Scents of iris, lemon oil, orange blossom, and salt spray rise from the glass of 2007 Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet, whose volume reflects Girardin's ownership of half a hectare, and grapes that he says are routinely – and especially in this vintage – prone to millerandage. A liquid floral essence with at once soothing and invigorating splashes of pineapple juice, nut oils, and ocean water fills the palate, and a sense of crushed stone suffusion adds further complexity to a long, buoyant finish. This has the cut and clarity of a finely-polished gem, yet evinces no sense of austere hardness. It should serve for head-turning over the coming decade. What a year it is for this site! I can't resist mentioning – and why not with this wine? – that while I applaud the classy new (minimalist) label and capsule design on Girardin's wines, I find the heavy, faux antique bottles used for his grand crus – in whose punts I am able to hide my entire, admittedly small, fist – examples of the pretension and environmental excess that too often prevail in matters of glass and marketing. White Burgundy lovers will get their $275 worth out of this gorgeous wine if they will out of any grand cru, packaging aside.
Vincent Girardin picked until past mid-September, with most of his top sites being brought in only from the 10th; allowed skin contact he would have avoided until recent years; and beat the lees on his young wines only until Christmas, but then bottled – with a light fining, and in many instances no filtration – only in May, 2009 to maximize passive time on the lees. The regimen of new wood here (now 20-30% depending on cru) represents a drastic diminution in just the past several years, and the 2007s strike me as far more comfortable in their skins than those of 2004-2006, benefiting also from the freshness and vivacity that characterize the vintage. He picked a week too late in 2006, opines Girardin with hindsight, but then, this was almost unavoidable in at least some instances for a vintner with such huge acreage. Girardin finds his 2007s especially marked by the typicity of each individual site, not only to a greater degree than in the two more obviously ripe preceding vintages, but also than in 2008. This is an aspect he is convinced will gradually be enhanced by a conversion to biodynamic methods that is underway. Girardin's 2007 musts were selectively chaptalized and finished wines here are largely in the vicinity of 13% alcohol. As usual, given the vast array of estate and negociant wines at this address (the latter status noted, where applicable, in my texts), I was not able to take time for tasting them all; in particular omitting the generics.
Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802
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