2006 Vosne Romanee Les Brulees

Haunting and decadent lily and violet perfume, black truffle, peat, musk and clean raw meat notes rise from the glass of Leroy's "this could only be Vosne" 2006 Vosne-Romanee Aux Brulees. Rich and velvety on the palate, this favors the soothing rather than invigorating or refreshing side of 2006, with a metaphorically dark, decadent complexity that puts me more in mind of Romanee St.-Vivant than it does of Richebourg, very near to which this wine grew. Fine tannins become more evident in the long, low-toned finish than they are on the mid-palate, but I could well imagine this maturing beautifully for 12-15 years without any awkward stretches. The results achieved by Lalou Bize-Leroy in 2006 are all the more notable in view of the misgivings she expressed early on about this vintage. (And, as her reaction to 2004 demonstrates, she will not shy away from declassifying even her entire production if she feels that the wines are not up to their terroir pedigrees.) As voluptuously rich as are Bize-Leroy's 2006 reds, they preserve the sense of buoyancy and elegance common to so many of the standouts of this vintage, and one's gums will not come away fatigued by the strength of underlying tannin or the near-hyper-concentration displayed by her – to be sure awesome – 2005s. As every year, these wines represent meticulous vine manicure; miniscule yields ("above all regulated by severe pruning, not triage," Bize-Leroy emphasizes); and fidelity to biodynamic methods and metaphysics; and were bottled in the second December following the harvest. Despite their winsomeness, they have long life expectancies. Since, however, I have very little experience of their predecessors as they have matured, I have confined my prognostication to a few isolated and very general comments in the tasting notes that follow. Note that I have included as well under the heading "Leroy" the wines of Madame Bize-Leroy's Domaine d'Auvenay – its cellars located outside Saint-Romain – which now encompass two appellations in red, since inevitably when information is being sought about these wines, and even often when they are described, it is under the name "Leroy." Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040