Nomen est omen when it comes to Ponsot's 2006 Charmes-Chambertin. High-toned aromas of kirsch and framboise lead to a palate of silken refinement and uncanny buoyancy yet abundant, intense fruit mingled with peat and licorice. The empty glass wells up with suggestions of floral perfume and grass-fed raw red meat. This finishes long and refined but also refreshing in a way one seldom encounters in grand cru red Burgundy unless as a result of superficial lightness or patently high acidity, neither of which applies 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