2006 Morey St Denis Monts Luisants

Laurent Ponsot’s five barrels of 2006 Morey-St.-Denis Mont Luisants tasted for a second time this spring after assembly for bottling represent a return to the 100% Aligote that his great grandfather had planted in 1911, an act which, Ponsot insists, followed a then long-standing tradition of planting that grape in especially chalky and/or nosebleed sectors of the Cote de Nuits. Nectarine, apricot, fresh lime, and iris inform this wine’s effusive bouquet, and a patisserie-like overlay of yeast and vanilla offers lovely counterpoint; speaking of which, a subtly tart fruit skin and citrus zest note I associate with this unjustly maligned grape runs throughout. The interchange of mineral and bright citrus and pit fruit on display here – yet accompanied by a plush texture – is reminiscent of Riesling, and there is a depth of flavor and a richness beneath the wine’s ripe, juicy acidity that promise at least a decade’s worth of fascinating further evolution. The 2005 was even more strikingly – and somewhat more adamantly – mineral from barrel, and will surely be worth a search of the marketplace. Ponsot was not ready to show the bottled wine this Spring. Given this wine’s virtues, it is small wonder that Ponsot is bullish enough on Aligote to have planted more. But he adds that it will take at least a decade for fruit from these vines to merit consideration for white Mont Luisants. Ponsot’s grandfather had introduced the white Gouges mutation of Pinot Noir – and later some Chardonnay – to the site and blend. The former was ripped out in 1993 and the Chardonnay was replaced with Pinot Noir in 2005. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802