2006 Domaine Perrot-Minot Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d'Orveau Cuvée Ultra Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru

A 2006 Chambolle Musigny La Combe d'Orveau Vieilles Vignes Cuvée Ultra reflects Perrot-Minot's decision this year to segregate two of his six barrels of Combe d'Orveaux that directly reflect vine rows for which his grandfather lost the classification "Musigny" - and his decision, one notes, to ask a Musigny price for it! (The small break at the southern end of this grand cru that resulted from the aforementioned declassification is plainly visible on vineyard map.) Scents of dried cherry, fresh meat, brown spices, and wood smoke migrate onto a palate of dramatic intensity, combining with alkaline, saline notes and supported by a palpable saturation of fine tannins. The "regular" Combe d'Orveaux (half of which comes from these same vines) is the more fluid and flatteringly-textured wine of the two, whereas this "ultra" is almost impenetrably dense and inscrutably mineral. That said, the longer the latter is open, the more sweetness of fruit accumulates, reinforced by floral perfume. This will be fascinating to follow for a dozen or more years. Christophe Perrot-Minot - for more on whose fanatic methodology and old vines sites, readers should consult my issue 170 report - says his 2006 crop came in at a mere 25-30 hectoliters per hectare before it hit the sorting tables, where each cluster was destemmed and picked-over by hand before making the final cut. The result was a collection much reduced in volume as well as in number of bottlings (of which I did not, sadly, taste nearly all). Results reflected a conscious diminution of active fermentative extraction (with most of that pumping-over, not punching-down), a tendency Perrot-Minot has followed in recent years even abstracting from the vicissitudes of vintage; and pressing was, he reports, as gentle as mechanically possible. When it comes to new wood, though, Perrot-Minot says he backed off only a little bit from the levels of 2005. All in all, the house style strikes me as better-suited to the inherent structure, clarity, and bridled power of 2005 than to what Perrot-Minot - like most growers - talks about as the "elegance and finesse" - even "airiness" of 2006. I think it entirely fair to say that this collection departs from its vintage, and perhaps the word "transcends" might be more appropriate - at least, with a decade's hindsight! Incidentally, suggested retail prices for these rare wines have taken a significant jump this vintage, although the market reality may be less dramatic. (I have not tried to distinguish in the description of these wines those that are bottled under the "Henri Perrot-Minot" name, since their labels are otherwise indistinguishable and the matter of solely legalistic significance.) Importer: Martine's Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400