Popped and poured. At first a bit of a barnyard nose evolving into something more acceptable with air. Medium bodied but still tannic and fairly rustic. Black cherry, earth, and smoke come through. This will continue to develop in that the remaining tannins will integrate but not clear to me this turns into anything special over time.
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Again quite evolved on both nose and palate. Notes of mushrooms, forest floor, spices. On the palate not totally harmonious, lots of acidity, lacking fruit. A little tired and drying. Drink up. 89-91
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Needs major decanting. Initially some VA or Bret type scents that eventually disappated. Dark berry profile with a firm spine. This has improved since a bottle i opened two years ago, and I suspect it may improve further from here.
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classic in all respects and starting to show some of its stuffing offer more pleasure than previous bottles of 05 1ers that were completely locked down, but ultimately this one still never unfurled, like so many 05's to me. Still not ready it seems. Will give the 05 1ers i have more time still.
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Sadness; last bottle felt tired, rusty, oxidized and brownish. Cork seemed fine. Unclear what happened here, but no joy bringing your nose to this glass of wine.
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Very impressive. Dense, structured and muscular, this tasted more like a wine from the CdN than CdB. Smoky, ripe red and blue fruits. Almost new world like upon opening, it slowly evolved beautifully in the glass. There's a very nice underlying minerality and sappiness.
Interesting to taste at this point. The nose is lovely and starting to show some mature notes with forest floor and a bit of leather. There is also still some fruit that is trending toward dried red berries; spice and floral notes linger in the background. The palate is still impressively structured with mouth coating tannins that tighten everything into a compact and short feel in the mouth. I am not sure the '05s will come around given the fact that some of the fruit seems to be fading and the tannins are as robust as ever. I suspect the best wines will and will be epic 50-100 year wines, but I think many of the others will end up remaining overly tannic. At this point given my experiences I'd buy 2009 and 2010 over 2005. Will cont to try to hold some of my other '05s and see what happens.
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Over dinner, no formal notes. On the nose expressive, quite evolved and a little tired. Lovely complexity on the palate, rather soft and very open, earthy, spicy, smooth. Quite mineral with good length. Keep/drink up. 91-93?
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The 2005 Michel Lafarge Beaune Les Aigrots was unbelievably tannic and rigid for a Pinot Noir, this is Pinot Noir on steroids. We can clearly tell from this wine Michel Lafarge wines are traditional in the winemaking, but we did not expect a village Beaune to display the intense structure. Fresh blackberries, cassis, 1999 structure. A strange 2005. (83/100)
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Let me first say that I drank this wine the Sunday night on a weekend in which I drank 94 Rousseau Chambertin on a Friday, and 55 Capellano Barolo on Saturday night. Not easy after that. But it showed great. Wide open aromatically with very pure and fresh aromas that show deep dark fruit, black licorice, something gamy, and a lot of stone. A compelling and pretty nose. The palate is entirely balanced and well composed - this is a very well made wine. Aromas carry through to the palate, where richly fruited flavors are complex and detailed. The thing abut drinking this after Chambertin is that I can better appreciate where this wine is good and also where it has limitations. This is a great Beaune. It is a delicious and satisfying wine.
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Dinner at Andrew's place: Blackberries, dark chocolate and black spices on bouquet. Also dark fruit, black soil and some iron, at the core, on palate. Firm but reasonably fine grained tannins. A lot of structure here but, still, reasonably accessible on the night. I was surprised, on the reveal, that the wine was a 2005, as it was relatively open. Ideally, I'd still give it 5+ more years.
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A Mixed Bag of Frenchies and Italians (Heirloom, St.Paul, MN): Dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Sour cherry, pretty nose with subtle earth. The palate is medium plus bodied, cherry, wood, some heat, nice tannins and overall structure, loam, firm tannins.
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Love this; came in considerably on the upside of expectations. Aromatics off the charts -- brings it all, really. Really smooth on the palate. Initial tannins a bit abrupt (though tame), but smooth out as the bottle opens -- loaded with character, and really well-balanced on the overall. Likely better in 5 years, but hard to argue with it now.
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This shows a very fine, somewhat still primary and shy nose, with meat, deep dark fruits, touch of herbs and dark earthy spices. Palate shows earth and cherries with some fat raspberries. Good length and body. Touch bitterness present. Young. Fine Beaune 1:er Cru. (87 – 89)
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Very approachable now with a pleasant round sweetness, light red spicy fruits; soft for a Beaune. Very slightly rustic. Gentle, slightly woody tannins at the finish don't take anything away but suggest 3-5 years of further improvement. Unlike other tasters I didn't find the wine overly acidic or tightly wound. I would score this higher (90-91) on the flavor profile and elegance but found it so light that it was borderline diluted.
