied wine though note that plenty of patience will be required as I doubt that this will drink especially well young.

92/95
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (55), June 2014
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.