2006 Vougeot Les Petits Vougeots

From a site south of Les Amoureuses and north of the Clos Vougeot, Fourrier's 2006 Vougeot Les Petits Vougeots smells of fresh purple plum, black raspberry, and ginger. Tart and juicy on the palate, with an emphasis on fruit skin and pits, it finishes with faint smokiness and an impressive, invigorating grip. What's missing – at least for now – is the combination of tiny-berried concentration with transparency to mineral nuance that rendered the 2005 so memorable. Still, this 2006 is sure to be worth watching over at least the next 4-6 years. Eyebrows as well as stakes in the Burgundy-buying game were raised when the prices of certain Fourrier 2006s came out well above those of 2005. Time will of course tell whether this new positioning "sticks," but there can be no overlooking either the consistently excellent results Jean-Marie Fourrier achieves, nor the extreme paucity and remarkable quality of his two most celebrated bottlings, particularly in this vintage. Jean-Claude Fourrier – with whom I tasted the majority of his son's 2006s – told me that contrary to usual practice here, the stems were removed from all of the fruit this year, because none were really ripe (i.e. truly lignified). (For more about Fourrier's always articulately and thoughtfully expressed methods, consult my report in issue 170.) Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990