Francois Millet thinks that there is considerable latent structure as well as aging potential in all of the De Vogue 2006s, and with the 2006 Musigny Vieilles Vignes both are evident. Diverse jellied berries, citrus oils, and floral perfumes indeed seductively fill the nose, and then flood a seamlessly refined palate. At the same time, a sense of chalky and saline minerality as well as marrowy meatiness mount into the finish, taking on further prominence as the wine opens to the air. On the one hand you feel as though you are watching the wafting of clouds of fruit and perfume; on the other the motion of tectonic plates beneath your palate. This superb Musigny is going to be a great source of metaphors over the next 15 or more years, and one could do worse than start with the familiar iron fist wrapped in velvet, because it fits this wine like a glove.

This is also extremely floral with a reserved nose that is an airy, spicy and ripe mélange of red and blue pinot fruit that displays really lovely violet and rose petal notes that are picked up by the minerally, intense and harmonious flavors that are beautifully proportioned and are blessed with ample amounts of dry extract on the essence of pinot and explosive, energetic and hugely long yet incredible precise finish that is also built on a base of firm minerality. This is almost exotic in character yet everything is in beautiful concordance. In a word, great.