A ten year tenure as Wine Director at restaurant Bâtard provided ten lifetimes' experience tasting its namesake vineyard. One learns quickly that in our warming age 'Bâtard' (the vineyard) requires a delicate hand. Boillot's nimble example gives the vineyard's indigenous richness superb expressive framing.
In this '22, full ripening and intense acidity give the muscled yet explosively ripe profile that are 'Bâtard' hallmarks. There's considerably clearer vineyard character here than in the '21 version offered earlier this year, delicious though that wine may be. That '21 could have stunt-doubled for 'Chevalier' while this '22 holds the proverbial mirror up to nature.
Smells like Bâtard, tastes like Bâtard, but (lucky us!) doesn’t cost like Bâtard.
Cheers,
Jason
