2006 Morey St Denis 1er Cru

From Les Ruchots, Les Sorbets, Millandes, and Charrieres, the Dujac 2006 Morey-St.-Denis 1er Cru strikes a deft balance between bitter-sweet herbal (sassafras, licorice) and sweetly ripe (plum and black raspberry) fruit aspects, with peppery, peaty, Latakia tobacco pungency, and a ferrous mineral piquancy rendering it memorably distinct, especially after you've experienced this wines gripping finish. I suspect it will be worth following for 6-8 years. Jeremy Seysses only destemmed a minority of his 2006 fruit, and in some appellations none. The results demonstrate that Dujac got things ripe – not to mention right – in a challenging vintage, with a collection that need not fear comparison with 2005 at this address. (Perhaps, if anything, 2005 ought to look to its laurels!) The team here started picking only on September 23, and then very meticulously and selectively. Clos de la Roche, for example, was picked in two passes nearly a week apart. The top wines came in at between 13 and 13.5% natural alcohol, with minimal chaptalization employed in some instances to extend fermentation. "Color and flavor extraction was easy," says Seysses, "and we did more punch-downs than in 2005, because we felt quite confident of our material. The fruit is fresh and crisp, but not green, and we had no jamminess. It was just right. There's very little to complain about." Indeed! Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724