2006 Bonnes Mares

Even though Bize-Leroy's Domaine d'Auvenay 2006 Bonnes Mares does not display the darkness or saturation of color one often encounters in her wines (and in most of this year's Domaine Leroy collection), there is a mysteriously smoky, blackish suggestion at the rim of the sort that is common chez Leroy and d'Auvenay, and that one encounters nowhere outside the realm of red Burgundy. Ripe black raspberry, brown spices, herbal distillates, and meaty, pan dripping-like notes migrate from a gorgeous nose to a savory, saliva-inducing palate of almost velvet-like tannic refinement that – in the manner of many of the best Pinots of this vintage – manages to be both soothing and stimulating. This coats the palate almost like some medicinal lozenge of black raspberry, herbal concentrate, and mineral ores, and finishes with prodigious length and depth of flavor, yet without any sense of weight. 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

Even though Bize-Leroy's Domaine d'Auvenay 2006 Bonnes Mares does not display the darkness or saturation of color one often encounters in her wines (and in most of this year's Domaine Leroy collection), there is a mysteriously smoky, blackish suggestion at the rim of the sort that is common chez Leroy and d'Auvenay, and that one encounters nowhere outside the realm of red Burgundy. Ripe black raspberry, brown spices, herbal distillates, and meaty, pan dripping-like notes migrate from a gorgeous nose to a savory, saliva-inducing palate of almost velvet-like tannic refinement that – in the manner of many of the best Pinots of this vintage – manages to be both soothing and stimulating. This coats the palate almost like some medicinal lozenge of black raspberry, herbal concentrate, and mineral ores, and finishes with prodigious length and depth of flavor, yet without any sense of weight. ||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." Wine Advocate.December, 2009