2006 Domaine de l'Arlot Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

Smoky black tea, cumin, and star anise in the nose of the l'Arlot 2006 Romanee Saint-Vivant ally themselves to lightly-cooked cherry and plum on an expansive, soothingly creamily-texture palate. Smoked meat and inner-mouth floral perfume are prominent here, too, and it is hard to know whether to praise this year's Suchots all the more for rising to grand cru pretensions, or to ask whether this Romanee Saint-Vivant should not – as befits its classification – already be distancing itself more obviously from the wine of its neighboring vineyard. There seems though to be even more subtlety here; and there is without question a sense of lift and overall elegance to the finish that the Suchots cannot match. This should reward following for a dozen or more years, and its full mysteries will no doubt take a few years to unfold, but still I doubt you will disappointed to savor it nearer-term. Director Olivier Leriche is one of those who share my impression that Nuits-St.-Georges was especially favored in 2006, and not merely for having been spared hail. That said, he reports having had to be rigorously selective, cautious with fermentative extraction, and having retained stems and whole bunches less often and then in lower percentages than he had in 2005. As usual in this cellar, malo-lactic transformation did not even wait on the warmth of Spring, by which time the wines were given a first racking. They show a remarkable degree of youthful charm considering the frequent tendency of young wines at this estate to elevate cut and structure over youthful sensual appeal. (A comparison with a couple of the estate's 2001s and 2002s revealed the similarity of 2006 here to the latter.) Numerous agents and U.S. importers including: Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642-5500, Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA, tel. (781) 352-1100, and a Daniel Johnnes Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300