| Score: |
93 ST.
"Green-tinged yellow. More precise, subtle aromas of stone fruits, minerals and nutmeg. A step up in energy and fruit intensity, with lovely clarity to the flavors of stone fruits, lemon, lime, spices and crushed rock. Finishes quite long and brisk, in need of at least a year of patience. According to winemaker Nicolas Morlet, who took over from his brother Luc in December of 2005, the growing season of 2006 presented ‘the same scenario as '05 at the beginning, with a rainy winter followed by a perfect bloom. But 2006 witnessed a hot spell and a few days of strong, dry winds in late September that required the team to stop picking. ‘The wind blew off a lot of the vines' leaves, and there was even some dehydration of the merlot that goes into the Pavots,’ he told me, ‘but we had very good day-night temperature differential, and of course the good ventilation of the vines helped prevent rot from spreading.’ In comparison, he went on, 2005 was a perfect growing season. ‘We had warmth and sun but no mean sun and no dehydrating winds,’ said Morlet, who eventually harvested the cabernet at the end of October." Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com, May 2008 |