In the case of Drouhin's 2006 Bourgogne Vero, declassification of lots from superior vineyards helped add complexity to what is already an excellent value comprised largely of village-level wines. This cuvee benefited, too, from a vintage whose inherent generosity fits its intended visiting card purpose. (Analogous advantages accrued to Drouhin's less expensive red Bourgogne Laforet.) The meaty and mineral sides of Burgundian Pinot are not shortchanged here for all of the wine's charming, ripe red fruits. A lactic influence accentuates the wine's creaminess somewhat at the expense of crispness or clarity (fortes of the aforementioned Laforet, by the way), but this is unusually rich for its price. I suspect that some tannic hardness might emerge with time, but the wine is meant for enjoying within the next 12-18 months, during which it should perform admirably. "I was skeptical when the harvest came," says Philippe Drouhin about 2006, "because the weather had been so hectic; we had to sort the grapes; and it was not as nice as '05. But the more I tasted the '06s in the course of the year, the more I liked them." Winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac says he was hyper-cautious about avoiding the extraction of bitterness or under-ripeness, and employed vendange entier (whole clusters with stems) on a significant share of the grands (and top premiers) crus, but only in conjunction with rigorous table-sorting. Most came in at 13-13.5% potential alcohol. The wines were bottled about as early as they ever have been at Drouhin, to preserve and avoid drying out the fruit. (Just as elsewhere in this report, I have frequently indicated in my tasting note whether the source of grapes is the family's domaine or contract fruit, but have not attempted to reflect this as part of the descriptions used to identify the wines.)Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

Named after Veronique Drouhin, this is a blend of village and premier cru wines designed to give more weight than a basic Burgundy. It certainly has considerable elegance, generosity and a good weight of red fruits. The aftertaste is pure and fresh. ——R.V.(3/1/2007)—— 87