Joseph Drouhin : Beaune 1er cru "Clos des Mouches" 2006

The Drouhin 2006 Beaune Clos des Mouches as usual reflects extensive acreage planted largely with old selection massale vines and pampered as a flagship. Stylistically, too, this is another world from that in the glass of this year's Beaune Greves. Here we have thought-provoking complexity of animal and mineral nuances allied to a rather brooding, dark fruit fundament with a bitter herbal edge. There is spice here as well, but of a sharply penetrating and pungent sort, suggesting raw ginger and white pepper. At the same time, this shares with nearly all of the Drouhin wines of its vintage a soothing creaminess allied to an overtly lactic flavor component which I don't find disturbing or discordant, though some might. The contrast of textural allure and pungent attack persists here into a long, satisfying and stimulating finish. I would feel confident making plans for this over at least a 6 year period. "I was skeptical when the harvest came," says Philippe Drouhin about 2006, "because the weather had been so hectic; we had to sort the grapes; and it was not as nice as '05. But the more I tasted the '06s in the course of the year, the more I liked them." Winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac says he was hyper-cautious about avoiding the extraction of bitterness or under-ripeness, and employed vendange entier (whole clusters with stems) on a significant share of the grands (and top premiers) crus, but only in conjunction with rigorous table-sorting. Most came in at 13-13.5% potential alcohol. The wines were bottled about as early as they ever have been at Drouhin, to preserve and avoid drying out the fruit. (Just as elsewhere in this report, I have frequently indicated in my tasting note whether the source of grapes is the family's domaine or contract fruit, but have not attempted to reflect this as part of the descriptions used to identify the wines.) Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

This is rich, opulent Pinot Noir, its ripe strawberry, black cherry and sweet plums brimming out of the glass. The core of tannins, and smoky wood are more serious, offering aging potential. The wine is young, beautifully ripe, mouthfilling and hedonistic.