From a tiny cru choicely located next to Gevrey's Mazoyeres, the Lignier-Michelot 2006 Morey-St.-Denis Aux Charmes smells alluringly of lightly-cooked cherry dusted mace, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. A root beer-like sweet, herbal note mingles with the fruit, resin, and spice on the polished palate, making for one of those delightfully palate-soothing (as well as palate-staining) examples of 2006 that epitomize this site's name. As the wine takes on air, its fruit sweetens further, yet never becomes cloying or jam-like. Hints of smoke and game suggest complexity to come. As delightful as this is now, I suspect it will show well for at least 6-8 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