2006 Romanee St Vivant

Bize-Leroy's 2006 Romanee-St.-Vivant Leroy smells alluringly of fresh strawberry and cherry along with their spirituous stand-ins. Suggestions of quince and honey along with lily perfume give the aromas an exotically, almost white wine dimension. On the palate this is liquid floral perfume and silk along with the essence of red fruits and hints of nut oils. But the dark, decadent suggestions of humus, peat, game, and otherwise ineffable mineral notes one anticipates from the best exemplars of the site are hauntingly present as well. This epitomizes the refinement and buoyancy of which its vintage is capable, finishing with cycloramic scope and symphonic length. The results achieved by Lalou Bize-Leroy in 2006 are all the more notable in view of the misgivings she expressed early on about this vintage. (And, as her reaction to 2004 demonstrates, she will not shy away from declassifying even her entire production if she feels that the wines are not up to their terroir pedigrees.) As voluptuously rich as are Bize-Leroy's 2006 reds, they preserve the sense of buoyancy and elegance common to so many of the standouts of this vintage, and one's gums will not come away fatigued by the strength of underlying tannin or the near-hyper-concentration displayed by her – to be sure awesome – 2005s. As every year, these wines represent meticulous vine manicure; miniscule yields ("above all regulated by severe pruning, not triage," Bize-Leroy emphasizes); and fidelity to biodynamic methods and metaphysics; and were bottled in the second December following the harvest. Despite their winsomeness, they have long life expectancies. Since, however, I have very little experience of their predecessors as they have matured, I have confined my prognostication to a few isolated and very general comments in the tasting notes that follow. Note that I have included as well under the heading "Leroy" the wines of Madame Bize-Leroy's Domaine d'Auvenay – its cellars located outside Saint-Romain – which now encompass two appellations in red, since inevitably when information is being sought about these wines, and even often when they are described, it is under the name "Leroy." Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040