This year, Laurent supplemented his long-term source, and there are two barrels of 2006 Chambertin Clos De Beze Vieilles Vignes. If you had read this report in my standard print format, you would have seen this wine listed next-to-last, based on Laurent's having served it to me in that position, long after the rest of his wines from Gevrey – including multiple Grand Crus – had been tasted. His positioning reflects an impression that this wine is in a different class, as does for that matter his having sacrificed some of it to ameliorate this year's Chambertin. A knockout nose of licorice, black tea, cherry, smoldering punk, and roasted meat leads into a sumptuous, palate-staining and dynamic performance that demonstrates the uncanny ability of this vintage's best wines to combine formidable concentration with elegance. There is however no mistaking the accumulation of tannins that lie beneath this wine's plush fruit and dense meatiness. I am not convinced these will ever entirely soften, but in a wine with this much going for it (and going on it it), they can not only be accommodated into the fabric, but any slight roughness they might engender can be overlooked. I would give this 4-5 years of peace and quiet, and then expect to savor over the subsequent 10-12. Dominique Laurent – whose methodology I attempted to clarify in a bit more detail in my report for issue 171 – purchased fewer wines in 2006 (not all of which I tasted) than he had in 2005, particularly at the lower end of the classificatory spectrum and in the Cote de Beaune. On the other hand, there were some correspondingly sweet opportunities, he noted, to expand acquisitions in top-notch crus due to initial hesitation of many negociants to buy heavily into this vintage. Laurent was highly enthusiastic about the quality of the wines he did raise, which in the glass often proved even more infectious than his enthusiasm – and that's saying something! What's more, although these wines – generally produced in 50-250 case quantities – have a reputation for high prices, most of these 2006s – especially in their upper-echelons – strike me as exhibiting excellent price:quality rapport. While absence of chaptalization and absence of sulfur during the elevage remain constant features this year, less of the wine Laurent purchased and raised from 2006 was vinified with stems than in most years. Vieilles Vignes," incidentally, is used like a brand name chez Laurent, referring to all of his better wines, whereas his "Tradition" line – none of which I tasted – consists of cuvees rendered in slightly larger volumes and exclusively for the French market. Since the words "Vieilles Vignes" are prominently displayed on the label, I have included them as part of each wine's description, although one will often see Laurent's same top wines referred to without that designation.Imported by Martin Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY Tel. (516) 327-0808
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