2006 Vosne Romanee Les Brulees

Ginger, cinnamon, blackberry preserves, fig, and chocolate in the nose of Meo's 2006 Vosne-Romanee Les Brulees presage a palate whose sense of torrification is rare for the vintage, with notes of toasted pecan and caramel adding to the sweet array of black fruit preserves and brown spices. Hints of animal and mineral elements remain for now largely covered by a plush blanket of fruit, as are the wine's considerable tannins, so that there is already an incipient suggestion of textural creaminess. While impressive and forwardly sweet, I think this is another of its collection not to revisit before 2011, and a wine whose imposing richness should remain dominent for the better part of a decade, if not longer. Meo believes this is his 2006 that comes closest to the richness, concentration, and structural integrity of 2005. Jean-Nicolas Meo harvested 2006 fruit between 13.25-14.25% potential alcohol, slightly higher than in 2005. Except for a few instances of vineyards touched by hail, he said, he vinified in essentially the same way (including the same percentages of new barrels) as he had in 2005. Meo notes that the pHs of his 2006s ended up quite high after their malos, and while this contributes to their sense of softness and generosity, I sometimes find these wines wanting for some vivacity or primary juiciness. (I have appended to the description of Meo's negociant bottlings the words "Frere et Soeur" that appear underneath "Meo-Camuzet" on their labels.) Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524. Also a Jean-Marie de Champs Selection (various importers), French fax 011 33 3 80 22 58 25

Very good deep red. Black fruits, licorice, dark chocolate and sweet oak on the very ripe nose. Large-scaled and compellingly sweet, with wonderfully ripe, sappy dark berry flavors conveying a chewy impression of solidity. A very ripe 2006 whose solid tannic backbone and excellent persistence suggest that it will evolve slowly. If you can't wait to taste this, give it time in a decanter first.

Full ruby-red color. Very suave aromas of cassis, blackberry, minerals, bitter chocolate and sexy oak. Fine-grained and subtly sweet; this boasts terrific, almost liqueur-like ripeness but also a tension that's less obvious in some of the foregoing samples. Shows a chocolatey richness and a creamy texture reminiscent of a 2005, but the coolness of the site gives this finesse. Finishes sweet and long, with very suave tannins.