2006 Vosne Romanee 1er "Les Malconsorts" 0,75 l Hubert de Montille

De Montille's 2006 Vosne-Romanee Les Malconsorts comes from a share of that cru which – as explained in issue 171 – was sold by Liger-Belair to Thomas-Moillard in the same year (1935) that they sold neighboring La Tache to the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Smoke- and floral-wreathed ripe purple plum and black raspberry lead to a palate of impressive richness, fine-grained tannins, and the mysterious depth of floral, mineral, and carnal elements that spell "great Vosne." Tasted last from barrel, this finishes with formidable length yet a sense of lift, and has excellent decade-or-more potential. Domaine de Montille – for more about whose generational change and impressive recent expansion consult my report in issue 171 – has now completed the renovation of old cellars in Meursault that house in addition to the estate's wines those of Deux Montilles, the white wine negociant project of siblings Etienne and Alix de Montille (for a report on which, see my issue 186 coverage of 2007 vintage white Burgundies). The de Montilles began picking in Volnay on September 25, followed by harvest of Pommard, Corton, and then Beaune. "The sugar levels were around 13% potential alcohol and they kept going up," reports Etienne de Montille, "but I didn't taste that much difference in the ripeness of the fruit." Meanwhile, rot was threatening, and diligent triage as well as gentle, watchful vinification followed. But de Montille – who sees the vintage as combining aspects of 2000 and 2002 – persisted in his recent fidelity to whole-clusters and stem inclusion, with the top cuvees hovering around 50% vendange entier. Incidentally, de Montille had the estate's new cellars scrupulously searched and tested for signs of TCA; has installed a system for removing chlorine from the water used there; and (in a move that will affect an even larger portion of the production at Chateau de Puligny, which he directs) will be employing DIAM composite corks for the bottling of several (relatively) less-expensive wines, starting with vintage 2008. Various importers, including Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 559 1040; also, a Thomas Calder Selection, Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29