Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet Chardonnay France Cote de Beaune 2018

A deep and complex bouquet mingling notes of mandarin, apple, pear and peach with nuances of toasted nuts, fresh pastry and nutmeg introduces Niellon's 2018 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, rich and textural wine that's ample and muscular, with lively acids and a long, spicy finish. Reminiscent of a slightly livelier version of Niellon's 2015 Chevalier, this is quite open and expressive and will show well young.

As I wrote last year, Niellon's son-in-law, Michel Coutoux, is routinely producing wines of impressively consistent quality and style. Coutoux describes the 2018 vintage as "another Burgundian classic," much the same terms he applied to his excellent 2017s, and this is one address where 2017 and 2018 are more first cousins than distant relations. As readers may remember, house fingerprint here is distinctive, with a touch of toasty oak from Saint-Romain's Tonnellerie Gillet marking each cuvée and the wines dependably distinguishing themselves with lovely texture and concentration. This is a domaine in fine form today, and readers who have fallen out of touch with the wines are advised to reacquaint themselves with this excellent producer.