The 2018 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru has turned out well, mingling aromas of pear and white flowers with hints of almond and beeswax. Full-bodied, layered and textural, it's rich and fleshy, with lively balancing acids.

The 2017 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru is performing well from bottle, bursting with aromas of orange oil, honeyed pears and toasted nuts. Full-bodied, rich and muscular while remaining lively and succulent, it's already drinking well.

The 2013 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a more reserved, less reductive bouquet compared to the Criots-Batard-Montrachet. The palate is fresh on the entry with noticeable vanilla oak and a nicely poised, quite concentrated finish that relies just a little too heavily on the wood.

Effusive aromas of pink grapefruit, banana, peach, and pineapple rise from the glass of Latour’s 2006 Batard-Montrachet (from purchased fruit). For all of the exotic ripeness suggested on the nose, and its breadth and its polished texture on the palate, this Batard still evinces some freshness as well as a suggestion of stony minerality. Bitter peach kernel and lemon pip add to the finish. I suspect this will always lack the interplay of flavors adumbrated by its Chevalier counterpart, but is a strong candidate for representing true grand cru quality over the next 6-8 years. Louis-Fabrice Latour and oenologue Jean-Charles Thomas presented a 2006 collection that displayed the opulent richness that one would anticipate from such a ripe vintage, and from the Latour house style. Sometimes these wines want a bit for clarity, definition and distinctiveness – occasionally they are rather obviously marked by dairy flavors from their malolactic conversion – but the best of them have much to offer. Since I did not have opportunity to include in my issue 179 report notes on the Chablis bottlings of Simmonet-Febvre – a domaine Latour purchased in 2003 (and which also bottles some lovely sparkling wines) – I have made note of them here. Louis Latour has numerous importers throughout the U.S.

Rich wafts of honeyed minerals emanate from the glass of the medium-bodied 2003 Batard-Montrachet (white). Oily-textured and thick, it coats the palate with caramelized minerals, baked pears, and spices. A fruity, straightforward wine, it is a candidate for drinking over the next 6 years. Maison Louis Latour has numerous importers across the United States.