Jacques Prieur Beaune Clos de la Feguine

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The 2006 Beaune Clos De La Figuine – from a Prieur monopole whose production has fallen drastically due to replanting – smells of ripe cherry and peaches with their pits; comes onto the palate with refined though evident tannins; and finishes with an invigorating tart edge of fruit skin and bitterness of fruit pit. There is no superficial sweetness about this, and its pithy, piquant flavors convey a sense of austerity dramatically contrasting with the silken, savory Clos de Mazeray. That said, it possesses admirable stuffing and purity of fruit; should be most interesting to revisit in 2010; and I suspect will perform well for 2-3 years thereafter. Enologist Nadine Gublin reports that the Prieur team performed a severe triage of 2006 Pinot – especially from the Cote de Beaune – both in the vineyards and on tables. The fine results speak for themselves, boasting (with one exception) purity of fruit and complexity, as well as a range of distinctively 2006 virtues. Their Chambertin – which, like the wine from their other grand crus, had been assembled but not yet bottled when I last tasted them – presented a special challenge due to the degree to which the Prieur parcels were damaged by hail, and a decision was made to declassify even the small amount of fruit that was vinified. The Pinot crop was harvested at 12.5-13.5% potential alcohol; required no adjustment; and was all destemmed. The wines were (or will for the most part have been) lightly plaque-filtered.Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

In bottle for just over a month, the 2005 Beaune Clos de la Figuine – from a Prieur monopole just above Cras – offers generous, sweet aromas of black cherry and plum, a texurally polished and amazingly opaque palate (to match its improbably dark color) that is full of fresh black fruit, creamy texture, and licks of smoke, spice and sassafras in the sweet, pure cherry fruit of its finish. This might not be an enormously complex Pinot (and will some minerality emerge?) but one that’s almost irresistible today and I can see no reason to defer its enjoyment. Nearly all bottlings from this negociant – on an upward path since the influx of Rodet capital in the early ‘90s – in fact originate in the Domaine Jacques Prieur. Martin Prieur and his team have striven to capture purity of fruit through gentle extraction, although for my taste I found some of their 2005s overly confectionary due to the influence of toasty new wood on already very sweetly ripe raw material. After malo – which was generally quite late here this year – the wines were sulfured but not yet racked.Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700.

The finest example from its vineyard I’ve encountered, the intensely aromatic 2002 Beaune Clos de la Feguine reveals fresh black cherry scents. Medium-bodied and pretty, it displays a supple, sweet personality that is satin-textured and lush. Loads of red cherries, raspberries, and ripe tannin can be found in its concentrated core of fruit. Drink it over the next 8 years. Importers: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463; and Winesellers, Ltd., Skokie, IL; tel. (847) 679-0121

The 1996 Beaune Clos de la Feguine reveals a saturated ruby color, aromas of freshly cut flowers and smoke. A deeply ripe, explosive, medium-bodied, silky, and feminine wine, it also has traces of sur-maturite, evident in this delicious offering's cherry, raspberry, and floral flavor profile. It is a wine that will provide considerable pleasure in the near-term. Drink it by 2001.This wine is produced from an enclosed parcel of vines nestled between Au Coucherias and Aux Cras.Importers: William Deutsch and Sons, Ltd., Armonk, NY; tel (914) 273-1221; fax (914) 273-1291, and Winesellers Ltd., Skokie, IL; tel (847) 679-0121; fax (847) 679-2017.