Full gold in colour. Voluptuous, rich and harmonious scents of close-woven fruits: quince, pear, peach and pineapple. There's a touch of pastry richness, too, though none of the smoke notes sometimes surrendered by Pinot Gris in Alsace, or the slight cindery whiff occasionally palpable in wines from this volcanic terroir. It has arresting aromatic clarity, definition and attraction.

On the palate, the wine is weighty, balanced, deep and dense, with thrilling saturation of fruit. Can Pinot Gris be any better than this? There are residual sugars, yet there is nothing flimsy or empty about these, charged as they are with the burnt-earth and mineral tang of this vineyard. The result is splendid, seamless and whole, balanced by the unusually prominent and poised acidity of 2006. This clear and complete wine, vinified with total assurance, will last another decade.