(94-97 points) Gorgeous deep fresh yellow, picked on 28th August, 13.85% already, it was time to do it! Very high-class nose, full of complex options. Benjamin didn’t like the new wood component so quickly took it out. Very backward but such a wealth of fruit and it is multi-layered. A classic Bâtard which will go buttery in the fullness of time.

(92-95 points) An intensely floral-suffused nose blends notes of various white orchard fruit aromas with those of lemon-lime, spice and whisper of wood. There is excellent richness, size and weight to the big-bodied flavors that brim with dry extract that buffers the very firm acid spine shaping the very dry, powerful and impressively long finish. Note that my projected drinking window is based on the magnum format.

(91 - 93+ points) Deep and muscular, the 2018 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru wafts from the glass with aromas of pear, toasted nuts, orange oil and fresh pastry. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and textural, with a concentrated core of fruit, ripe acids and a long, honey finish. Readers who privilege power over tension will gravitate toward this, whereas the Genevrières-Dessus and Tête du Clos will appeal more to purists.- WK

The 2018 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, which came from magnum, offers touches of popcorn and white peach on the nose, pretty with a dab of blackcurrant leaf emerging with aeration. The palate is well-balanced with a sappy, slightly pithy opening, fine acidity and good depth. A focused, tightly-wound finish suggests that more bottle age is necessary. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting. -- Neal Martin