Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Domaine Armand Rousseau 2006

This departs from its normal expressiveness by being much more restrained and if not backward, then at least relatively reticent on the spicy red berry fruit nose that quietly introduces very concentrated, brooding, superbly powerful and equally well focused flavors underpinned by very firm tannins and plenty of underlying tension as you can really sense the energy here on the youthfully austere and ever so slightly dry finish that doesn't have the same phenolic ripeness level as the Chambertin. It's interesting because this is so cool and backward that in 2006, it's more Chambertin than Bèze.

Deep, bright red. Black raspberry, game and smoke on the nose. Fat and sweet on entry, then quite dry and backward in the middle, with a distinctly medicinal quality currently dominating the wine's underlying fruit. This boasts impressive volume but I'm troubled by its rather dry-edged tannins. Hard to taste today. I note that a year ago Eric Rousseau pointed out that the wine began its life quite disjointed.