バタール・モンラッシェ
コート・ド・ボーヌの白ワインにおける最高峰の一角、バタール・モンラッシェは、ピュリニー・モンラッシェとシャサーニュ・モンラッシェの両村にまたがる特級畑である。ル・モンラッシェの東側に隣接し、標高は約240メートルから250メートルの緩やかな斜面に位置する。総面積は11.86ヘクタールで、粘土質が豊かな重厚な土壌を特徴とする。主要な所有者には、1.91ヘクタールを擁するドメーヌ・ルフレーヴをはじめ、カイヨ、ジョセフ・ドルーアン、ラモネ、ルイ・ジャド、ブラン・ガニャールなどが名を連ねる。繊細な花のブーケと鋼のような骨格を持つピュリニーの美徳を備えつつ、この畑特有の力強い凝縮感と厚みのある複雑性を兼ね備えている。
The name Bâtard-Montrachet originates in a medieval legend. The Lord of Puligny, the story goes, divided his land among three children — his knight (*le chevalier*), his maidens (*les pucelles*), and his illegitimate son (*le bâtard*) — generating the naming pattern shared by Chevalier-Montrachet, Les Pucelles (a premier cru), and Bâtard-Montrachet itself. Folklore, not fact — but the story has endured for centuries, and the names stuck. The AOC received formal recognition in 1937.
Bâtard-Montrachet spans parts of both Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, covering 11.24 ha (2008 figure). It sits directly below Le Montrachet, across the Route des Grands Crus, on the lower flank of the same slope. Only Chardonnay is permitted. The yield ceiling stands at 40 hl/ha, with a minimum potential alcohol of 11.5% — fractionally below Le Montrachet's 12.0%. Annual production runs to approximately 63,000 bottles.
The lower position on the slope matters. More clay in the subsoil produces wines with fuller body, denser texture, and a more open fruit character than Le Montrachet itself — hazelnut, butter, yellow peach, honey. The wines drink well across ten to twenty-five years. They don't reach the almost indefinite ageing potential of Le Montrachet, but Bâtard is regularly described as the richest, most generous of the Montrachet Grands Crus — a different register, not a lesser one.
Domaine Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet's great biodynamic estate, holds a prominent parcel and produces a version known for purity and transparency.
Domaine Ramonet anchors the Chassagne side — the reference estate on that half of the appellation.
Domaine Paul Pernot, a long-established Puligny family house, is another principal owner.
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard and Domaine Gagnard-Delagrange represent the Chassagne family tradition across multiple parcels.
Maison Louis Jadot, Maison Joseph Drouhin, and Maison Bouchard Père & Fils all hold parcels and produce well-regarded versions. In total, more than twenty owners work the appellation across the two communes — making Bâtard-Montrachet a Grand Cru where stylistic diversity is particularly pronounced.
Côte de Beaune・Blanc · 1947–2024 (5-point overall, newest on right)
| Yr | Score | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ★★★★★ | Drink early | Cool, fresh whites. Mildew and poor fruit set cut yields 25%, but whites held up better than reds with crisp acidity. |
| 2023 | ★★★★★ | Drink early | Charming, accessible and delicious despite green-harvesting needed for heat stress. A delightful early-drinking vintage. |
| 2022 | ★★★★★ | Hold | Fresh and floral in youth with poised, stylish, concentrated palates — a recent white benchmark with long aging potential. |
| 2021 | ★★★★★ | Hold | Frost cut white crop by more than half, but survivors are fresh, classical and age-worthy — a cool, high-acid return. |
| 2020 | ★★★★★ | Hold | Fresh, classical whites. Some drought stress affected Chardonnay maturity, but overall balanced and built to age. |
| 2019 | ★★★★★ | Hold | Concentrated, ripe, rich whites with fresh acid balance. An excellent recent white vintage with strong aging potential. |
| 2018 | ★★★★★ | Hold | Outstanding whites showing depth and vivacity alongside focus and precision. Ripe yet fresh, with excellent aging potential. |
| 2017 | ★★★★★ | Drink now | A generous year, 21% larger than 2016. Attractive, accessible whites with pure fruit and balanced acidity for medium-term. |
| 2016 | ★★★★★ | Drink now | Severe frost reduced the crop drastically, but survivors produced charming, fresh-flavoured whites for medium-term drinking. |
| 2015 | ★★★★★ | Drink now | Ripe and generous, vividly fruity without excess. Excellent harmony of fruit and acidity, with good aging potential. |
| 2014 | ★★★★★ | At peak | A great white vintage with vibrant acidity and excellent aging potential. Beautifully balanced wines now in their drinking peak. |
| 2013 | ★★★★★ | Drink now | A cool, classical vintage. Careful producers crafted fresh, well-defined whites with bright acidity for medium-term drinking. |
