2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, La Cabotte

The wines of Chevalier La Cabotte lie between 'regular' Chevalier and Montrachet itself in location and quality. The wine is not as open as the classic Chevalier at present, yet aromas of lemon peel, apricot and pear are present with shadings of acacia flower and honey. Rich and creamy texture: 'Much closer to Montrachet than Chevalier,' I noted on the day. The grapes come from a 0.21ha monopole up-slope from Bouchard's Montrachet holdings, consistently producing a wine that will live for decades.

If this year's regular Chevalier could be mistaken for La Cabotte in a blind tasting, so the 2022 Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte Grand Cru might be mistaken for a Montrachet. Offering up youthfully reductive aromas of pear and peach mingled with hazelnuts, white flowers and orange oil, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with broad structural shoulders and an unctuous core of fruit, concluding with a long, saline finish.

Cask sample. Riper than the straight Chevalier-Montrachet, intense citrus and a hint of apricot. Deeply fruited, gently chewy, firm but fresh. Spicy, long, mouth-watering finish. (JH)