Chevalier Montrachet, Bouchard Père et Fils 2006

Prost was, justifiably, extremely proud of this wine and observed that it may be the best "straight" Chevalier that he's ever made. Not surprisingly, this is a good deal more elegant than the Bâtard with gorgeously pure floral and white fruit, stone and subtle spice aromas that seamlessly merge into the almost painfully intense and vibrant flavors that, like the Perrières, possess crystalline purity and huge length. This is a knockout Chevy and if you can find it, don't miss it.

Mint, talcum, marzipan, and candied lemon dominate the penetratingly high-toned aromas of their 2006 Chevalier-Montrachet, which exhibits a remarkable alliance of textural richness and citric brightness, and a finish of fascinating, low-toned, chalk, stone, citrus zest, and nut oils. For all of the sheer ripeness on display here, there is no sense of superficial sweetness, with fresh lime saturating a palate of formidable density and imposingly ripe pit fruits. And for all of this wine's more than 14% alcohol, there is barely a hint of warmth. It exhibits to an even greater degree than the corresponding Meursault Perrieres a nearly ineffable, for lack of a better word "mineral" character, as well as an uncanny combination of amplitude and elegance; sheer mass yet vivacity. This memorably long beauty should age well for at least a dozen years. In keeping with what he says are his usual intuitions, Philippe Prost picked early - bringing in Chardonnay ahead of Pinot Noir for the first time at Bouchard since 1989 - so as to retain freshness as well as what he termed "the sense of minerality in a vintage of very ripe fruit. But in 1989," he hastens to add, "yields were perhaps overly generous, whereas in 2006 they are quite reasonable." The results are consistently impressive. New barrels are generally "seasoned" here through use in wines of lesser appellation (other portions of which are frequently raised in tank), as Prost prefers to employ second year barrels for most of his crus. Injections of inert gas at bottling are among the techniques being used to protect the young wines here from oxidation.