From the dramatic, steep hillside that rises behind the village and opposite the northern terminus of En Charlemagne (but is not rated premier cru), Deux Montille's 2007 Pernand-Vergelesses Le Sous Fretille strikes a saline, chicken stock, kirsch, and quarry dust pose in the nose that would do a Chablis premier cru proud. Suggestions of pungent herbs and caraway lend a slightly Sauvignon-like note. The last thing in my mind is to do this distinctive wine an injustice by comparing it to something else, but hopefully these similes suffice to indicate how unusual it is for a Cote d'Or Chardonnay. Bright, salt- and stone-saturated, yet texturally tender, this launches into a finish of tremendous verve, staining the palate with herbal, mineral, and citrus oil residues. A hint of honey points toward a deeply buried incipient richness, and I am quite convinced that this will evolve in a Corton-Charlemagne-like manner over the next half dozen or more years. In the course of its six years, this negociant business of siblings has mourned the loss of a few excellent contracts, but continues to be an expanding source of impeccably rendered, consistently nuanced (and almost exclusively white) Burgundies. Alix de Montille puts special emphasis on ferreting out excellent sites in the less fashionable villages of the Cote d'Or, as well as in the Cote Chalonnaise. The resulting wines are expensive relative to their appellations but not to their quality. (For more about Alix de Montille's approach – avowedly influenced by that of her husband, Jean-Marc Roulot – readers are urged to consult my report in issue 180.)Various importers, including Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 559 1040; also, a Thomas Calder Selection, Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29