2006 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles

The Clair 2006 Chambolle-MusignyLes Veroilles (from a terraced site above Bonnes Mares) features cherry and blackberry accented with black tea, peat, and cherry pit. The correspondingly dark and piquant personality does not however preclude the invigorating tang of tart berry skin and refreshing juiciness. The firmness of underlying tannins becomes evident in the finish, which is in consequence a bit severe. Still, this firm, bright Pinot should be well worth following – and likely to become more interesting – over at least the next 4-5 years. Clair's 2006 Morey-St.-Denis En La Rue De Vergy was by contrast afflicted with considerable frontal astringency, at least at the time soon after bottling when I last tasted it. Bruno Clair and cellar master Philippe Brun have a battery of 1,500 liter upright fermentation casks as well as larger ovals, which permit more wines to depart small barrels sooner but not have to go into tanks. And in 2006 (or for that matter 2007), they concurred that preservation of fruit and preventing the wood from drying it out were paramount considerations. (In fact, the Marsannay cuvees were still not yet bottled when I last tasted them in the Spring of 2008.) Picking here, by the way, lasted from September 23 through October 4, and the results certainly speak emphatically for themselves. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802