2023 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 3-Pack

The 2023 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is shaping up beautifully, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear and peach mingled with clear honey, white flowers, toasted nuts and smoke. Full-bodied, layered and satiny, it's lively and concentrated, with a sweet core of fruit and a long, expansive finish. Pierre-Yves Colin has delivered another successful 2023 vintage, and almost everything I tasted remained un-racked on the lees, undergoing a long élevage in pursuit of more tension and complexity. As ever, picking tends to be on the early side with a view to retaining freshness. As readers may know, Colin's bigger cuvées are crushed and see four-hour press cycles, whereas smaller cuvées aren't crushed but see even longer press cycles lasting five or more hours. Vinification and maturation in barrel, with a heavy emphasis on larger-format barrels, follow. As I've written before, since moving to his new, much colder cellars in Chassagne-Montrachet's "zone artisanale," he finds his wines retain significantly more free sulfur dioxide for any given addition, so a touch less is being used.(WK)

The 2023 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a slightly reduced nose, but there is fine delineation as crushed stone comes through with time. The palate is very well balanced with a keen line of acidity, touches of sour lemon and orange rind and a flinty finish. This exudes class and sophistication even at this prenatal juncture.(NM)