Frederick Wildman, the wine importer and distributor represents a veritable cornucopia of mainly small, top-rate Burgundy producers, and every February it brings over a group of these convivial farmers – I call them farmers because there is nothing snooty or aristocratic about them other than the quality of their superb wines – for a tour of the US to promote their current releases.

This year they held their New York dinner at the excellent A Voce restaurant and the usual stars of their portfolio – Potel-Aviron, Ch de Chorey, Domaine Méo-Camuzet, Christian Moreau, Ch Fuissé and Ch de la Maltroye all excelled despite 2006 being a so-so vintage. However, the wine that stood out for me was the Domaine des Perdrix Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru Aux Perdrix 2006 ($85)

Pinot Noir is such a tricky grape to get right, especially in the unpredictable climate of Burgundy, but when a producer, especially a small producer who can concentrate on a limited number of wines, succeeds the results are astounding.

The nose on the Aux Perdrix just explodes with dark cherries and blackberries. It shows great power and finesse, along with a sharp focus and supreme balance. There are even hints of cocoa on the palate and these are sure to increase with time. Ah yes, time! That’s the secret of this wine – in ten or fifteen years this will be quite superb.

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