2006 Domaine Boyer-Martenot Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru

The 2006 Meursault Perrieres is (along with his Puligny Caillerets) the ripest of Boyer’s 2006s, and while it only just reaches 14% alcohol, a bit of heat is generated. Despite that, and despite some superficial toast and vanilla from the barrel, this expresses the personality of its site to a significantly more impressive degree that any of its stable mates. A vibrant citrus character and multi-layered suggestion of minerality (chalk dust, stone, and salt) inform rich apricot fruit, marzipan, and butter cream, and the finish displays formidable clarity, interplay of flavors, and refreshment. This should age nicely for at least 6-8 years. Vincent Boyer began picking several days after the official starting date, in the belief that his grapes required additional ripening. After yeasting, the musts took off and fermented quickly, which might account for a certain sameness of character I noticed from one site to another. All but one of the 2006s was bottled already by August, 2007. Boyer was concerned to preserve freshness and the early 2007 harvest forced him to make a quick decision. The wines were lightly filtered but not fined. (Several unfiltered bottlings from selected barrels were as usual essayed this year exclusively for North Berkeley Imports, which I did not taste.) A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93