Joseph Mellot : La Grande Châtelaine 2019

Boasts a broad display of orchard fruit and lemon zest augmented by toasty oak, which adds concentration. Weighty and serious, with refreshing brininess and shaved flint alongside a hint of buttered shortbread. Drink now through 2027. 700 cases made, 50 cases imported.

The wine shows a pale lemon-yellow color. The initial nose reveals woody, spicy, and honeyed aromas. Notes of fresh wood, toasted hazelnut, nutmeg, and underlying vanilla (even a subtle hint of coconut) come through, along with chestnut honey, as well as fresh bread and toasted brioche. After aeration, the wine gains vibrancy with a zesty citrus edge (lemon zest, crushed lemon, lime, the bitterness of grapefruit), the indulgence of fleshy stone fruits (white peach, apricot), plus a floral touch of fragrant fresh linden and acacia, with a hint of almond in the background. The palate is complex, dense, and flavorful. The attack delivers woody notes (toasted hazelnut, fresh wood, underlying toasted wood, even a touch of coconut), spicy notes (vanilla, nutmeg), and honeyed nuances (chestnut honey, beeswax). There are also flavors from bâtonnage (fresh bread, underlying lees, toasted brioche), combined with a pleasant grapefruit bitterness (which lingers on the finish), candied lemon, fresh lemon, fresh and jammy gooseberry, passion fruit, and the juicy, gourmand character of yellow peach and fleshy apricot. The finish is very long, marked by notes of honey, linden infusion, acacia, and candied lemon. Complexity and depth, all in elegance.