2005 Red Burgundies--Part 3

Tasting Protocol: As usual the wines were tasted blind and then retasted , after unveiling, again with dinner . Some wine from each bottle was held back for retasting next day. the 4 course dinner menu was: Chicken Paillard with Linguini and Wild Mushrooms, Duck Leg Confit, Lamb Stew with Glazed Turnips, and a Cheese course.

Flight of Pommards

1. Bouchard, Pommard Pezerolles : Deep color with a rich, vanillin nose. Hints of strawberries and red cherries. Sneaky attack leads to an explosive center where the intensity of the fruit is matched by an abundance of tannins, nearly all of which is tender and fully ripe. Well made wine, which showcases pristine fruit. For being the first wine in the tasting this is more than just excellent. Should be readier than most 05's . 91 points

2. Girardin, Pommard Rugiens : Though showing a touch of reduction this is earthier with some gamey notes. In contrast to the above, the nose is not just about about fruit (mostly red)for it is complex with nuances of minerals and violets. This has less new oak than the Bouchard Pezerolles. On the palate the exceptionally pure and ripe fruit is nicely framed by acidity rather than by oak tannins. Quite layered , stylish and utterly charming, - words that seem so un-Pommard like. 91 points

3. Billard-Gonnet, Pommard Pezerolles : Rather peculiar nose with aromatics more associated with white wine than with red. Medium bodied with good acid and slight tannins but not much in the way of fruit concentration. The wine is overall quite simple and light, though there is balance on a smaller scale. 85 points

Flight Of Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots

4. Jerome Chezeaux :Firm, reticent nose tinged with hard edged minerality. On the palate the wine is taut and spicy, both from oak and fruit. Not effusive but moderately concentrated and, typically for the vintage, restrained by acid and tannins from full expression. Finish is slightly hard as well. Clearly needs time since only the next day did the wine reveal the ripe fruit that lay hidden. Very Good Value ($40) 88+ points

5. Jadot : Fragrant and classy nose with fruits more in the red spectrum. Rich and muscular on the palate, it softens quickly with time . Has more Vosne character than Nuits. The next day it was positively evolved . A wine of excellent balance and style. Can be drink now with a few hours of decantation. 90 points

6. Dominique Mugneret : Compared to the above two this is much fuller and deeper, both in color and on the nose. Brothy, dense black fruits on the nose, with a hint of slate-like minerality. Very ripe on the palate (some thought overripe) it is quite steely with an abundance of ripe tannins but not perhaps the level of acidity of the Jadot’s Boudots. Spicy and long it is a generous wine from a winemaker whose wines I have not encountered previously. In the end I marginally preferred this to the Jadot wine. An Excellent Value ( $55 ) 91 points

Flight of Gevrey Villages “Vieilles Vignes”

7. Marc Roy: Not particularly dark but a lovely bright cherry red. Nose is subdued but warmly inviting even though it is nearly closed in. Sleek and delicious on entry with a composite of red and black fruits and considerable tannins. With time, and particularly the next day, the wine showed lovely purity of pinot noir , framed and nicely delineated by acidity. This is not a wine of power but one that tantalizes with its unassuming personality. Best drunk before 2015. Another new producer to me. 89-90 points

8. Humbert Freres: Rather forward and feminine but even though it starts of silky and supple, lurking tannins are clearly present. As the finish unfolds to a long and persistent finish, the power of the wine is apparent. It is without a doubt one of the finest village wines I have ever tasted and it helps that the vines are over 65 years old. A wine to enjoy over the next 10 years. (Incidentally the 2006 VV , from a barrel sample, is likely to be every bit as good this wine). 90 points

9. F.Magnien: Quite dark; dark fruits with exotic scent of baking spices. Rich, perhaps superficially, and tough . After the above two wines this is like a hammer ... obvious and chunky. Alcoholic finish. 85 points


Flight Of Gevrey 1er Crus

In a previous tasting (part2) a less well known cru, Bel Air of Taupenot-Merme, which sits above Clos de Beze surprised us with its class and power. So this flight was chosen to highlight other less known 1er crus of Gevrey-- Combottes, Petite Chapelle and Au Closeau, all of which abut Grand Cru vineyards. Les Combottes adjoins Mazoyeres, Latricieres Chambertins and Clos de la Roche (in Morey), the Petit Chapelle adjoins Chapelle Chambertin, while Au Closeau is just below Mazis Chambertin.

10. Dupont Tisserandot, Petit Chapelle : Very dark and seemingly extracted. Rich and deep with subtle hints of game and truffles. Even though it is quite dense this is not at all heavy because the enormous core of acidity and scaffolding of tannin keeps the wine nicely balanced. This wine showed even better the next day and the overall impression of the wine was one of soft masculinity. Like the 2002 wine this too is a winner. 90+ points

11.Pierre Amiot, Combottes: Quite closed on the nose but clearly a wine of substance. Surprisingly more expressive on the palate with cool minerality underpinning the ripe and thoroughly ebullient fruit— so much so, the fruit appears to dance on the palate with the masculine power and finesse of a male ballet dancer. Though quite tannic it resolved completely the next night and was a prime example of the 2005 vintage being able to lift wines from cool sites (which this is) to soaring heights. The best example of Combottes I have ever tasted since a superb 1985 Dujac Gevrey Combottes. (The rest of the group did not rank this as high as I did, but ranked it well anyway) 92 points

12. Drouhin-Laroze, Au Closeau : Typical D-Laroze nose which emphasizes subtlety and purity. Fragrant and chalky minerals on palate with a slight body and a somewhat dilute middle. Hard edged and rather un-giving finish right now. Did not gain amplitude even after 2 days, yet was never dull or clunky. In an anomaly the first wine of the evening , the Bouchard Pommard Pezerolles, showed supremely well while this the last wine, which had been open 90 minutes longer, showed less than well. May be a slow bloomer. 87-88 points