2006 Pommard Les Pezerolles 1er Cru

Etienne de Montille was not the only winemaker I visited in November to describe a difference in structure between the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits in 2006. He opted for a soft extraction, as he was not completely confident about the quality of the raw material and preferred to make fruity, appealing, light-bodied wines rather than ones that might be astringent, bitter or unclean. He began harvesting on the Cote de Beaune on the day of the ban, with potential alcohols in the high 13.2% to 13.8% range, eliminating up to 15% of rotten grapes in the vines and on the sorting table. (Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY; Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA; Veritas, Beverly Hills, CA)