Decent wine, but a Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet from a lovely vintage like 2002 really needs to be something rather more than decent. Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. The nose showed maturing aromas of chalk and earth and honey draped over a core of ripe yellow fruited aromas - nectarines maybe, and a whiff of kumquats. Decent, nut nothing especially outstanding. The palate echoed those tones - it was ripe and yellow fruited, with a round, creamy texture; all quite nicely proportioned, with a decent depth and weight. There were nice flashes of an underlying spice and chalky mineral notes that brought Chablis to mind on the finish. However, I thought it went a bit flattish in terms of acidity and lacked some intensity for a Grand Cru. It got a bit better with time and air, but all in all, this was a decently good wine and little else.

A surprise - this was very enjoyable. It had a complex little nose that could only have come out of Burgundy, with bits of funky earth and meat, menthol, herbs and smoke, even a ring of metal, all set against a base of dark-fruited aromas. A very nice and developed bouquet. The palate seemed rather austere at first, still marked by chewy tannins and juicy acidity that gave it a real sense of structure. Given a bit of time in our glasses though, it began to open up and soften out, showing clear, clear notes of sour cherries and berries laced with some warm spice and ferrous minerality, and then a twist of orange peel before the wine drifted into a nicely wound finish. It was not the most complex of wines, especially given its age, but its was certainly yummy, characterful stuff, with quite a nice elegance to it. This should go on developing for quite a few more years too. A really pleasant surprise.

A very modern style - right up Hubert de Boüard's alley. It was a well-made wine, but somehow just a bit soulless. The nose was exactly what you would expect it to be - a melange of sweet vanillin from the oak, ripe aromas of plums and blackberries, some floral notes, with a little ring of tobacco and graphite at the back of the bouquet. Modern indeed, but quite pretty. The palate had a certain elegance to it as well, with nicely integrated acidity and some fine, slightly dusty tannins beneath nicely chewy flavours of plums and black cherries. There was some ripeness, but it was pretty nicely controlled, with a nice, juicy chew all the way into a decent finish, with some spice coming out at the end. It was still a bit on the thick side in the mouth, but all in all quite nicely put together. It just failed to ring my bell though. It may improve slightly in the coming years, but I would not imagine this to get much better with age from this point on.