2006 Musigny Grand Cru
By Domaine Leroy
2006 Musigny Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy, Burgundy, France
Tucked away in the heart of Burgundy, the acclaimed 2006 Musigny Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy resonates with the ethos of its creator, Lalou Bize-Leroy. The particular vintage under review is a testament to her meticulous care and an unfailing commitment to biodynamic viticulture.
The Quintessence of 2006 Musigny Grand Cru
The year 2006 was characterised by a challenging season where meticulous vineyard management was essential. In the hands of lesser vignerons, this year might not have achieved such heights, but Domaine Leroy navigated the season with aplomb. The resulting 2006 Musigny Grand Cru is a complex tapestry of exquisite finesse endowed with a balance that seasoned investors recognise as an art in itself.
A Vintage Defined by Elegance and Maturity
In the glass, this revered nectar reveals a deep ruby hue, hinting at the depth within. It generously unfolds with layered aromas of ripe cherries, subtle earth, and that quintessential hint of Burgundian terroir—a fragrant forest floor after the rain. On the palate, a silken texture carries notes of dark fruit interlaced with nuances of spices and a mineral edge that speaks of its eminent pedigree. This 2006 vintage delivers a structured yet velvety elegance that is starting to show marvellous maturity, suggesting that its zenith is within decadent reach.
An Opportune Investment for Connoisseurs
For fine wine enthusiasts and investors seeking to enrich their portfolios with a storied bottle, the 2006 Musigny Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy presents an enticing prospect. As it continues to evolve gracefully in the bottle, the sage investor will appreciate this wine's capacity for further complexity and increased desirability in the years to come.
In summary, this extraordinary vintage encapsulates the harmony of nature's challenge triumphantly met by human tenacity and skill—a commanding presence in any cellar and one that will pique the interest of those pursuing vinous treasures. With its investment merit and captivating sensory appeal, Lalou Bize-Leroy's rendition of 2006 Musigny Grand Cru is undoubtedly poised to enthrall palates and elevate collections for decades.
Market price (USD)
$599,360.00
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
30685
Scores and tasting notes
Initially a bit reduced, the Leroy 2006 Musigny responded to a shaking, blossoming into a wealth of floral perfumes, ripe fresh red fruits, citrus oils, and marine breeze. Strikingly vivacious and buoyant on the palate as well as silken in texture, this at the same time reveals a deeply meaty and stony undertone. The finish dynamically weaves its berry-intense, carnal, mineral, and floral strands into a long, colorful braid. And in the empty glass you realize that the spell of reduction is now completely broken and an eruption of floral perfume and of spirituous as well as fresh red fruit essences ensues. This is another great 2006 representative of its site in the making, as well as another demonstration of how beautifully suited the vintage is to expressing this site's virtues and vice-versa. 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