2006 Domaine Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru

The 2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru is a vintage that I have not encountered previously. There is certainly fine intensity on the nose with raspberry and Morello cherry scents, appearing later crushed stone and rose petal notes. That Amoureuses sensuality really comes through. The palate is smooth and velvety with fine tannins. It is not the most complex Les Amoureuses that Christophe Roumier has ever produced, but certainly one of the most drinkable (however banal that reads.) Wonderful, though I would be inclined to drink it in the near future. Tasted at Xmas lunch at Trinity restaurant.

A haunting bouquet of iris and heliotrope; ripe, fresh red raspberry and cherry along with their spirituous proxies; and brown spices fills the nose from Roumier's 2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses, which offers a similarly ravishing palate display, silken in texture and underlain by metaphorically cool chalkiness and rich meat stock. The finish here preserves white-wine like clarity to floral and mineral nuances yet with powerful resonance, as well as buoyancy and sheer refreshment. I would anticipate its remaining ravishing for at least a decade. Rigorous triage - along with Christophe Roumier's seemingly intuitive sense for the limits and potential of the vintage - have resulted in a set of 2006s here that are youthfully generous, but in the best instances will be well worth cellaring. The fermentative regimen and elevage (including no racking until assemblage, to maximize contact with lees convey both fat and structure; yet early bottling to preserve fruit) were tailored to the vintage, whereas the regimen of new wood was little changed from other recent years, meaning around one-third for the premier crus. Stems were selectively included, up to something over one-third in the grand crus. I tasted these wines from barrel at 14 months and again from bottle at 18, and they had in most instances both gained textural allure as well as structure and refined their flavors, clearly demonstrating the success of Roumier's strategy. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400

Relatively light with a hint of stemmy greenness on the nose. Juicy and lively and low key but very flattering, forward and delicate. Sort of Dujac style. (JR)