The Amiot 2007 Chassagne-Montrachet Baudines – of which there are only three barrels, from young vines – leads with top notes of lanolin and resin from its cooperage. Lemony brightness and salty, chalky minerality get the upper hand on the palate, and this is another instance of the lift and vigor that typifies this vintage, even if one could argue that here the wine is also simply a bit lightweight. Wood comes back to slightly dry the finish, but there is still impressive penetration and persistence. I suspect this wine may knit in the course of its first couple of years, but I do not foresee it as a candidate for cellaring significantly beyond that. Thierry Amiot was one of a number of growers who admitted to me that their choice of starting date for the 2007 Chardonnay harvest was inevitably influenced by the presence of a crew who had just finished bringing in a ridiculously early crop of Pinot Noir, and that perhaps in the first days this picking might have been a bit too early for optimal Chardonnay flavor. Still, better that than any botrytis: Amiot’s 2007s are far more impressive than had been his collection of 2006s, which suffered occasional diffuse, volatile, or rough patches, and were really only convincing in the upper-echelons. The 30-50% new wood used here was once again evident, as are the results of batonnage (omitted in 2006). Finished alcohol levels this year do not exceed 13.5%, which is lower than in other recent Amiot vintages. As usual, village wines were bottled at one year and premier crus along with the reds, after 16 months. Importer; Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524