2006 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers

Rousseau's 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers – like the corresponding village wine – is pungently smoky in aromatics, here allied to scents of dried cherries and game. Tart cherry with prominent skin and bitter pit adjuncts on the palate take on added piquancy from a component of black pepper. A stony undertone lends a certain sense of austerity, and this finishes with toothsome grip, yet without any coarseness of tannin. Here is Pinot in a rather old-fashioned Northern Rhone Syrah sort of way, except more refreshing, and almost delicate on the palate. It will be interesting to follow its evolution, but I would be inclined to plan on drinking if over the next half dozen years. Since Eric Rousseau – as mentioned in my issue 170 run-down of his methodology – does not on principle utilize a sorting table, I imagined the aftermath of hail in 2006 presenting a special challenge to his pickers and to bottled quality, but it was one he and his team clearly surmounted. Clos de Beze, Griotte-, and Chapelle-Chambertin were the worst-effected, relates Rousseau, along with numerous of his village-level parcels. Potential alcohol levels are closer to 2003's record highs than they are to those of 2005, but the finished 2006s – while hardly as successful as their immediate predecessors – do not suffer any spirituous roughness or heat, and are thus free to effectively make their relatively light, bright, and in the best instances distinctive statements. Rousseau reports – and my limited opportunities for comparison confirm – that the initially rather austere and even brittle, disjointed personalities of these wines were ameliorated in the course of elevage, and the best of them have blossomed beautifully. (I was unable to taste several top wines here after bottling, so my notes on those are based on a representative sampling and blending from cask shortly before bottling.) Importer: Frederic Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

Notably pale. Lively vaguely coffee-like nose. Very racy and transparent, and sweeter than some. Rather grating tannins still but masses of fruit to counterbalance them. Just very slightly sickly but thoroughly satisfying for some palates, I'm sure. (JR)

Scented. Fine-boned. Coming along very nicely! Lots of good bone structure. Racy with really pure fruit. (JR)