The Domaine's 2006 Richebourg leads with ripe, bright red fruits and smoked meat; fills the palate with sweet fruit concentrates and abundant, fine tannin, while tart notes of fruit skin, bitterness of cherry pit, and bittersweet vanilla lend counterpoint and invigoration; and finishes with striking suggestions of smoked and roasted meat as well as crushed stone and iodine. What starts out suggestive of sweetness and light, turns dark and brooding. If you don't find that too depressing a metaphor to contemplate, and if you have patience (and, naturally, the requisite budget), this should be seriously worth revisiting from around 8-15 or more years of age. The Domaine de La Romanee-Conti harvested from the 20th-25th of September (commencing with Richebourg) and subjected the crop to rigorous sorting. Understandably, the viticultural meticulousness at this estate as well as its team of some 60 highly-skilled and –motivated pickers paid dividends in the context of a challenging vintage. Director Aubert de Villaine and cellarmaster Bernard Noblet vinified their 2006s with a lesser share of stems and whole clusters, and exposed them to new wood for a shorter period (thereafter racking into older barrels) than the corresponding 2005s. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

Structured, even stern from barrel, this is immediately appealing today, offering wild strawberry and spice notes, with juicy texture and fine grip and length.—Non-blind 2006 DRC tasting (February 2009). Best from 2014 through 2030.??–BS??Region: France / Burgundy / Richebourg Select to Add