2006 Nuits St Georges Les Chaignots

Sweetly ripe, lightly-cooked red raspberry, vanilla, and cocoa powder scent Chevillon's 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Chaignots displays overt ripeness and rounded richness on the palate, augmented by suggestions of resin, tar, and licorice. Here, however - very much in keeping with the character that this site exhibits time and again, here and other addresses - a sense of chalky, saline, iodine-like mineral inflections enters in, along with just enough fresh fruit and fruit skin edge to lend invigoration to its sustained finish. This is almost certainly going to pay greater dividends from cellaring for a few years than the corresponding Bousselots, and should be worth following for at least 6-8. Given the superb track record of this estate's wines even in perceived weak and/or youthfully generous vintages - I think, for example, of the youthfully delicious 1992s I purchased at deeply-discounted prices and only recently finished enjoying - it would be foolish to admonish Burgundy lovers to drink their 2006s up early. Nevertheless, like so many of the best wines of this vintage, they are for the most part already on call - or very soon will be - to deliver generously. Bertrand Chevillon reports that little sorting was required above the level of village wines (the team here began picking Pinot September 22), and that while alcoholic fermentation was unusually protracted, the course of elevage from the standpoint of human interaction was unexceptional, save for backing off a pit on pigeage. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

A little furry with a note of sweaty cumin spice on the nose. Then sweet and liqueur-like – though very tough finish again. Very tough. (JR)

Good full red. Aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate, licorice and menthol. Densely packed and broad, with serious stuffing for this cuvee The slightly reduced black fruit and licorice flavors are perked up by a minty nuance. Finishes with substantial broad tannins and very good length. Probably for drinking after the 2007.