Shows the consistency of this superb terroir over time – even in a modest vintage it has delivered riveting results. The bouquet opens with profuse, youthful aromas of plum and blackcurrant, with a smoky, mineral edge. There is relatively little development here, and the wine is rich and dense on the palate yet never loses the balancing freshness. Starting to open up and drink spectacularly well; it should last another 25 years at least.

An exceptionally fresh and bright nose is complex, refined and sophisticated still as it just exudes class and breed with a fantastically broad array of spicy and pure cool red and black fruit aromas. The spice elements are also reflected by the minerally, serious and delicious medium full-bodied flavors that brim with dry extract on the moderately firm finish that is supported by buried tannins and huge length that doesn't stop. In the realm of being extremely picky there is a hint of backend warmth present but it's not enough to seriously affect the balance. Great stuff that is very much still on the way up yet it's not so hard that it could not be enjoyed now if decanted for 30 minutes or so first. 2021+

Served from magnum, the 2006 La Romanée Grand Cru replicates the seductive aromatics that it showed in bottle last year: fragrant red berries, that hint of orange peel and here, perhaps showing a little more opulence. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannin. The acidity keeps the La Romanée on its tip-toes, here perhaps showing a touch more depth and grip than the bottle version, but still with that twist of bitter cherry on the finish. It is a classy number, no doubt, and it will bestow those fortunate enough to own a bottle 3 or 4 decades of pleasure. Tasted November 2016. - Neal Martin

The 2006 La Romanée Grand Cru is a vintage that I have encountered four or five times now. It is a year when Louis-Michel really showed what he could do even in a challenging growing season. Consistent with my previous notes, it has retained that sumptuous and sensual bouquet, the crushed violets now even more conspicuous. The palate is gentle and satin-textured with a pixelated and disarmingly pure finish. Wonderful. Tasted blind at Maison de Colombier in Beaune. -- Neal Martin

94+ I have always liked the 2006 vintage of La Romanée from Louis-Michel Liger-Belair and the wine is aging very gracefully. The bouquet is deep, pure and simply beautiful in its mélange of raspberries, cherries, exotic spice tones, coffee, lovely minerality, woodsmoke and plenty of spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and potentially velvety, with a fine core of fruit, bright acids, suave tannins and outstanding focus and grip on the very long, balanced and complex finish. This should be quite approachable in a few more years, but I would want to hold onto this wine for another decade of cellaring and really let the fireworks of complexity begin!

While it starts austerely, this wine is obviously going to be a powerhouse of red plum and other ripe red fruits. The aromas are smoky, and this also shows in the palate as the wine fills with juicy richness, finishing with tight acidity. Give it 5–10 years.