2006 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

Michel Niellon, who likes his white wines young, "with fruit," is enjoying his 2004s now. When I mentioned having recently tasted some of his '85s and '86s (the '85 Batard-Montrachet, for example, is a monumental wine), he looked at me as if I were demented and said "that's ancient history." Of course, in his small cellar he has limited space to keep old bottles. The 2006 malos here had only recently finished when I stopped by to visit, and the wines had not yet been racked. Niellon describes 2006 as a rich, ripe vintage that can be drunk early or cellared for four or five years. Like a few of his neighbors in Chassagne-Montrachet, he finds more vivacity and freshness in the '06s than in the '05s, not to mention more personality. Niellon started harvesting the day before the ban in '06 with his Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumees and would have started a day or two earlier if he could have gathered his picking crew together by then. His wines are fresh rather than especially fat-not a bad thing in this vintage. (Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, New York, NY) Also recommended: Chassagne-Montrachet (85).