The Roumier 2006 Morey-St.-Denis Clos de la Bussiere offers ripe plum and black raspberry, brown spices, and hints of game on the nose; offers a strikingly and flatteringly silken texture and a clearer, deep meatiness than the gamy aromatic suggestion intimated; and finishes with carnal and saline savor; subtle invigoration of fruit skin tartness; and an almost airy sense of lift and effortless extension. This should be a delight over the next half dozen years.
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