2005 Red Burgundies: A Heuristic First Look

Sept 16th, 2007
Inaugural Tasting Event for the 2007-08 Season of The WFCC
Prior to this tasting, a few of us had tasted several 2005 red burgundies out of barrel just prior to bottling(including a fabulous "Le Musigny" of Freddie Mugnier) and all signs pointed to a great vintage. For others in the WFCC group this tasting was to be their first encounter and naturally there was much interest in the outcome. Unfortunately, only a hodge-podge of wines were available at retail as of late August . They were therefore chosen out of necessity for this tasting. So when we settled on the final line-up, to make it interesting and as a learning experience, we tasted wines blind in pre-arranged pairs, which with the exception of one flight (pair) were wines from the same producer.
It has been said that in 2005 it was hard to go wrong and make bad wine. Alas in this tasting we encountered the lesser side of the vintage for the most part even after factoring in the obvious closing down of the wines in the bottle.
I recall tasting the 1985's at the same stage and those wines were luscious and deliciously forward. But the sheen of those wines did not last much past a decade because acidity was on the low side and loss of fruit was not counterbalanced by any complexity that had been gained with bottle age. Granted there are still a few expensive exceptions from the 1985 vintage, notably the wines of Henri Jayer. That fate is unlikely to befall these 2005 wines. In comparison to the 1985's the 2005 red burgundies in this tasting had both strong acidity and tannic structure to back the ripe fruit. The combination of the fruit ripeness, reminiscent of 1985, allied with the tannic structure like those of the 1993's is likely to make this vintage the greatest in the modern (post 1964) era for the Cotes de Nuits wines. The wines of the Cotes de Beaune, on the other hand, appear to be a stronger version of the already excellent 1999 vintage and the best since the 1978 vintage.

Wines leftover from the tasting (left uncorked!) were unoxidized and still revealing the next evening. Surprisingly, some even tasted fine and even better 48 hours later. This is an excellent harbinger of the potential for even the lesser wines to age and get better. The not so great showing of some of the wines in this tasting maybe because the wines have shut down since bottling. Even if that were to be true I still feel confident that the notes below fairly reflect the wines. And, if you love barolos you just might think after tasting the 05's that maybe nebbiolo and pinot noir are related after all.

Tortochot: Gevrey Champeaux : As the first wine wine of the evening, it is excusable if a wine does not show its best. This wine had no such excuse--at different time points in the tasting it showed the same, even with food there was little change--sullen and meager with reductive aromas-only the 48 hour sample showed decent--in summary, this is a throwback to a rustic style which does injustice even to that genre, particularly in a vintage like this. < 84 points

Tortochot: Gevrey Lavaux St.Jacques
Strong reduction persisted even the next day-- quite acidic, lean and straight-jacketed fruit-- tasted better 48 hours later so this may just need to air out for a few years. Not much to write about now. A Lavaux should certainly have more breed than this.
85-86 points

Voillot: Volnay Champans
Gorgeous delicate aromas that should be bottled and put in an atomizer. Sensual and silky with vivid red fruit, excellent acidity and impeccable balance--though just medium bodied it makes its presence felt on mid-palate and then migrates to a fairly gripping ( with fine tannins) yet sumptuous finish. 91-92 points

Voillot: Pommard Pezerolles
Fairly dark with fresh crushed fruit aromas highlighting strawberry fruit upfront. I was struck by the purity of the nose, unadorned as it were with new oak . Some new oak eventually makes itself felt on the palate but it is mostly subtle and an integrated part of the structure. Very harmonious wine that does not strive for power. Voillot's Pezerolles has never sought that, in my experience of tasting the wines of this vineyard over the past 2 decades (first with Joseph Voillot and then with J.P. Charlot), both in the cellar and stateside. Clearly a Pommard made by a Volnay producer. 91 points

Prince de Merode: Pommard Les Platieres
Quite dark; deep and sweet nose but without extra dimension. Chunky, full bodied with dry tannins marching lockstep with the fruit . Almost Barolo/La Morra like. Still fresh and plummy the next day with no trace of oxidation . Though this is not very broad and is quite upfront it does not detract from the fact that this one heck of a village wine. Needs a couple of years for tannins to fold back into the wine and then is best drunk sooner rather than later. I like this a lot. 89 points

Prince de Merode: Corton Renardes
Ripe and very focussed nose with a touch of new oak, roasted earth/meat aromas. On the palate it is sleek with bright acidity and a layered center. A very elegant Corton, it offers sensual drinking pleasure right now but there is an undercurrent of acidity that will make this wine a pleasure to savor after a decade in the cellar. One of the finest wines from this estate that I can remember.
92+ points

Jean Tardy: Nuits Au Bas de Combe
Both this and the next Tardy wine were a shade or two darker than the wines preceding. Nose is meager with simple, pleasant aromas of cherries and minerals. Not surprising since this was later revealed to be a village wine . On the first day the wine was less than inspiring but the next day it was substantially better with more substance and depth with a touch of bacon fat. A good village wine that just might have the legs to age and develop complexity in 6-7 years time. 86 points

Jean Tardy: Nuits Boudots
Ripe and intense, yet with a fragrant presence on the nose. Palate echoes the nose and the rich acidity counteracts the chocolate and ripe red cherries that dance on the palate. Flavors are not yet long but that should come with time. Fine wine, just not upper echelon.
89 points

D'Ardhuy: Corton Pougets
Though the color is not very dark it sports a rich nose with exotic spice box scents (from new oak). The palate is sensual and well balanced; the acidity is excellent and controls the flow of fruit right down to a seamless finish. A wine of reserved elegance. This even has the structure to age well past 2020 , I think, but it will be a wine hard to resist drinking young . One of the more forward wines of the tasting. 92 points

Aleth Girardin: Pommard Epenots
The color, the nose and palate pander to the modern demands of instant likeability. And, what is there not to like about this wine? Bacon, black jam dominates the nose with soft ripe fruit that spreads out like creamy melting butter (old viney) on the palate. Quite low in acidity, and not particularly deep. There is no mystery waiting in the wings--it is all there on show. An excellent introduction to red burgundy for those who love their pinots on the jammier, sweet side , which in this case just pulls back from the brink of over-ripeness. The traditionalists might have some qualms about this wine but there can be no quibble about rating it high on the deliciosity scale . It is , in my opinion, best enjoyed young over the next 10 years. 90 points

Jean-Marc Bouley: Volnay Clos des Chenes

Just the opposite of the Aleth Girardin wine--this is austere to a fault. Has the aromatics, the acidity and minerality of a Volnay but the flavors are on the meager side. Not much to recommend. Gave it 2 days to improve and perhaps emerge from a "shut-down" mode but never did improve. 85 points

Jean-Marc Bouley: Pommard Rugiens

Also very austere (even after 24 hours) but this a touch richer and deeper . It is also a lot more tannic (in an imbalanced way) than the Volnay. The oak dominates and this has a new world pinot-noir feel, in spite of its highish acidity . Chunky, simple finish with a touch of bitterness . The 2002 Rugiens of Bouley might be the better of the two 86 points