2015 Montrachet Grand Cru

"The 2015s are in the style of the 2009s and 2005s," said Richard Fontaine in early June. "They're not fade [tasteless, dull] like the 2003s." Yields ranged from 35 to 45 hectoliters per hectare and Fontaine began harvesting his Chardonnay on September 1, with potential alcohol levels mostly between 12.5% and 13%. Fontaine noted that his 2015s are more mature than his 2014s, with the earlier vintage showing both more acidity and easier drinkability. Fontaine had racked his '15s two weeks before my visit and returned them to barrels, still on their fine lees. I was impressed by the energy shown by a number of these opulent wines, and Fontaine noted that they were transformed dramatically by the racking, taking on more shape and penetration.

Incidentally, Fontaine compared this year's killer frost in late April to frost in 1951, his birth year, noting that that disastrous growing season also featured hailstorms in both July and August.