2006 Domaine Jayer-Gilles Echézeaux du Dessus Grand Cru

Jayer Gilles' 2006 Echezeaux du Dessus unites remarkably sweet, viscous, enveloping, liqueur-like cassis and black raspberry with firm, finely-tannic structure and undertones of crushed stone and grilled, charred meats. For all of its density and abundance of tannin, the over-riding impression here is creamy and soothing, and for all of that creaminess and the wine's sheer sweetness of fruit, a sense of freshness enlivens its giraffe's neck-like finish. While this is wonderfully seductive now, it isn't showing anything like the depth and complexity I expect it will exhibit in 4-5 years, and I would make plans to enjoy it over a dozen or more. Gilles Jayer is well-known for his wines' concentration, sweetness of fruit, and structure, and it was evident from cask that he had experienced no qualms or compunction about swinging for the fences in 2006, either. Jayer related that not more than 15% of inferior fruit had to be culled from any of his parcels. Malo-lactic transformations were even later and more protracted here in this vintage than in 2005. I last tasted these wines ten days before the commencement of bottling, which on account of their tardy evolution was due to take place the same week for all but one appellation. The likely exception was a Les Damodes "all" two and a half barrels of which still harbored malic acid and were full of gas Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083