Roumier's 2006 Chambolle-Musigny Les Combottes - from a tiny cru just north of Charmes - features tart red raspberry, smoked meat, sage, brown spices, and hints of white pepper on the nose; offers a more roasted, low-toned meatiness than the corresponding Clos de la Bussiere; and finishes with a highly invigorating combination of salinity and fresh berry tartness. Perhaps due to the presence of a cocktail of modern clones in the half of this site that is planted with very young vines (and all of whose fruit was de-stemmed), this is the highest in alcohol - at 14% - in its collection, but I must say there are no ill-effects. While not downright silken as was the Clos de la Bussiere, its tannins are certainly fine-grained. I would plan to enjoy this over the next 4-6 years. Rigorous triage - along with Christophe Roumier's seemingly intuitive sense for the limits and potential of the vintage - have resulted in a set of 2006s here that are youthfully generous, but in the best instances will be well worth cellaring. The fermentative regimen and elevage (including no racking until assemblage, to maximize contact with lees convey both fat and structure; yet early bottling to preserve fruit) were tailored to the vintage, whereas the regimen of new wood was little changed from other recent years, meaning around one-third for the premier crus. Stems were selectively included, up to something over one-third in the grand crus. I tasted these wines from barrel at 14 months and again from bottle at 18, and they had in most instances both gained textural allure as well as structure and refined their flavors, clearly demonstrating the success of Roumier's strategy. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400

Medium red. Very ripe nose shows an almost candied character to the red berry notes. Suppler and sweeter than the village Chambolle but with less grip and vivacity. Ultimately a bit jammy and lacking in energy. Finishes with firm, slightly dry tannins.