2006 Maison Joseph Drouhin Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

Exuberantly pungent aromas of raspberry, sassafras, sage, and pepper greet the nose from the glass of Drouhin 2006 Bonnes Mares. Sappy and bright; lip-smacking and palate-sticking in its intensity; as so often from its appellation, this acts more like a high spirited stallion than a mature mare. The mineral dimension here is marine, with suggestions of brine, iodine, and shrimp shell reduction. More emphatic in its spice, pungency, and fresh fruit cut than most of its fellow Drouhin 2006s, this shares with them its virtues of clarity and cleanliness, and boasts refined tannins that should support 8-10 years of felicitous bottle evolution. "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