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Tasting note
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.
Score: 95
David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate, December 2009
