2006 Domaine Ponsot, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Les Charmes

The Ponsot 2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes demonstrates the enormous difference made by location in a vintage with 2006's challenges, as this is seamlessly rich, polished, expressive, and seems to exude self-confidence vis-a-vis the corresponding village-level bottling. Red raspberry and red currant retain their brightness while informing a subtly silken, tenderly-textured and buoyant palate on which the tannins are so refined as to be scarcely noticeable. Ginger, white pepper, salt, and chalk dust add interest and invigoration to a long, saliva-drawing finish. As this warms and takes on air, intriguing suggestions of musk and other animal scents emerge. This epitome of Chambolle and of vintage 2006 elegance should be a perpetual delight over the next 8-10 years. Picking chez Ponsot began predictably late – on September 27 – and lasted until October 5. As might have been expected, Laurent Ponsot acted rigorously in the vineyards in the immediate aftermath of hail and eventually on the sorting table (overseen, he notes, by an especially meticulous team of three young women) to insure that any effects were minimized. (For some notes on the often unorthodox methods Ponsot employs, readers should consult my report in issue 170.) Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802