2006 Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots

Tasted at the Comte Liger-Belair vertical at the Château de Vosne. The 2006 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots does not quite own the precision and focus of the previous vintage on the nose: mulberry and red plum, a scent of violet and even seaweed. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy, quite bold tannin. It does not have the same precision as the 2005 but there is equivalent weight and a pleasant sappiness on the finish. It is a decent Aux Reignots, though I would not place it amongst the top tier of vintages from the domaine. Tasted June 2015.

The 2006 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Aux Reignots shows its class over the 2003 and 2004. It has a glorious, beautifully defined bouquet of raspberry and crushed strawberry fruit laid over scents of cold stone, violets and potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth texture, very well-judged acidity and a sense of mineralite that this propitious premier cru ought to show. Weightless on the finish, this is a seductive Vosne-Romanee by Louis-Michel and it should drink well over the next two decades. I will be covering Louis-Michel’s highly praised; elusive and expensive wines in future issues of The Wine Advocate. But for now, in October I attended a fascinating tasting of older vintages to glean how they age. Certainly, these wines are imbued with a citrus freshness that verges of sorbet-like with some wines. They clearly go out to impress and impress they do. What these wines refuse to do is short-change the Burgundy-lover apropos perfume or flavor; they willingly go out there to satisfy the senses. They also appear to age slowly and gracefully, and I suspect most of these will reach their plateau after around a decade in the cellar.

Deep cherry red. Slightly reduced. A bit pongy but it has a certain appeal. Very light finish. Goes downhill. (JR)