Mosses growing on old tree stumps come to mind in the nose of a 2006 Beaune Greves from centenarian vines on Nicolas Potel's future domaine, a wine which offers a dense palate impression adding to moss and humus tart blackberry, toasted nuts and crushed stone. While this is adamantly mineral, its fruit is sweeter and its texture more tender than that encountered in most of the Potel 2006 Cote de Beaune offerings. There is a lot of depth and mystery in the long finish here, and I expect this to be worth following for 6-8 years. Unlike their Volnay counterparts, the Beaune premier crus here this year were all destemmed. Nicolas Potel consistently favors promoting ripeness at low potential alcohol and consistently eschews chaptalization. He is also a fan of freshness and clarity in Pinot, while maintaining notably low levels of sulfur. A vintage where a significant share of fruit came in near or above 14% potential alcohol and was shadowed by botrytis was thus a challenge, which seems to have been selectively well met. (For more on the style and methods associated with Maison Nicolas Potel – whose wines are sourced from a mixture of contract fruit and purchased juice – consult my report in issue 171.) Despite the huge number of 2006s I tasted here, incidentally, they did not represent the entire Potel vintage collection. In May, 2009, Potel left the negociant firm that bears his name (and which belongs to the Cottin brothers, owners of Laboure-Roi) to devote himself entirely to his own domaine and negociant operation, Maison Roche de Bellene, which crushed its first grapes with the 2007 vintage (in part from Potel holdings that were showcased in Maison Potel bottlings of vintages 2005 and 2006). Long-time cellarmaster Fabrice Lesne has now assumed direction of Maison Potel. By the way, suggested retail prices for the 2006s here took a sharp downturn vis-a-vis those for the 2005s, an occurrence worth noting for its rarity. (That said, of course the effective, eventual retail prices for all 2006s have turned on market factors that transcended cellar door prices, let alone the parameters envisioned by national importers). Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

Potel’s 2005 Beaune Greves – from vines planted in 1904 – offers aromas of distilled plum, violet, and ocean breeze, a palate with the same silkiness as the Teurons, mingling plum, floral inner-mouth perfume, and pan drippings, and superb length of chalk, salt and meat reduction. Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700.