From a combination of purchased fruit and juice in several sites, Boillot's 2006 Montagny 1er Cru displays a lovely nose of ripe orchard fruits and lily-of-the-valley; delivers succulent peach and apple fruit on a plush, creamy palate; and offers contrast and complexity of citrus zest, nut oils, and chalky mineral suggestions in its finish. This should be lovely at least through 2009. A hint of extraneous woodiness even though only 20% new barrels were employed took the corresponding Rully bottling down a peg.
Given that Jean-Marc Boillot declares his love for classic dry Alsace Riesling, it is perhaps not surprising that he chose to harvest in 2006 immediately after the ban de vendange, did so in a great hurry, and then took every measure he thought efficacious - from rapid pressing to early bottling - to preserve refreshment and clarity in his finish wines. All of Boillot's premier crus (vinified in around one third new barrels) - whether from his own or purchased grapes - represent old selection massale vines, clearly one source of this collection's success. Boillot considers his 2006s -longer, finer, and more precise- as well as more sleek and dynamic than his 2005s, observations at odds with those of many growers, but ones that my tasting bore out.
Importers: A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet; fax 011- 333-80-24-29-70 and Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802