2006 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
By Domaine Leroy
2006 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy, Burgundy, France
The fabled 2006 vintage of the Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy seduces with a narrative that speaks of Burgundy’s quintessential grace under the auspices of a challenging season. This is a benchmark vintage, where the vagaries of climate bestowed complexity and an alluring edge that demand it be discussed with both reverence and intrigue.
An Ensemble of Rarity and Elegance
Burgundy connoisseurs hold Domaine Leroy in high esteem for the winery's unwavering commitment to terroir expression and their meticulously-sculpted wines. The 2006 vintage, crafted by the inimitable Lalou Bize-Leroy, encapsulates her virtuoso ability to coax profound narratives from her vines within the storied precincts of Clos de la Roche.
A Vintage Chiselled by Nature
Rain and cool weather during the early summer of 2006 gave way to a fortuitously warm August. This serendipitous twist resulted in grapes achieving ideal ripeness yet preserving their vivacious acidity—forming the spine of this grand cru's longevity. On nosing, one discovers a tapestry woven with hints of cherries enrobed in dark chocolate, interlaced with whispers of earthy minerality. On the palate, the wine unfurls layers of complexity: vibrant red berry fruit balanced against a backdrop of fine-grained tannins—a structure which promulgates both immediate pleasure and investment-worthy ageing potential.
The revered ‘06 vintage carries the hallmark silkiness expected from Domaine Leroy, alongside an unmatched depth - qualities which render it distinct within its lineage. Its poised fruit concentration deftly pirouettes around a core of aged Burgundian sophistication—a harmonious blend often sought by collectors and investors alike.
A Connoisseur's Compendium
Indeed, each swirl in the glass weaves an intricate narrative where terroir and human talent have co-authored a masterful script. The 2006 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy emerges as a wine not merely to be tasted but experienced; an odyssey through taste that secures its esteem amidst oenophiles and its gravitas amongst fine wine investors seeking rarities poised for graceful evolution.
Market price (GBP)
£83,410.00
12x75cl
Highest score
94
POP score
5957.86
Scores and tasting notes
Roasted meat and quarry dust mingle with ripe, lightly-cooked strawberry and cherry in the nose of the Leroy 2006 Clos De La Roche. Creamy, gently soothing, and generously broad and sweetly-fruited in a manner one doesn't anticipate from its site, this Pinot's mineral and animal dimensions only strongly reassert themselves in the long, strikingly buoyant finish, along with black tea, distilled essences of red berries, and peat. This is one of many wines of its collection almost certain to gain in nuance and allure with a few years in bottle, although it is frankly irresistible now. The results achieved by Lalou Bize-Leroy in 2006 are all the more notable in view of the misgivings she expressed early on about this vintage. (And, as her reaction to 2004 demonstrates, she will not shy away from declassifying even her entire production if she feels that the wines are not up to their terroir pedigrees.) As voluptuously rich as are Bize-Leroy's 2006 reds, they preserve the sense of buoyancy and elegance common to so many of the standouts of this vintage, and one's gums will not come away fatigued by the strength of underlying tannin or the near-hyper-concentration displayed by her – to be sure awesome – 2005s. As every year, these wines represent meticulous vine manicure; miniscule yields ("above all regulated by severe pruning, not triage," Bize-Leroy emphasizes); and fidelity to biodynamic methods and metaphysics; and were bottled in the second December following the harvest. Despite their winsomeness, they have long life expectancies. Since, however, I have very little experience of their predecessors as they have matured, I have confined my prognostication to a few isolated and very general comments in the tasting notes that follow. Note that I have included as well under the heading "Leroy" the wines of Madame Bize-Leroy's Domaine d'Auvenay – its cellars located outside Saint-Romain – which now encompass two appellations in red, since inevitably when information is being sought about these wines, and even often when they are described, it is under the name "Leroy." Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040
David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 21 December 2009