Precise expression of red fruit flavors, lift, and refreshment are usually part and parcel of this appellation's charm chez Drouhin, and the 2006 Chorey-les-Beaune delivers those virtues in abundance, while offering an at once soothing and invigorating combination of subtle creaminess with the chew of fruit skin. Chalky, saline, and herbal notes deliver some complexity in an admirably persistent finish. There are 5,000 cases of this outstanding value and ambassador for Burgundy, and while it is probably most enjoyable if drunk over the next couple of years, it will not fall off of any close at hand cliff. "I was skeptical when the harvest came," says Philippe Drouhin about 2006, "because the weather had been so hectic; we had to sort the grapes; and it was not as nice as '05. But the more I tasted the '06s in the course of the year, the more I liked them." Winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac says he was hyper-cautious about avoiding the extraction of bitterness or under-ripeness, and employed vendange entier (whole clusters with stems) on a significant share of the grands (and top premiers) crus, but only in conjunction with rigorous table-sorting. Most came in at 13-13.5% potential alcohol. The wines were bottled about as early as they ever have been at Drouhin, to preserve and avoid drying out the fruit. (Just as elsewhere in this report, I have frequently indicated in my tasting note whether the source of grapes is the family's domaine or contract fruit, but have not attempted to reflect this as part of the descriptions used to identify the wines.)Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

Quite a firm wine, the tannins giving smoky bacon flavors over some tight dryness. The fruit is there—juicy red currant fruit, topped by bright, fresh acidity.——R.V.(10/1/2009)—— 87