2006 Clos Les Lunelles

Full, bright ruby. Serious nose combines blackberry, flinty minerality and smoke, lifted by a floral topnote. Concentrated and dense yet light on its feet, with exhilarating, gripping flavors of kirsch, minerals and stone. The tannins coat the front teeth. Has the spine to be long-lived for its appellation. A big success.

A blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2006 exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet perfume of creme de cassis, cherry liqueur, licorice, spice box, and crushed rocks. With full body, sweet tannin, admirable purity, and brilliant harmony among its component parts, this full-bodied effort can be enjoyed over the next decade. In total contrast to proprietor Perse’s other two Cotes de Castillons (Clos l’Eglise and Ste.-Colombe), which are relatively innocuous, the Clos des Lunelles is usually the wine of the appellation in each vintage. Incredibly low yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare result in a wine that transcends its humble origins.

Red-ruby. Plum, mocha and truffle on the nose, with a suggestion of roasted fruits. Sweet, fat and fine-grained, with chewy flavors of red fruits, smoke, truffle and mint. This serious, persistent wine boasts sound structure and good lift, but the tannins are nicely silky.