2019 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

Unwinding in the glass with aromas of peach, pear, hazelnuts and dried white flowers, framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction, the 2019 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, its concentrated core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky extract. Like the Pucelles, this is precise and fine boned, but it's also more muscular and intense. Pierre Vincent told me that Domaine Leflaive began their harvest in 2019 on September 11, preferring not to start too precipitously and rather to wait for full maturity. Alcohol levels range between 13.5% and 14.5%, accompanied by low pHs, and as usual, élevage began with a year in barrel (from a variety of coopers, including Séguin Moreau and Chassin) followed by six months or so in tank on the lees before bottling under Diam 30. Concentrated and incisive, this is an impressive range of wines that are clearly built to age (indeed, several cuvées showed a touch of youthful reduction out of the gates) and which confirm that Domaine Leflaive is back at the top of its game. Everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended. (WK)

The 2019 Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is cut from a similar cloth to the Les Pucelles on the nose: reserved, mineral-driven with hints of orange blossom emerging with time, later more Granny Smith apples. The palate is strict and precise, demonstrating impressive weight, especially towards the back end. Maybe not quite as complex as the best of Leflaive’s Premier Cru, though it is extremely pesistent with a long ginger-tinged aftertaste. (NM)