2006 Chambolle Musigny Les Sentiers

Sweet, pure, fresh cherry and lingonberry along with correspondingly high-toned distilled fruit suggestions on the nose and palate of Groffier's 2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers mingle with maritime salinity for a richly-ripe yet invigorating and refreshing display. This has the tenderness of tannin and relatively elegance of which its vintage is memorably capable, yet there is fat and structure in reserve, I suspect, for a decade's worth of satisfying evolution. Notes of chalk and char add intimations of an evolving mineral and carnal dimension to the finish. The 2006 Groffier collection – from fruit picked beginning September 23, and in only four days – was noticeably lower in alcohol than a number of recent predecessors, and was diminished by one-third vis-a-vis 2005, after botrytis- and hail-affected berries had been culled. A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93, also imported by Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; sales@awiwine.com