The finish is what really makes this the great grand cru that it is. It’s full-bodied, yet so tight and compressed with a very dense center palate. Compact and solid with a superb core of fruit. So much dried-apple, cream, nougat, stone and mineral character. Some white truffle, too. It’s tight and very, very long. The creamy, phenolic texture melts into the wine. Drinkable now, but needs three to four years to open. Try after 2023.

(93-95 points) This is also slightly leesy with a similar aromatic profile save for the fact that the spice elements are more prominent. Here too there is excellent size, weight and power to the broad-shouldered flavors that are just a bit more concentrated while delivering very fine persistence on the balanced finale. This will need to add more depth with time in bottle, but it appears to possess first-rate development potential.

Bouchard Père have a substantial 0.9ha of the Grand Cru on a slope on the Puligny-Montrachet side. This is certainly at the riper end of the scale in 2018, but the class and poise of the terroir shine through, with orange zest and lemon tart flavours, plenty of extract and concentration and a frame of aromatic, vanilla spicy oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2028

Sumptuous and dramatic, Bouchard's 2018 Montrachet Grand Cru bursts with aromas of honeyed peaches, toasted nuts, white flowers, orange oil and fresh bread. Full-bodied, textural and enveloping, it's satiny and gourmand, with lively acids and a rich, expansive finish. If this year's Cabotte is more tightly wound and incisive, the Montrachet is irresistible for its power and scale. - WK

(92-94 points) The 2018 Montrachet Grand Cru comes from 0.9 hectares on the Puligny side between Romanée-Conti and Ramonet. It was picked on September 5. It has a strict, focused bouquet with a subtle marine influence (oyster shells and cockle sheds). The palate is well balanced with admirable depth and a fine bead of acidity, but it does not kick on toward the finish like some of the other Grand Crus tasted from barrel. This is strict and serious. Let’s see how it ages. -- Neal Martin