The 2008 Montrachet is surprisingly rich, buttery and opulent. Layers of fruit saturate the palate in this expansive, voluptuous Montrachet. This is a decidedly forward style for the year, with more of an emphasis on textural depth than minerality. Oddly enough, I find more freshness in 2009, at least at this stage. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. Jacques Lardiere and Frederic Barnier showed me a wide range of 2009s during my visit in late June, 2011. Many of the jewels among the 2009s are hidden in the villages level wines, which I highly encourage readers to check out. I also tasted a selection of 2008s. The 2008s are quite fat for the year. Yields were lower than in 2009. Lardiere made the decision to age the wines longer on their lees to give them more richness, which he felt was lacking because of the inconsistent, high acid vintage. As a result, these are fairly big 2008s. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756