2017 Louis Latour Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 750 ml

The Louis Latour family history is inextricably linked to the evolution of Burgundy over the last three centuries. They were well established as coopers (barrel makers) well before they purchased their first vineyards in the Cote d’Or in 1731. From that point, the family patiently (but persistently) built a reputation as one of the preeminent wine negociants in Burgundy. In parallel,  the family also steadily acquired significant top parcels of top vineyards over the course of the next 250 years.

Such is the case with their Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru vines, which are separated by the great Montrachet vines themselves by a mere tractor path. We doubt there are many winemakers working with Chardonnay who don’t consider the Grand Cru white wines of Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune to be the quality reference for the variety — and this 2017 Latour Bâtard-Montrachet hits all the right buttons. The elegant perfume, subtle complexity, layered texture is the stuff vignerons around the world dream of. 

The limestone rich soils, combined with a perfect southeast exposure are two key factors responsible for the supreme quality of Chardonnay coming from Montrachet and its adjoined vineyards. While a direct relationship between soil composition and flavor profile in wine is still not that well understood, the type of energy and minerality found in this wine can often manifest in other Chardonnays grown on limestone — but seldom to this level of intensity. The southeast exposure allows for a high number of sunshine hours throughout the growing season, leading to full ripeness of fruit and exceptional flavor development. 

In the case of the  2017 Louis Latour Bâtard Montrachet, the confluence of these factors combined with a warm, even growing season (one winemaker went so far as to call it “boring’) in 2017 have yielded outstanding results; a wine of profound complexity, richness of fruit and depth of flavor.