2006 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles

Barthod's 2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles betrays its proximity to Bonnes Mares in an almost savagely bright intensity of tart cherry and plum along with pungent herbal concentrates, but it also displays an unusually carnal, smoked meat depth. This combines palpable extract and evident structure with a fine textural grain, and finishes with persistence of grand cru pretensions. A sample from new barrel betrayed its wood slightly, but the 6-barrel blend – which I could only improvise when I last tasted this wine – will have no problem asserting its strong – indeed, almost aggressive – personality over the next 6-8 years or more. Ghislaine Barthod's yields were low not only on account of hail (notably in Beaux Bruns and Charmes), she explained, but also on account of the relative paucity of juice in the berries. That said, as with so many of the best 2006s, Barthod's are generous and largely free of tannic severity. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990