1995 Criots Batard Montrachet

I have never had a spectacular Criots-Batard-Montrachet and am starting to believe it doesn't merit its Grand Cru status. Jadot's '95, while fine, reinforces my view of this vineyard. The nose conjures up scents of green apples. The wine's flavors come through in the mouth along with touches of minerals and spice. Silky-textured and medium-to-full-bodied, this wine should be consumed between 2002-2010. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Ratings with a range of scores in parentheses indicate the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pierre-Henri Gagey, the director of the highly respected Louis Jadot negociant house and his extremely talented winemaker Jacques Lardiere, are excited about their '95s. Like everybody else in the Cote, they saw the flowering on their whites get seriously damaged by the May snow fall. This resulted in a 30% reduction of their overall production, with some vineyards having yields more than 50% below the norm (Montrachet for example). The resulting grapes were very small and packed with concentrated juice, thereby providing fabulous raw material for Lardiere to display his considerable talent. Importer: Kobrand, Inc., New York, NY; (212) 490-9300.