2006 vintage guide for Médoc and Graves

See Decanter's vintage guide for Médoc and Graves 2006

Médoc and Graves 2006

Keep

Potentially hard and tough but good for people who like their wines tannic. Doesn’t have the flesh or ripeness of 2005 or 2003 but is better than 1999. May turn out to be a more classic vintage like 1996 – but with less ripeness

4/5

Weather Conditions

A very tricky vintage marked by highly variable weather from beginning to end. A cold, wet winter that was welcome after the searing and dry conditions of 2005 gave way to dry weather from spring through mid-summer, which was marked by prolonged scorching heat in July and a soggy September which interrupted harvest and caused concerns about mildew and rot.

Best Appellations

Red Graves, northern Médoc cabernet sauvignons, most whites.

Best Producers

reds: Clerc-Milon, Haut-Bailly, Leoville Barton, Boyd-Cantenac, Duhart-Milon, Pontet Canet; whites: Haut-Brion, Domaine de Chevalier, Laville Haut Brion