2006 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc

Medium yellow. Very ripe aromas of apricot, lemon cream, crème caramel and butterscotch, plus a whiff of mint. Fat, silky and sweet on the palate yet juicy as well, showing a captivating dusty texture and a complicating floral element. This lovely rich, mature white Burgundy possesses surprising structure and gives a firmer impression of acidity than its numbers suggest. Finishes with good floral lift and a suggestion of tannic spine that reminded me of a Corton-Charlemagne. (37 h/h; 3.44 pH; 3.6 g/l acidity)

Honey, bees wax, peach, grapefruit, diverse flowers, and chalk dust in the nose of Drouhin’s white 2006 Beaune Clos des Mouches usher in a palate of striking delicacy, poise, and refinement for the vintage, yet for all that flatteringly creamy in texture and quite capable of supporting and complimenting a significant element of new oak, which shows up as toast and vanilla. There is an underlying sense of almost stony firmness that seems to be typical for this site, even in such a rich vintage. This wine should benefit from at least 6-8 years of bottle maturation. The 2005 is similarly promising, though less charming today. The Drouhins started early but picked with a level of meticulousness and at a moderate tempo that most growers did not feel they could afford this vintage. Lees contact was passive and the wines were bottled relatively early. The results are universally rich and accessible, the best wines being those that manage to retain clarity and a measure of vivacity as well as to stand up to their components of new wood. Drouhin has tight viticultural control over the numerous parcels that inform their village level wines, even though most of them are not owned. Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818 0770