Defying any predictions of this white Burgundy vintage's imminent demise, the 2006 Meursault Villages from Arnaud Ente is drinking very well, offering up an attractive bouquet of buttered yellow orchard fruits, honeycomb and fresh pastry. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, textural and expansive, with succulent balancing acids and lovely cohesion and delineation through the long finish. Now's a great moment to start pulling corks.

Composed of approximately 60% old vines in Ormeau and 40% in contrastingly high-altitude, stony Casse-Tete, Ente’s 2006 Meursault (assembled but not bottled when I tasted it) is characterized by subtlety and restraint, intertwining white peach, lime, verbena, high-toned herbal shadings, and foundation of stone. With a firm feel and a refreshing but far from extroverted finish, it is deserving of at least 3-4 years of further careful attention. Ente began picking September 13, finishing in six days. The result is wines of consistent clarity and refreshment, as well as full of nuances that call forth a mineral vocabulary. Use of demi-muids rather than barriques to raise many of the wines here helps ward off any overt woodiness. Eighty percent of Ente’s wine is exported, most of that to the U.S. and U.K.Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524