Despite having been grown at high above the village, the grapes that informed Lignier's 2006 Morey-St.-Denis En La Rue De Vergy were his first-picked and had already reached nearly 14% alcohol, which shows up in the wine as a bit of finishing heat. That said, this combines sweetly ripe fresh cherry and black raspberry fruit accompanied by a distillate-like shadow with smoked meat and high-toned sassafras. Hints of tar and game add complexity on a sappy, well-concentrated palate, and this finishes invigoratingly – even brashly – if with a touch of tannic roughness. I don't pick it to be for long-keeping and would be inclined to plan on drinking it over then next 3-5 years. Virgile Lignier shared the surprise expressed by many growers at how steadily the 2006s improved in the course of their elevage. He experienced only a 15% drop in net yield vis-a-vis 2005, noting that most of the fruit he discarded was what had suffered from hail rather than succumbed to rain and rot. Becky Wasserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet; fax 011-333-80-24-29-70