Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2012 tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Batard Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine de la Vougeraie has a well-defined bouquet, here exhibiting a conspicuous marine influence, hints of oyster shell permeating the citrus fruit and cold flagstone aromas. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, quite phenolic compared to its peers, spicy like Blain-Gagnard’s Batard-Montrachet, armed with good intensity on the finish. It is still very primal but there is appreciable length here, if not quite the finesse of a top flight Batard-Montrachet.