| 2012 | ★★★★★ | Drink now | Hail decimated Chardonnay yields, but survivors produced whites of extraordinary depth and intensity with great balance. |
| 2011 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Soft, approachable whites with modest aging potential. Pleasant freshness now, but best drunk sooner rather than later. |
| 2010 | ★★★★★ | At peak | A historic white vintage combining concentration, depth and structure. Now entering peak drinking after a long aging trajectory. |
| 2009 | ★★★★★ | At peak | Exotic whites with ripe fruit, fleshy textures and soft structures. |
| 2008 | ★★★★★ | At peak | Smaller crop yielded vibrant acidity balanced by ample flesh. |
| 2007 | ★★★★★ | At peak | Precise, pure and elegant with lively structure when harvested late. |
| 2006 | ★★★★★ | At peak | Pure, elegant whites with ample flesh; some show botrytis character. |
| 2005 | ★★★★★ | At peak | Concentrated, structured whites with juicy acidity and ripe fruit. |
| 2004 | ★★★★★ | At peak | Fresh, structured whites with mineral character; balanced and rich at best. |
| 2003 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Charming, forward Chardonnays; rich and soft but most are now past peak. |
| 2002 | ★★★★★ | At peak | A historic vintage; full-bodied, ripe and rich with excellent fruit-acid balance. |
| 2001 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Exotic, forward and elegant whites; ripe in Maconnais too. |
| 2000 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Elegant whites stressing mineral terroir; some affected by premox. |
| 1999 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Best wines fruity and pleasant; worst dilute from huge yields and rain. |
| 1998 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Delicious, fruity and early-drinking whites. |
| 1997 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Pleasant, supple whites; uneven in Cote d'Or. |
| 1996 | ★★★★★ | At peak | A historic vintage of balance and longevity; pure, well-defined flavours. |
| 1995 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Rich, concentrated and generous whites; good ageing potential. |
| 1994 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Soft, honeyed Chardonnays for early drinking; mostly past prime. |
| 1993 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Austere, lean whites compromised by harvest rain. |
| 1992 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A balanced vintage with great finesse and lovely fruit. |
| 1991 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Fruity, charming whites for earlier drinking. |
| 1990 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A historic white vintage of grace and minerality; some have peaked due to premox issues. |
| 1989 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A ripe, seductive white vintage. |
| 1988 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A warm September produced structured, age-worthy whites. |
| 1986 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | Whites fared better than reds; botrytis added concentration. |
| 1985 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A historic vintage for whites too; elegance and concentration combined. |
| 1983 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A balanced, concentrated vintage for whites that aged well. |
| 1982 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A generous, soft vintage; most wines now past prime. |
| 1978 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A late-harvest masterpiece; whites also showed remarkable longevity. |
| 1976 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A hot vintage with low acidity; most wines are past their prime. |
| 1971 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A classic vintage of concentration and high acidity. |
| 1969 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A pinnacle white vintage of the 1960s, concentrated and age-worthy. |
| 1966 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A balanced, elegant classical white vintage. |
| 1962 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A classic, perfumed white vintage of finesse. |
| 1959 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A landmark white vintage of the 1950s combining richness and elegance. |
| 1947 | ★★★★★ | Past peak | A legendary post-war vintage; whites combined concentration and longevity. |
Aggregated consensus from professional and trade assessments. Individual vineyards or producers may diverge.
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