Sunday, May 16, 2010

Vosne Romanée 2006 Domaine Michel Gros

Sometimes I prefer interesting to delicious.

Young colour. Burgundian translucency but still rather intense. Hints of violet among the Burgundy.

The nose hints of what to come. Sour, crunchy fruit with notes of pith and the sense of something damp. Any perfumed notes are tertiary - the primary aromas hit with such focus. They linger.

The palate is a wine geek's conversation. Structure-wise, it's like a tightly-woven rope pulled taut. That crunchy red fruit acidity - cranberries, cherries, raspberries and cherry stones tied tight, locked in with wet tea leaves, damp rope and river pebbles. Within that there's underlying minerality, humming through from the mid palate to the finish. This is savoury Burgundy, intense to taste without the payoff of sweet fruit. It's also very young. I can see leathery, dried meat notes in its future. I can see it going brilliantly with venison steaks both now and then. It's going to be gamey, once that crunchy fruit softens up and cures the leatheriness.

Tasting it the next afternoon, with a day's opening, some of that intensity had softened but it was by no means tired. A touch of dry oak came out on the finish.

This was a good snapshot wine. There's so much intensity and yet so much more to come. Swirling a glass with a couple of friends in the trade was a joy. We chatted about it for longer than we should have. It's remarkably honest and gives you a lot to talk about.

***(**)
Tasted 15 & 16 May, 2010 at Luvians Bottleshop

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