2006 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Perrieres

Frederic Magnien, always a good source of inside intelligence on vintages and vineyards because he buys fruit from all over the Cote de Nuits and has the bad luck to be a very honest guy, describes the young 2006s as having a balance similar to the 2005s, "but with less of everything: fruit, alcohol, acidity, tannins. They won't have to be aged like the '05s." Magnien picks the fruit he buys with his own team, and in about 80% of the vineyards he is able to select the harvest date. Magnien's team also does whatever green-harvesting and leaf-pulling he deems necessary. In 2006, said Magnien, he started picking on September 25 and finished in a quick five days. The wines I tasted had been racked and returned to barrel. Incidentally, Magnien told me that 2004 was the last year in which he only racked his wines for the bottling. This strikes me as a good move, as most of the 2005s I tasted were less reduced than wines from previous vintages. I have limited my 2006 notes to the premier crus for space reasons; the Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes, Gevrey-Chambertin Jeunes Rois, Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes and Morey-Saint-Denis Herbuottes should all merit scores in the 86 to 89 range, with the last wine possessing the best stuffing of that group. (A Peter Vezan selection, imported by North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; and Dionysos Imports, Lorton, VA)