Ok, so vintage generalizations are a little stupid, but I'll make some anyway.
I don't take any wine publications anymore, but I keep reading on wine boards and on blogs about the remarkably nice early-drinking 2006 vintage in Burgundy and Beaujolais (and when I say "Burgundy" I mean wines I drink, which means red wines of a handful of producers and a lesser number of white wines, mostly from the Macon and low-end Chablis). I disagree, at least somewhat, with this overall view. Not with the "early drinking" part, more with the level of "niceness."
My '06 take is based on anecdotal evidence, a sampling of a decent number of wines, and a couple haphazard tastings. I may yet be proven wrong as the wines develop (from both regions), but many of the '06 Beaujolais seem a bit over-extracted, some are a bit overripe and soft, and a few make me think "rot." I'd throw out the Tete '06 Julienas as an example of this. I almost always think of Tete Julienas as one of the top 3-4 cru Beaujolais wines in most vintages, but the '06 makes me think of some of the really fat Vissoux Cru wines I often don't like with perhaps a bit more of a ripeness issue (I do almost always adore the Vissoux Cuvee Traditionelle, in contrast). At times, the 06s make me think of some west coast pinot noirs/syrahs. Thus far, I'd generally rather drink the '07 wines from my favorite Beaujolais producers than the '06s.
With the Burgundy producers I've tried, the same issues seem to be there for me although there have been plenty of wines that seemed perfectly good for early drinking and the rot issue seems less of a problem. But I was even a little underwhelmed by a couple Mugnier wines I tried (I will no doubt come to regret giving concrete examples). I liked some wines of favorite producers perfectly ok, and I certainly won't be pouring them down the drain, but I will be drinking them fairly soon, and to the extent I find money lying on the sidewalk I will be waiting for racier, more precise, more red-fruited, and less extracted wines. Or buying more '01s.
I might even take the issues of ripeness and alcohol issues of a "typical" '04 Burgundy over those of the '06s. Or at the least, my decision would be on a case-by-case basis. My own private Idaho may be odd, but I'll be drinking wines there that I enjoy.
As Carson might say, Y'06B&BMMV.
I don't take any wine publications anymore, but I keep reading on wine boards and on blogs about the remarkably nice early-drinking 2006 vintage in Burgundy and Beaujolais (and when I say "Burgundy" I mean wines I drink, which means red wines of a handful of producers and a lesser number of white wines, mostly from the Macon and low-end Chablis). I disagree, at least somewhat, with this overall view. Not with the "early drinking" part, more with the level of "niceness."
My '06 take is based on anecdotal evidence, a sampling of a decent number of wines, and a couple haphazard tastings. I may yet be proven wrong as the wines develop (from both regions), but many of the '06 Beaujolais seem a bit over-extracted, some are a bit overripe and soft, and a few make me think "rot." I'd throw out the Tete '06 Julienas as an example of this. I almost always think of Tete Julienas as one of the top 3-4 cru Beaujolais wines in most vintages, but the '06 makes me think of some of the really fat Vissoux Cru wines I often don't like with perhaps a bit more of a ripeness issue (I do almost always adore the Vissoux Cuvee Traditionelle, in contrast). At times, the 06s make me think of some west coast pinot noirs/syrahs. Thus far, I'd generally rather drink the '07 wines from my favorite Beaujolais producers than the '06s.
With the Burgundy producers I've tried, the same issues seem to be there for me although there have been plenty of wines that seemed perfectly good for early drinking and the rot issue seems less of a problem. But I was even a little underwhelmed by a couple Mugnier wines I tried (I will no doubt come to regret giving concrete examples). I liked some wines of favorite producers perfectly ok, and I certainly won't be pouring them down the drain, but I will be drinking them fairly soon, and to the extent I find money lying on the sidewalk I will be waiting for racier, more precise, more red-fruited, and less extracted wines. Or buying more '01s.
I might even take the issues of ripeness and alcohol issues of a "typical" '04 Burgundy over those of the '06s. Or at the least, my decision would be on a case-by-case basis. My own private Idaho may be odd, but I'll be drinking wines there that I enjoy.
As Carson might say, Y'06B&BMMV.