2006 Maison Joseph Drouhin Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

Reflecting their domaine's two, separately-vinified parcels, the Drouhin 2006 Clos Vougeot leads with smoky, charred grilled meat, resin, and blackberry. These aspects coalesce into a dense, sappy palate with hints of maple syrup adding a rich gloss to the resin and fruit themes. This lacks the mystery and refinement or the evocative length of the nearby Grands Echezeaux. In fact, it seems a bit diffident in finish, a condition for which we ruled out the possibility of a tainted cork. Perhaps on another occasion it would be more open. It still represents an impressive and very recognizable rendition of its site, and one that should be worth following for at least half a dozen years. "I was skeptical when the harvest came," says Philippe Drouhin about 2006, "because the weather had been so hectic; we had to sort the grapes; and it was not as nice as '05. But the more I tasted the '06s in the course of the year, the more I liked them." Winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac says he was hyper-cautious about avoiding the extraction of bitterness or under-ripeness, and employed vendange entier (whole clusters with stems) on a significant share of the grands (and top premiers) crus, but only in conjunction with rigorous table-sorting. Most came in at 13-13.5% potential alcohol. The wines were bottled about as early as they ever have been at Drouhin, to preserve and avoid drying out the fruit. (Just as elsewhere in this report, I have frequently indicated in my tasting note whether the source of grapes is the family's domaine or contract fruit, but have not attempted to reflect this as part of the descriptions used to identify the wines.) Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770