Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Chevalier-Montrachet les Demoiselle 2011 has quite a lot of prominent new oak on the nose that is rather detracting from the delineation at the moment. It seems to have just gone into its shell since I last tasted it. However, the palate is appealingly balanced and smooth. Yes, it seems a little commercial at first but then it gains depth and intensity with aeration, the minerality, its stony heart, beginning to become more pronounced, especially on the finish. I do not think it possesses the harmony and focus of the 2012, but it is still an impressive Grand Cru.

(this wine was in 40% new oak during the first half of its elevage): Highly nuanced nose combines wet stone, white flowers, hazelnut juice, clove, noble herbs and a whiff of vanilla. Ripe, silky and round; the deepest and most layered of these 2011s to this point but also boasts terrific lemon-and-stone energy for a wine with such a plump, generous texture. Finishes extremely long and subtle, with a repeating hint of sexy vanillin oak. A knockout.