2006 Domaine François Bertheau Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

Bright raspberry, with pungent suggestions of sage, resin, and tar inform the Bertheau 2006 Bonnes Mares, which – predictably, given its appellation – displays more concentration and grip but also less elegance, lift, and refreshment than the other wines in the present collection. For now, there is – also predictably – less mystery here than in the corresponding Les Amoureuses, and instead we get an almost savagely vivacious intensity of finishing flavor, backed by fine-grained tannins, though also accompanied by a touch of heat. This should be given a few years in bottle but will almost certainly be worth following for a decade. Francois Bertheau seemed to shrug-off the challenges of hail and rot in 2006 with the comment: "Triage is normal practice for us." Already in 2008, he professed not to recall when he had picked 2006s, but assured me that "it took four days, as usual," Bertheau also professed to essentially the same fermentative and aging regimen as in other years (for more about which, consult my report in issue 171). You can't argue with the results – though some purists may object to relatively high levels of volatile acidity that are for me part and parcel of the bright, penetrating house style – even if these wines do not approach the quality of the estate's exceptional 2005s. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524