The 2014 Criots-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a crisp, white chocolate-tinged bouquet with orange blossom scents overtaking those with time in the glass. The palate is vibrant and peachy on the entry, a tropical-inclined Criots with white chocolate and pralines returning on the aftertaste. A very well-made Criots this year from Lucien Le Moine, though it is a couple of lengths behind the Chevalier-Montrachet.

The 2013 Criots Batard Montrachet Grand Cru has a detailed limestone and flint-scented bouquet that is very direct and focused–no messing about here. The palate is vibrant and energetic with hints of mandarin and grapefruit segueing into quite weighty and sustained finish. I fancy that this will gain considerable weight throughout its barrel maturation. This is a super Criots '13 that will age with style.

The 2012 Criots-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a delicate nose with touches of white flowers (peony and dandelion) accompanied by almond and brioche. The palate is very vibrant with crisp acidity: lovely, effervescent white peach and orange peel, hints of hazelnut towards the composed and intense finish. Excellent - this is very seductive.

A new addition to the range, the 2010 Criots-Batard-Montrachet wafts from the glass with endless sweet, floral nuances. Somewhat of an understated and at times intellectual wine, the Criots impresses for its subtlety and pure detail. This is an airy and ethereal, minimalist Burgundy that is more about implied rather than obviously stated depth and complexity. The weightless finish seems to last forever. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Proprietor Mounir Saouma thinks 2010 is a great vintage and therefore he wanted to push the boundaries as far as possible by slowing down the maturation of the wines. He kept temperatures very low in the cellar to encourage slow, long malolactic fermentations and long elevage in barrel. Among the unusual practices Saouma adopted with the 2010s is stirring the lees a full year after the harvest. At the time of my visit, in July 2012, none of the 2010 whites had been bottled, the only estate in Burgundy I know of that had still not bottled their 2010s. The wines Le Moine 2010s are big, rich and powerful. In many cases, the 2010s appear to have structures that are in the realm of reds. A number of the wines also show slight elements of botrytis that will become more pronounced over time. In addition to these wines, I also tasted the 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot, which was too closed to properly evaluate. Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000