The 2006 Montrachet Grand Cru absolutely delivers on lofty expectations. Astonishing delineation and precision on the nose, this is vivid aromatically, crushed stone and sea spray bursting from the glass. It can barely contain its intensity. The palate is incredibly precise, taut and powerful, building towards its peacock's tail on the finish that leaves residues of crustacea and wild mint on the aftertaste. Heavenly. Tasted at the La Paulée in Beaune.

Aubert de Villaine and his team harvested their 2006 Montrachet on September 26, and it was bottled (as a single assemblage) at the end of 2007. High-toned peach, lemon oil, musk, and floral aromas mark the penetrating, ethereal nose. Smoky, peach kernel pungency weaves its way through nutty, peachy richness on the palate. Less obviously dense, rich and sappy than the extraordinary 2005, this 2006 for all of its sheer viscosity and ripeness, displays a dynamic, almost shimmering sense of fruit and mineral interplay. Intriguingly, in my initial – November, 2007 tasting – this effect was more pronounced from a barrel that had been rolled to disburse the lees than in one that had undergone conventional batonnage. The youthful 2006 reflects its new wood environment in a way that the 2005 – at similar stages in its evolution – did not. There is no lack here of the mystery that should be expected from one of the world’s most fabled and expensive wines, not just in the paradox of viscosity, richness and power combined with elegance, lift, and refinement; but also in nuances that left me groping the lexicon for animal or mineral descriptors. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

As it was originally from cask, the 2006 Montrachet remains relatively discreet with almost shy white flower, grapefruit, mildly exotic orchard fruit and subtle spice notes trimmed in just the right amount of wood that lead to beautifully textured, pure, intense and focused big-bodied flavors wrapped around a firm acid spine and culminating in a wonderfully racy, dry, linear and mineral-driven finish. This is one of the more elegant and sophisticated vintages for this wine (much more so than the 2005 though it's not as big, rich and dramatic) and it's likely to be more of a Montrachet of finesse rather than overt muscle. I quite like this because even though it's ripe, there is a very firm acid skeleton that should allow the '06 Montrachet to age for a very long time though be at its peak in a decade.

The 2006 Montrachet is by far the most reticent of the young wines in this tasting, with tons of power, most of it lying in reserve. White orchard fruit, mint flower and white pepper notes give the 2006 a palpable sense of lift. A wine of crystalline finesse and striking perfume, the 2006 possesses more than enough vibrancy to drink well for many years. This is the one of the two wines (the other was 2001) that was decanted, as it as incredibly tight upon first opening. Once again, the fruit came in at the very end of the harvest.

Pale gold. Slightly exotic aromas of butterscotch, smoke and honey, all lifted by powerful minerality. Fat, superrich and sweet, with great solidity and fullness to the stone fruit, butterscotch, saline and mineral flavors. Following the red wines here-and the Leroy Corton-Charlemagne I tasted earlier the same morning-this verged on heavy (perhaps the effect of about 10% noble rot), but this big boy has enough energy to maintain freshness as it burns off some of its baby fat over the next decade or so.