The Bouchard 2006 Meursault Gouttes d’Or smells of honey, candied grapefruit rind, and chalk dust; displays impressive density, with toasted almond, and persistent honey and citrus flavors; and finishes with a more low-key, subtly stony, zesty, and angular finish than its more flattering counterparts from Poruzots and Charmes. But this should evolve positively over 4-6 years. From a renowned site of which they own a significant portion continuously being replanted a few rows at a time, yet still with a high average vine age. 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

It’s certainly rich and rounded as befits a Meursault, but there is also a fine definition of fresh yellow fruits, buoyed by wood, but suffused with tight acidity. Fine, balanced concentration, with enticing spring flower aromas.——R.V.(10/1/2008)—— 92