2006 Latricieres Chambertin

The Leroy 2006 Latricieres Chambertin smells of black tea, peat, ripe cherry, and smoked meat. This is another remarkably silken and buoyant member of its collection, and only in the finish does one become aware of a saturation of fine tannins, which even then practically caress. This lingers last as sheer perfume. The price of such a sense of comfortable fit and rarified personality surprising for a youthful wine from its sector is perhaps a certain lack of grip or drama that might disappoint some tasters, but this elegant Pinot is sure to handsomely reward those lucky enough to be able to follow some bottles. 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

Good full red. Superripe aromas of red fruits, smoke and earth. Rich but extremely tight, with superb acidity and penetrating minerality keeping the wine's juicy fruit under wraps. Boasts great intensity, but this is like a tightly coiled spring today. Compared to the Clos de la Roche, this shows much less sheer size but finishes with equal thrust and length. Youthfully tough, and yet there's a delicacy here.