Top scoring whites, Burgundy 2015

From just over two hectares planted on the steepest part of the vineyard. Pungent yet elegant white peach nose displaying discreet power. Fine attack, precise and lifted, with ample fruit and a light touch. Silky and refined with a clear minerality on the finish. Not a flashy style, but tense and very long.

This is a magical Bâtard, from 90 year old vines that handled the warmth of the vintage. A bouquet of kalaeidescopic complexity reveals aromas of tangerine oil, pear, honeysuckle, candied citrus and an intriguing top-note of petrol. This is a wine of incredible intensity, concentration and velouté texture, which somehow remains unerringly weightless and precise. One of the white Burgundies of the vintage.

From just over two hectares planted on the steepest part of the vineyard. Pungent yet elegant white peach nose displaying discreet power. Fine attack, precise and lifted, with ample fruit and a lightt touch. Silky and refined with a clear minerality on the finish. Not a flashy style, but tense and very long.

From one hectare within Les Clos. Firm, rather closed nose, with a touch of oak. Rich, imposing, very concentrated and taut. Nutty and mineral on the palate, with some bracing austerity. Fine balance and potential, with a very long refined finish.

Powerful mineral nose, has heft and assertiveness. Aged mostly in oak, but not new oak, so the wood adds texture rather than flavour. Very rich with a distinct sucrosity, it seems to have less initial grip than the regular Blanchots, but then the mineral bite and grip creep up on the finish. Very long.

Brooding apple and pear nose, powerful but restrained. Rich and ripe but elegant, with a filigree character and piquant acidity. Refined and long with a fine future. Approximately 1800 bottles produced.

Fevre's holdings of Les Clos, the largest Grand Cru climat, amount to 4.11ha (15%) with eight south-facing plots. Two-thirds of the must was fermented in aged oak barrels with an average age of six years. As with the other Grand Cru, this has been aged for 15 months in a combination of stainless steel and older oak barrels. An intense, focussed Les Clos, still fresh and with excellent acidity pairing effortlessly with apple and stoned fruit notes on the palate. The finish is an intriguing combination of savoury notes, a touch of shellfish and iodine, and a long flinty finish.

One of the white wines of the vintage in 2015, as the domaine has exploited all the potential of this ripe, concentrated year without sacrificing tension or freshness. A complex, reserved bouquet of Anjou pear, lemon oil, nutmeg, white flowers and subtle hazlenut is followed by a powerful, full-bodied palate of incredible depth and tension, There is a strong signature of Perrières minerality through the long, penetrating and precise finish.

This has turned out beautifully in 2015, with a striking bouquet of tangerine oil, preserved lemon, peach and noble reduction, framed by new oak. An ample, intense and complete palate impression shows lovely textural refinement with a long, saline finish. A powerful but elegant rendition of this great terroir.

The one barrel of Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet is, as usual, the king of the cellar. It displays a complex and quite exotic bouquet of peach, apricot, crème pâtissière and vanilla oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully textural, with nice energy and focus despite the warmth of the year. By the time it has finished its second winter sur lie this should be absolutely superb, though good luck finding any!

The Chevalier is exceptional this year, very reminiscent of the domaine's lovely 2005. A cool and reserved nose of lemon oil, crushed stones, white flowers and touch of subtle noisette introduces a powerful, full-bodied palate with bottomless depth, impeccable focus and tingling minerality. The finish is long, penetrating and very racy.

In 2015 the Chevalier is very close indeed to the level of the stunning Bâtard, with a classic bouquet of lemon oil and confit lemon, struck match and crushed limestone. On the palate the wine is tongue-tinglingly mineral and intense, with almost phenolic grip on the long finish. This is very fine indeed, as focussed and vertical as the Bâtard is broad and expansive.