2015 Domaine Michel Niellon, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

Niellon's 2015 Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru is superb, opening with a lovely nose of pastry cream, preserved lemon, beeswax and toasted nuts, framed by new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and textural, with a glossy attack, a deep mid-palate, and a bright, lightly grippy finish. While this is a powerful, dramatic Chevalier Montrachet it's very nicely balanced.

The 2015 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru comprises of four barrels this year, one new and the other three one-year-old barrels (incidentally, it is never matured in 100% new oak). It has an austere, aloof bouquet despite vigorous swirling of my glass whilst I was chatting to winemaker Michel Coutoux. The palate is well balanced with a slight viscosity on the entry, notes of candied lemon peel, nectarine, dandelion and a pinch of spice towards the finish. It does not quite take off as I was expecting and I actually find as much pedigree in the Les Vergers and Chaumées this year. Still, let's see what happens with bottle age.