So severe was the selection processes on Prieur's 2006 Beaune Champs Pimonts that only 22 hectoliters per hectare were netted. Sour cherry, blond tobacco, and brown spices in the nose, follow on a finely-textured though fundamentally firm, as well as buoyant palate. There are impressive nuances to the finish here that can only be characterized as mineral, of a sort that local lore at least would have us associate with the iron-rich chalk that underlies this site. I suspect this will be worth following from bottle for 4-6 years. Enologist Nadine Gublin reports that the Prieur team performed a severe triage of 2006 Pinot – especially from the Cote de Beaune – both in the vineyards and on tables. The fine results speak for themselves, boasting (with one exception) purity of fruit and complexity, as well as a range of distinctively 2006 virtues. Their Chambertin – which, like the wine from their other grand crus, had been assembled but not yet bottled when I last tasted them – presented a special challenge due to the degree to which the Prieur parcels were damaged by hail, and a decision was made to declassify even the small amount of fruit that was vinified. The Pinot crop was harvested at 12.5-13.5% potential alcohol; required no adjustment; and was all destemmed. The wines were (or will for the most part have been) lightly plaque-filtered.Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700