Jean-Marie Guffens is convinced that his 2002 Batard-Montrachet is “the best since either the 1992 or the 1996, unquestionably one of our all-time best.” White flowers, apricots, and pears explode from the glass. Light to medium-bodied, elegant, and sappy, it combines great purity with power and muscle. While not a blockbuster, it is complex, intricate, extraordinarily well-concentrated, and boasts an exceptionally long, suave, flavor-packed finish. Drink this superb Batard between 2007 and 2016. Jean Marie Guffens is ecstatic about 2002. “This is the best vintage we’ve done at Verget. From Macon to the Cote d’Or to Chablis, it is like a concentrated 1992. We were able to harvest in each area at the optimal time. We have great ripeness, not overripe, with excellent acidity, and the bulk prices that we paid actually dropped. The only problem in 2002 was some volatile acidity during fermentation, so we used more sulphur earlier than usual. Alcoholic fermentations took an extremely long time, and some of our malolactic fermentations were completed before the sugar was all eaten.” A Peter Vezan Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42654293), importers include: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700 and North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 848-8910, and a Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42843822), various American importers, including Bacchus Importers; tel. (800) 525-9699