2006 Nuits St Georges

Bize-Leroy this year amalgamated the fruits of Allots, Bas de Combe, and Lavieres – each subjected to separate bottlings in 2005 – into a single 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges. Scents of extremely ripe black fruits and peach accompanied by subtle smokiness lead into a sumptuously ripe, creamy palate that preserves the primary fruit juiciness and exhibits the textural refinement and lift characteristic of so many of the best wines of its vintage. Hints of toasted praline add lovely bitter-sweetness to a long caressing finish. This is a perfect example of a 2006 one would not want to miss out on enjoying young, even though it will almost surely possess considerable aging potential. 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