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A beautiful vintage
2006 was a year of extremes, but one that has yielded a vast array of beautiful wines amongst the reds and the whites. That such a result was achieved can be viewed as something of a triumph over adversity, with an unseasonably cool August counter-balanced by fine, hot months either side of it.
The growing season was cool to start with, and stayed so until the end of May. June brought fine weather and high temperatures, and July was very hot. This all changed in August, which was wet and very cold, but the coldness was something of a blessing, as it restricted the spread of rot brought on by the rain. Despite this, it was still necessary for growers to work hard in the vineyard to remove damaged grapes. Things changed again in time for September, however, with warm, sunny weather bringing the grapes to perfect ripeness, and harvest began in the middle of September for Chardonnay and a week later for Pinot Noir.
The White Wines
This is an enormously successful vintage for the white wines, which show a stunning combination of ripe fruit and crisp acidity. They are delicious wines, showing well at an early stage, very lively in style, with classic Burgundian minerality. They are less rich, but more mineral than 2005, and will be ready for drinking much sooner.
The Red Wines
The reds are beautifully ripe, open and aromatic, with supple tannins and a disarming juiciness to them. They show characteristics of both 2000 and 2001, with more structure and depth than the former, and more ripeness than the latter, which is an excellent combination. As with the whites, because they do not have the sheer density of the 2005s, they will drink earlier. Anyone who started buying Burgundy with the superb 2005 vintage should fill their cellar with 2006s, or go very thirsty waiting for their wines to mature. Experienced buyers of the region's wines, on the other hand, will appreciate the style of the reds, which are the essence of Pinot Noir, and the very spirit of Burgundy.
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