2006 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes

I have never smelled a purer evocation of lingonberry preserves in wine than in the nose of the Le Moine 2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes. The palate impression is as purely, sweetly, and lusciously red-fruited as the nose suggests, with lingonberries and tiny cherries (pits in) mingled with cream, black tea, liquid lily-like perfume, chalk, and tincture of iodine. Talk about an ethereal essence of Pinot! And this finishes in a persistently buoyant, pure, and decidedly lip-smacking vein. I was surprised given its personality that this was to be among the last wines bottled. That, Saouma explained, was because it originates in three barrels from two different growers which - after they were blended - seemed to need time to marry. I must have arrived after the wedding, then - even though prior to bottling - and I predict at least 6-8 years of vinous bliss. "There was too much fruit" on the vines in 2006, opines Mounir Saouma, "and at the same time too much tannin in the fruit." Early pickers therefore, in his opinion, risked getting "lots of primary flavors, but wines that weren't serious. So we started the aging process asking ourselves how we will make this wine less tannic and more serious. After malolactic," which is always late here, "the wines changed completely. But the bigger mistake in 2006 was to bottle early" - something which also never happens at this address - "because the wines needed some time on their lees to extract sweetness and depth, and for all of their elements to come together." The results this year here are spectacular, and need not shy from comparison with their very different 2005 predecessors. Note that with a few significant exceptions there are usually only 1-2 barriques (25-50 cases) of any given Lucien Le Moine wine. Also, despite the number of them I tasted, that did not comprise by any means the entire collection (a circumstance I have taken pains to remedy with 2007). For further details on Le Moine's proprietors and methodology - which, once again this year, included a significant amount of vinification with stems - consult my report in issue 171. Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000