Community Tasting Note

• drwine2001 wrote:

  January 30, 2016 - Half bottle. Unyielding deep ruby. Stemmy nose with camphor. Full bodied and meaty. Black fruit, herbs, and substantial tannins which have relaxed over the past several years. Good mouthful, but even out of half bottles, this wine has not traveled that great a distance over the past couple of years, a telling sign for 2005 Burgundy in general.

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7 Comments

• CAC commented:

  2/1/16, 9:49 AM - I'm a big fan of your tasting notes, which correspond closely with my own experiences (though I don't post notes on CT). What's your sense at this point about what the 2005 red Burgundies will be like at maturity? Despite all the rave reviews, I'm concerned that my partially consumed bottles seem only more tannic and less fruity the next day (particularly from the Cote de Nuits). No matter how concentrated this vintage is, I wonder if it's possible, or even likely, that the tannins will outlive the fruit in most cases.

• drwine2001 commented:

  2/1/16, 5:10 PM - CAC-Great question which people seem reluctant to ask about 2005 Burgundy. I can only extrapolate from my experience with '88s, about which people had identical concerns when they were a decade old. To me, that vintage was leaner than 2005, with less fruit and higher acidity making them even more austere early on. At age 25 or so, I'd say the results are mixed-some classic, superbly refined bottles but many others in which the fruit had faded well before the tannin was resolved. To the extent that 2005's have more material and stuffing than 1988's with similarly ferocious tannic structure, I hope (indeed pray!!) that a higher percentage of them will last and eventually live up to their early promise. However, when even village wines out of small formats are not close to maturity now, I don't think that a clear answer will begin to emerge for another 10 or 15 years. May we all live long and stay patient.

• CAC commented:

  2/3/16, 11:02 AM - That's interesting about the 1988s. The only '88 I recall ever having was a Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques, which I drank in the late 1990s. I thought the wine was fabulous, so subtle and so enjoyable. Memorable for me nearly 20 years later without the aid of a tasting note. Looking back, is there anything you've learned from how the 1988 red Burgundies matured that might shed light on which 2005s might live up to their potential, and which ones will likely see the fruit fade away before the tannins are absorbed? For example, did grand crus do better than premier crus and so forth down the hierarchy, or was success more a matter of the talent of the individual producer? (I do realize I'm asking for generalizations at best.)

• drwine2001 commented:

  2/3/16, 11:38 AM - My sample size is not large enough to know the answer (about 30 notes since 2008). I can only cite some notable successes-Engel Clos Vougeot, Dujac Clos de la Roche, Jadot Bonnes Mares, and Jadot Gevrey Clos St. Jacques. Perhaps none of these are surprising, but I'd be more hesitant to bet on wines made in vintages like these by producers such as Gouges, de Montille (old regimen), and Angerville, who aim for more spare wines even in richer, more fruit-driven years.

• CAC commented:

  2/3/16, 1:38 PM - OK, last question (I promise!): In your experience, would you place any of the following producers in the d'Angerville/Gouges camp of aiming for a more spare style of wine even in a rich vintage: Denis Bachelet, Domaine Bart, Barthod-Noellat, Simon Bize (I imagine you'll say yes to Bize), Sylvain Cathiard, Jerome Chezeaux, Bruno Clavelier, Pierre Damoy, Joseph Drouhin, Sylvie Esmonin, Faiveley, Fourrier, Anne Gros, Harmand-Geoffroy, Hudelot-Noellat, Lafarge, Lamarche, Domaine des Lambrays, Mugneret-Gibourg, JF Mugnier, Nicholas Potel, Rossignol-Trapet, Domaine Trapet.

• drwine2001 commented:

  2/3/16, 2:51 PM - The ones that jump out for me from your list are Bize for sure, Faiveley prior to 2007, and Lafarge, but I have little or no experience with some of these domains.

• CAC commented:

  2/3/16, 2:57 PM - Thank you very much

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