Bouchard Père & Fils : Montrachet Grand cru Domaine 2020

A creamy white whose opulence is tempered by lively acidity, allowing space for lemon oil, peach, ripe apple and stony mineral flavors. Tightly wound, turning more focused and taut as this plays out on the long finish, where an aftertaste of peach and mineral persists. Best from 2026 through 2036. 30 cases imported.

This wine has everything. Bouchard farms 0.89ha of well-positioned vines in Montrachet – south of Ramonet on the Puligny side (and north of the first DRC block in Chassagne). The grapes are pressed slowly as whole clusters before fermentation in cask (only 15% new) to accent the purity of fruit. The exquisite aromas range from citrus and green apple, to riper apple, apricot and peach, with hints of chamomile, cream and bitter underpinned with a firm minerality. This vintage truly has an impressive depth of flavour and persistence on the palate.

Very impressive nose of Amalfi lemon, bergamot, tarte a l'orange and wild herbs. Very ripe and rich, but with a massive structure beneath all the richness. Built on a huge scale, but with excellent freshness. So much chalky power, and this makes it feel like a huge wave is pouring over you. So precisely balanced, with great minerality at the bold finish. From an 0.89-hectare plot. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

The 2020 Montrachet Grand Cru has a creamy nose with touches of white chocolate, almond and chamomile. However, considering the vineyard in question, I would have liked more minerality and terroir expression. A bit of alcoholic warmth develops in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a fine thread of acidity. Tightly coiled citrus fruit, orange zest and patisserie notes, though it doesn’t quite deliver the tour de force finish you want from a “Monty.” Let’s see what a few years in bottle will do. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

A great, energetic wine—precise and intense—with a finish that is still strict, yet the full pedigree of the terroir shines through. A wine in the great tradition of the house’s whites, firmly opposed to the overly trendy reductive style.