2006 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Les Amoureuses, Case of 6 btls

VM95 "Bright, dark red. Pure but subdued aromas of raspberry, minerals, rose petal and flinty stone. Wonderfully suave on entry, then vibrant and sappy in the middle, with pungent raspberry and crushed stone flavors boasting outstanding density and freshness. Mounts impressively on the back half, finishing with outstanding lift and perfume and broad, fine-grained tannins that reach the front teeth. Exciting wine." ST for VM Mar 2009

Freddy Mugnier carried out a more careful debourbage than normal in 2007 as he had to eliminate some rotten fruit in most of his vineyards, but he told me that the wines were so clear by November that he wasn't planning to rack them until the bottling. "The pHs are normal, and not especially high," he told me. "The vintage has a lot in common with 2000, or at least that was my first impression. The grapes had thin skins and the wines are low in tannins but they have better acidity. Since the end of the malos in March they've put on weight and color and become more serious. They'll definitely age for 15 years or more, like just about all of my vintages, but will they become greater? I'm not sure there's a hidden dimension to the wines." In contrast, he thought his 2005s and 2006s could last for 50 years, adding that the 2006s were at least as rich as the 2005s, and fresher. But he noted that the development of his wines constantly surprises him. "The '86s, '88s and '97s seemed to be at their peaks at a certain point only to become better and fresher five years later," he said, "while vintages like '90 and '93 have simply aged very slowly and steadily."