From substantial holdings in four different crus, the Bouchard 2006 Beaune du Chateau (last tasted shortly before bottling) evinces a wonderful sense of richness and polish, suggesting vanilla-scented, honey- and lemon- and apple-filled pastry. Hints of vanilla bean bitterness and wet stone add some counterpoint to this imposingly, soothingly long even if not terribly complex Beaune blanc, one which ought to satisfy for at least another 2-3 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. Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY