A Le Moine 2006 Morey-St.-Denis Clos Des Ormes displays the typically pungent herbal characteristics and smokiness of its village to the point of seeming slightly reduced. But tender raspberry and strawberry fruit and a hint of creaminess emerge with airing. Quite firm, slightly prickly tannins rise to the surface, though, too. Hints of pepper, black tea, and sage along with the tart edge of berry skin lend invigoration to a finish already characterized by the tension between tanninity and tenderness. The empty glass - freed entirely from reduction - glows with the sweetness of red fruits and lily-like floral perfume. This will be intriguing to follow over the nest several years. Saouma thinks that this site (while located underneath Clos de la Roche) resembles Clos St.-Denis in certain respects, including its proclivity for reduction. In this instance, the wine took nearly a year to complete its alcoholic fermentation, finishing with the malo-lactic transformation at around the same time, so it would also not be surprising if it played by its own peculiar rules. "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