The 2006 Cote Rotie Champin le Seigneur is slightly better, but it does not measure up to the great success Gerin enjoyed in 2005, 2003, 2001, and 1999. The 2006 offers sweet red currant and cassis fruit intermixed with hints of smoky oak, lard, and bouquet garni. This mid-weight wine is best drunk over the next 5-7 years. Jean-Michel Gerin used to sell 30% of his production in the United States, but when I visited him in late 2007, he was no longer exporting his wines to America. He told me he was not getting paid, and I suspect he is only one of what will undoubtedly be many casualties of the international economic crisis. It is sad to see consumers being denied access to some of the best wines being made in France as well as elsewhere.Importer: Bond Street Imports (www. bondstreetimports.com)