2006 Domaine François Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny

The Bertheau 2006 Chambolle-Musigny – as in past vintages – favors high-toned, bright, fresh and distilled red currant and raspberry, with overtones of citrus oil and white pepper that would more typically be at home in a white wine. A hint of carnality creeps in as this opens to the air, and that animal dimension can probably be expected to gain prominence with 2-3 years in bottle. Infectiously juicy, brightly refreshing, subtly chalky and saline, this offers a focused, buoyant, and dynamic finishing interplay of fruit, mineral, and pungently zesty, peppery elements. A little vintage-, village- and domaine-typical gem, it should be enjoyed over the next 3-5 years. 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