Red raspberry preserves, sage, and horehound, and on the nose of Le Moine 2006 Bonnes Mares lead to a palate impression of formidable viscosity, seamless richness, and liqueur-like, candied impressions of extreme ripeness. Saline and chalky intimations of things mineral and smoked meat notes add welcome contrast, though I find this less dynamic, buoyant, or intriguing than some of the best wines of its vintage. Saouma insists (and not merely about this vintage) that Bonnes Mares is possessed of a uniquely "multi-directional" potential whose discernment or appreciation evidently eludes me. He also maintains that Bonnes Mares needs more time than other crus to show its true greatness, and I won't argue that the present wine seems destined for more than a decade of richness and complexity."There was too much fruit" on the vines in 2006, opines Mounir Saouma, "and at the same time too much tannin in the fruit." Early pickers therefore, in his opinion, risked getting "lots of primary flavors, but wines that weren't serious. So we started the aging process asking ourselves how we will make this wine less tannic and more serious. After malolactic," which is always late here, "the wines changed completely. But the bigger mistake in 2006 was to bottle early" - something which also never happens at this address - "because the wines needed some time on their lees to extract sweetness and depth, and for all of their elements to come together." The results this year here are spectacular, and need not shy from comparison with their very different 2005 predecessors. Note that with a few significant exceptions there are usually only 1-2 barriques (25-50 cases) of any given Lucien Le Moine wine. Also, despite the number of them I tasted, that did not comprise by any means the entire collection (a circumstance I have taken pains to remedy with 2007). For further details on Le Moine's proprietors and methodology - which, once again this year, included a significant amount of vinification with stems - consult my report in issue 171.Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000
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