2006 Marsannay

While the Meo-Camuzet negociant Bourgogne I tasted (representing the only instance where Meo purchases wine rather than buying fruit for which he calls the shots at harvest) was awkwardly tannic, oddly volatile, and – I had to hope merely – out of sorts on the occasion when I tasted it, the corresponding 2006 Marsannay Frere et Soeur (in fact from sites in Couchey) is sweetly perfumed with ripe red raspberry and cherry that carry onto a tenderly-textured, generous palate, along with hints of nut brittle, iodine, salt, and roasted meats. This is yet another lovely example of 2006 vintage charm as well as of the potential of its appellation. I would enjoy this in 2010 or 2011 – and since there are 15,000 bottles of it, accessibility should not be a problem in either sense of that word. Jean-Nicolas Meo harvested 2006 fruit between 13.25-14.25% potential alcohol, slightly higher than in 2005. Except for a few instances of vineyards touched by hail, he said, he vinified in essentially the same way (including the same percentages of new barrels) as he had in 2005. Meo notes that the pHs of his 2006s ended up quite high after their malos, and while this contributes to their sense of softness and generosity, I sometimes find these wines wanting for some vivacity or primary juiciness. (I have appended to the description of Meo's negociant bottlings the words "Frere et Soeur" that appear underneath "Meo-Camuzet" on their labels.) Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524. Also a Jean-Marie de Champs Selection (various importers), French fax 011 33 3 80 22 58 25