2006 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru

Laurent Ponsot told me that four hours after the late July hailstorm he was spraying copper and sulfur in his vineyards. The following week he eliminated all of the affected fruit (Griottes-Chambertin was the worst hit, he told me, followed by Chapelle). In the end, following his normal late harvesting (he started on September 27), Ponsot brought in fruit with sugars between 13.5% and 13.8% and did not chaptalize. He rates 2006 at the same level of quality as 2004 and 2002, albeit in a different style. Incidentally, Ponsot was again among the latest to pick in 2007: he started on September 12, after many of his neighbors had finished, and picked until the 22nd. Once again, he did not chaptalize, and he reported having seven vats above 14%. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)