Buttered toast and scents reminiscent of an Italian herbal liqueur (minus the alcoholic aspect) can be found in the nose of the medium to full-bodied 2004 Batard-Montrachet. This rich, deep, and supple wine sports a flavor profile of resiny minerals, spiced liqueur, toast, and pears. Anticipated maturity: now-2012. Jean-Marie Guffens, who has been strongly criticized by his importers and distributors for the frank comments of his I’ve quoted in The Wine Advocate, is much more circumspect than he once was. His view of the hierarchy of Burgundy’s white wine regions in 2004 coincides with my findings, “Chablis did best because it had 15 extra days before harvest, then the Maconnais, and lastly the Cote d’Or where yields figures were in the stratosphere...2004 started terribly, except for a hugely successful flowering, then July and August were as bad as anything I’ve seen – huge rains. We were unquestionably saved by the nice weather we had in September and through October 10.” To Guffens, “The latest harvested hillside vineyards produced the finest wines.” He reported declassifying numerous batches of grapes from the water-logged flats, and having to do enormous sorting out of grapes affected by rot. Moreover, alcoholic (until March, 2006) and malo-lactic fermentations dragged on for months on end. When asked his personal thoughts on the 2004s, Guffens said, “I adore drinking this vintage,” then he screamed “Drink it!” at the top of his lungs. The following notes are in the order the wines were served, as always, and reflect Guffens’s belief that the Cote d’Or fared worse in 2004 while the Chablisien performed best. A Peter Vezan Selection, Paris fax #011-33-1-42-55-42-93; importers include North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (800) 266-6585; also a Patrick Lesec Selection, Paris Fax #: 011-33-4-66-37-67-23, various American importers including Bacchus Importers; tel. (800) 525-9699

Jean-Marie Guffens is convinced that his 2002 Batard-Montrachet is “the best since either the 1992 or the 1996, unquestionably one of our all-time best.” White flowers, apricots, and pears explode from the glass. Light to medium-bodied, elegant, and sappy, it combines great purity with power and muscle. While not a blockbuster, it is complex, intricate, extraordinarily well-concentrated, and boasts an exceptionally long, suave, flavor-packed finish. Drink this superb Batard between 2007 and 2016. Jean Marie Guffens is ecstatic about 2002. “This is the best vintage we’ve done at Verget. From Macon to the Cote d’Or to Chablis, it is like a concentrated 1992. We were able to harvest in each area at the optimal time. We have great ripeness, not overripe, with excellent acidity, and the bulk prices that we paid actually dropped. The only problem in 2002 was some volatile acidity during fermentation, so we used more sulphur earlier than usual. Alcoholic fermentations took an extremely long time, and some of our malolactic fermentations were completed before the sugar was all eaten.” A Peter Vezan Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42654293), importers include: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700 and North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 848-8910, and a Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42843822), various American importers, including Bacchus Importers; tel. (800) 525-9699