Timing is Everything
Following the highly sought-after 2005 vintage, the 2006 red Burgundies head straight into the teeth of a recession
The 2006 red Burgundies are delicious. They have fruit and flesh, freshness and charm. Many are easy to appreciate now and will be ready to enjoy in the next few years. What more could a Burgundy vintage need to be eagerly embraced by Pinot lovers?
Well, how about a different backdrop? This historical moment seems to be conspiring against the 2006 Pinot Noirs. If these wines had been preceded by a normal vintage, or even just a very good one, there might be greater pent-up demand. Instead, they follow the great 2005 vintage, a year that saw huge interest for the best wines, at any cost. When the '06s came to market, many collectors had already blown their budgets and filled their cellars.
Lower prices might have helped stimulate consumer interest for the wines, but producers initially priced the vintage early in 2008, when the dollar was at or near its lowest rate against the euro since the latter currency's inception in January 2002. As a result, the 2006s are as expensive as the 2005s—and in some cases carry even higher prices.
The state of the U.S. economy has further slowed sales. Each week seems to bring more bad news, leading to tepid demand at best, especially for anything priced $40 or higher.
That's too bad, because for red wines, 2006 is an outstanding vintage in the Côte de Nuits (91 points on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale) and very good in the Côte de Beaune (88 points). This is my impression after blind-tasting more than 700 2006s in Wine Spectator's New York office since my last report ("Monumental Burgundy," May 31, 2008), having first tasted the young wines from barrel in visits to the region in June 2007 and January 2008.
Though only three wines reached the classic range (95 to 100 points), more than 350 red Burgundies, or approximately half the 2006s tasted, earned outstanding scores. (An alphabetical list of all wines tasted for this report is available.)
The quality of the top '06s rivals that of many '05s. These include the seductively spicy Domaine de l'Arlot Romanée St.-Vivant 2006 (95 points, $240), the aristocratic and reserved Jean Grivot Richebourg 2006 (95, $450) and the charming Denis Mortet Chambertin 2006 (95, $675), which offers pure, juicy fruit.
The vintage is at its best in the Côte de Nuits, especially in grands crus from the northern commune of Gevrey-Chambertin: Bruno Clair's refined Chambertin-Clos de Bèze (94, $247), Dupont-Tisserandot's fleshy yet firm Mazis-Chambertin (94, $150), Domaine Perrot-Minot's spice- and mineral-inflected Mazoyères-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes (94, $323), and the Chambertin (94, $330) and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze (94, $302) from Pierre Damoy.
The best wines from the Côte de Beaune feature alluring textures and harmony. The Bertrand Ambroise Corton Le Rognet (93, $156) delivers sweet cherry, berry and spice notes, with well-integrated tannins; the intense Domaine d'Ardhuy Corton Hautes Mourottes (92, $110) shows animal, wild berry, spice and mineral flavors; the Marquis d'Angerville Volnay Taillepieds (92, $74) reveals black cherry and black currant notes accented by licorice and mineral; and the Bouchard Père & Fils Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot (92, $85) is pure and graceful, with a vibrant structure.
The top 2006s are full of ripe fruit flavors. The grapes achieved the same level of sugar ripeness as in 2005, with some vineyards seeing even higher levels. In general, the wines are silky and round, and despite noticeable tannins at this stage, they are not as firmly structured as their predecessors from '05. "In 2006, the tannins are a little more grainy," says Christophe Perrot-Minot, who makes wines under the Domaine Perrot-Minot and Perrot-Minot labels.
Yet even with the tannins present, aeration changes the wines quickly, making them more harmonious. This suggests that most '06s should be enjoyable with another year or two of aging.
"The 2006s need more time, but not too much," explains Etienne Grivot, proprietor of Jean Grivot. "It's in the same family of vintages as 2001. After six months, the 2001s were more approachable, and [they were] tasting good after one or two years."
The 2006 growing season was one of extremes. The flowering for Pinot Noir was heterogeneous, leading to uneven ripening at harvest. It was necessary to pick parcel by parcel, sometimes within the same vineyard. In some cases, the phenolic ripeness was less than ideal, resulting in dry, astringent tannins.
July was hot, advancing the growth of the vines, but August was cool and wet. As a result, botrytis was a problem for the vintage, particularly in the Côte de Beaune, which experienced more rain. In some vineyards, the rot was inside the berries and difficult to eradicate completely. Thus, there are wines that smell and taste unclean. Furthermore, the selection required to eliminate rot reduced Pinot yields by about 15 percent to 30 percent compared with an average year.
The keys for the vinification were, first, a strict sorting of the grapes to eliminate rot, and second, less extraction during the maceration to preserve the ripe fruit flavors and avoid bitter or off flavors from the skins and seeds. The maturation period in barrel was shorter than it was in 2005, and many '06s were bottled earlier.
But no matter how successful the wines are, the market is still holding them back.
When I compared release prices from the 2002 vintage with those from 2006, the results were striking. From the beginning of 2004 until the beginning of 2008, the dollar fell nearly 20 percent against the euro, yet average prices jumped 44 percent, from $68 for the 2002s to $97 for the 2006s. A direct comparison between release prices for a dozen top-scoring red Burgundies from 2002 and release prices for the same wines from 2006 showed increases ranging from 32 percent to as much as 148 percent, far outpacing any changes in the exchange rate.
The high prices combined with the lack of demand means that a lot of high-end wine is backing up in the system. Some retailers have sold 2006 red Burgundies at cost, or even below cost, to reduce inventory. Still, almost one-third of the wines tasted for this report sell for $100 or more. So where does one look for value?
Marsannay is a good option. Below the $30 threshold, try Domaine Collotte's Marsannay Le Clos de Jeu Vieilles Vignes (88, $28) or its Marsannay Les Champsalomon (88, $26), which both offer black fruit flavors and supple texture. The Pierre Naigeon Marsannay La Ribaude Vieilles Vignes (88, $25) shows ample flesh around its cherry and blackberry notes.
From the Côte de Beaune, Jean-Claude Boisset's Savigny-lès-Beaune (88, $28) is round, with cherry and spice, while Joseph Drouhin's Chorey-lès-Beaune (88, $25) shows pure flavors on an elegant frame. Domaine d'Ardhuy's Côte de Beaune-Villages Les Combottes (87, $25) offers fresh cherry character in a ready-to-drink personality.
It's easy to understand the resistance to purchase the 2006s, given their high prices. But there are very good wines out there. Be diligent and do your homework. You just might find some good deals.
Senior editor Bruce Sanderson is Wine Spectator's lead taster on the wines of Burgundy.
