The Drouhin 2006 Charmes-Chambertin (from the "true" Charmes) succeeds in living up to its name. Cinnamon- and cardamom-dusted cherry mingles with musky floral and clean meaty elements in the nose, and this delivers refined tannins and a welcome sense of lift – if not much density – on the palate. A long, soothing finish boasts purity and polish that one cannot by any means take for granted in this commune in 2006. I suspect though that this will be best enjoyed over the next 4-5 years, and there will be tasters for whom its brand of elegance is too light-weight or un-emphatic.
"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
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