2006 Nuits St Georges Clos des Argillieres

From their own slopes immediately above the winery, and representing the upper half of this appellation (and acreage formerly associated with Domaine Daniel Rion & Fils), the Rions' 2006 Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Argillieres integrates chalky, crushed stone notes that certainly remind one of the ground itself here, along with fine-grained tannins, into a ripely black-fruited, brown spice, and nut paste amalgam. This finishes sweetly and soothingly – if a bit low-key – and should be worth pursuing in bottle for the next 6-8 years. I had not visited with Patrice Rion since before 2000, when he left his very long-standing position as winemaker at Domaine Daniel Rion & Fils and began focusing his efforts on the Domaine Michele & Patrice that he and his wife Michele had established in 1990. Together with a hands-on negociant branch known officially as "Patrice Rion," their activities have grown to encompass an extensive array of wines, only a small subset of which I had time to assess. (Following my general practice in this report, I have noted the estate origins of certain wines in my tasting notes, but have not made a distinction in the way that the wines are named between those belonging to the domaine and those sourced by acreage or fruit under contract.) A Scott Levy Selection, Norcross, GA; tel. (770) 730-0361