Chauvenet 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Chaignots is altogether more sedate as well as more austerely stony and chalky than the other Nuits-St.-Georges bottlings in this collection. High-toned distillate-like cherry and raspberry, accented by orange zest and brown spices in the nose migrate onto a fresh-fruited though subdued palate, with an underlying impression of grilled, charred, lamb as well as of steaming stones. The tannins here are admirably refined and the multi-registered finish - while subtle, rather than overtly gripping - is impressively long. I predict that this savory study in understatement will outlive and overtake in complexity the other wines in this collection. I would hold off opening if for 2-3 years and count on a decade, perhaps more, of fascination. In a direct comparison with the 2005, this wine acquitted itself very well. Chauvenet's piece of the oddly "L"-shaped Chaignots, incidentally, is at its northern end, bordering Murgers. Hubert Chauvenet professed having been more active than normal in 2006 with punch-downs and pump-overs, in order to compensate for paucity of material, and a certain undertone of bitterness in a few of his lighter-weight 2006s may be explicable on that account.Imported by Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832 9083

Smells ripe, with cherry and plum flavors, before the stiff, dry tannins take over. Needs time. There should be enough fruit to cover the tannins in the end. Best from 2011 through 2018. 44 cases imported. -BS