Deep peatiness, black fruits, and rose hip in the nose of Ponsot's 2006 Chambertin find their counterparts on a lushly-textured palate that seems to have been laced with iodine and iron filings. Exotic (orchid-like?) floral pungency and a veal marrow-like richness emerge as this opens to the air, and it finishes with nearly indelible berry and mineral intensity, yet at the same time lift and exhilaration. Figure on 15 or more years of very active life in the bottle here. Picking chez Ponsot began predictably late – on September 27 – and lasted until October 5. As might have been expected, Laurent Ponsot acted rigorously in the vineyards in the immediate aftermath of hail and eventually on the sorting table (overseen, he notes, by an especially meticulous team of three young women) to insure that any effects were minimized. (For some notes on the often unorthodox methods Ponsot employs, readers should consult my report in issue 170.) Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802