Characteristics and Tasting Notes of the Bâtard-Montrachet 2022 Joseph Drouhin

Tasting

Color

This wine shows a bright golden hue with lovely luminous highlights, reflecting both the ripeness achieved on the Bâtard-Montrachet hillside and the influence of extended oak aging.

Nose

Given time to open, the nose reveals remarkable richness and intensity, offering notes of toasted bread, almonds, honey and exotic wood. These aromas intertwine with the hallmarks of the 2022 vintage, including citrus, ripe fruit, delicate floral touches and hints of lightly spiced pastry.

Palate

What stands out most is the monumental architecture of this wine. The palate is tender and fleshy, built on a generous, well-present texture with pleasant roundness and a delicious finish. A subtle touch of tannin adds an unexpected dimension, reinforcing the wine's structural depth. The finish unfolds at great length, revealing candied and amber-toned notes.

Food and wine pairings

This Bâtard-Montrachet pairs beautifully with white meats in creamy, mushroom-based sauces, as well as with refined poultry dishes. It is equally well suited to rich fish preparations and mature cheeses that can stand up to its generous texture.

Serving and cellaring

The Bâtard-Montrachet 2022 is best enjoyed between 2030 and 2037 environ, with an overall aging potential of up to 20 years. It is recommended to serve this wine at a cool cellar temperature, allowing it some time to breathe in the glass or a decanter to fully reveal its aromatic complexity.

Other characteristics

This wine is produced entirely from chardonnay grapes, vinified and aged in French oak barrels, of which approximately 30% are new.

Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2022: A Monumental White from the Côte de Beaune, Joseph Drouhin

The Estate

Maison Joseph Drouhin was founded in 1880 in Beaune, Burgundy, when Joseph Drouhin took over an established commercial business in the city center. Today the house is led by four great-grandchildren of the founder: Philippe, Véronique, Laurent and Frédéric Drouhin. Joseph Drouhin cultivates close to 100 hectares across Burgundy, mostly premier and grand cru sites, and has practiced organic farming since the late 1980s and biodynamic methods since the 1990s. The house is also recognized for its pioneering venture into Oregon's Willamette Valley.

The Vineyard

The Bâtard-Montrachet grand cru lies across the communes of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, just below the famed Montrachet vineyard itself. The site unfolds on a gentle slope of ochre-colored soil scattered with limestone pebbles, where the vine roots reach deep toward the bedrock. This interaction between root system and limestone subsoil is considered central to the character of the wine produced here.

The Vintage

The 2022 vintage delivered excellent ripeness for white wines, according to the estate. The grapes reached full aromatic maturity, resulting in wines with notable concentration and expressive fruit character, while maintaining the balance necessary for long-term aging.

Winemaking and aging

Grapes for the Bâtard-Montrachet 2022 come partly from Drouhin family-owned plots and partly from carefully selected grapes and musts purchased from partner growers under strict specifications. Harvest is done entirely by hand, in small perforated crates, with careful sorting when needed. The whole clusters are slowly pressed in a pneumatic press, with the free-run juice separated from the press juice. After light settling, the must is transferred directly into French oak barrels, where alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place, followed by an aging period of 18 to 21 months, with about 30% new oak. The oak itself comes from French high-forest trees, selected standing and air-dried for three years to soften the tannins. Throughout the aging process, decisions are guided by weekly tastings alongside technical analysis, in pursuit of finesse and faithful expression of the terroir.

Grape Variety

100% chardonnay.