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This Lafarge was more open in on release with bottle shock then it is now. I came back to it 3-4 times in a 3 day period and it was wound tighter then a drum. Not sure if it will ever unwind. This may be the case for many of the 05 V and PC wines.
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Closed so tightly, far more so than when I last tasted it a few years back. And all the king's horses, and all the king's men, and even 3+ hrs in a wide-mouthed decanter couldn't open it up again. I'll have a grey beard by the time this is ready. Geez, still a bit like a shut down Morgon or Fleurie.
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As to evolution in relation to previous tasters, this wine is in no way too tart or acid on the palate in its finish. The acid is lovely at this point. After an hour open, I feel this wine firmly in its drinking window, with a long ways to go. Gorgeous! Juicy, plush texture...opens in a half hour into a lovely juicy, sappy, rusty Pinot, with a touch of that trademark bright high-toned, saliva inducing, smiling fruit that I expect in a Beaune. Just the right amount of rusty sap, balanced by a juicy acid--an effect that I love. Hadn't tasted this since the 2003 Louis Jadot Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru "Clos St. Jacques" that Mike opened last Burgundy dinner night. The fruity acid's lightness and lift makes that sap tolerable. On some level, it's not unlike a lovely, honest ballerina, gracefully prancing on top of a jumbo jet liner. Beautiful aromatics of soap, sweet rum raisin cake, Play Doh, and high toned floral spikes on the aromatics at the end of an empty glass, beckoning you to refill. Just magic drinking this wine next to the fresh Christmas tree.
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Drank over two days, leaving corked in the refrigerator overnight. On night 2, deep nose of dark red fruits and earth. Long, mouthcoating finish. The tannins and alcohol are a touch too noticeable on the finish, but a very nice bottle of wine, esp. for the price. Given night 2 vs night 1 (very primary and tannic), I'd recommend waiting on bottles of this.
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nose: very cool and laid back nose with nicely balanced tones of red fruits, bits of earth, dark spices, and raspberries. It takes a bit to open up, but once it does, it takes on a perfumed quality
taste: medium/high acidity almost makes this bracing, and there is a tightness to it with earth tones, dark spices, and raspberries. Good lighter feel
overall: right now this is a wine that would work great with food. Some time sideways will help smooth it out and let the aromatics really get going. A good amount of promise and very much a baby at this time, but should really blossom in a few years
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12/31/2023 - mclanew wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. At first a bit of a barnyard nose evolving into something more acceptable with air. Medium bodied but still tannic and fairly rustic. Black cherry, earth, and smoke come through. This will continue to develop in that the remaining tannins will integrate but not clear to me this turns into anything special over time.
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11/24/2023 - sdchevs wrote:
Both bottles checked at wine Committee OXIDIZED
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10/9/2023 - rossi.wine wrote: 90 Points
Again quite evolved on both nose and palate. Notes of mushrooms, forest floor, spices. On the palate not totally harmonious, lots of acidity, lacking fruit. A little tired and drying. Drink up. 89-91
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6/25/2023 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Needs major decanting. Initially some VA or Bret type scents that eventually disappated. Dark berry profile with a firm spine. This has improved since a bottle i opened two years ago, and I suspect it may improve further from here.
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11/27/2022 - Vintage82 wrote:
classic in all respects and starting to show some of its stuffing offer more pleasure than previous bottles of 05 1ers that were completely locked down, but ultimately this one still never unfurled, like so many 05's to me. Still not ready it seems. Will give the 05 1ers i have more time still.
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11/28/2021 - Vintage82 wrote:
lovely deep red color. clean as a whistle with some fine tannin. ultimately shower tight and unforgiving in the 2 hrs or so it was open. hold.
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11/7/2021 - Gargantua wrote: flawed
Sadness; last bottle felt tired, rusty, oxidized and brownish. Cork seemed fine. Unclear what happened here, but no joy bringing your nose to this glass of wine.
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7/17/2021 - french16 wrote:
Very impressive. Dense, structured and muscular, this tasted more like a wine from the CdN than CdB.
Smoky, ripe red and blue fruits. Almost new world like upon opening, it slowly evolved beautifully in the glass. There's a very nice underlying minerality and sappiness.
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5/24/2020 - MauriceE Likes this wine:
Good wine, 2005 finally opening up, but still no hurry.
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2/17/2020 - jnewman77 wrote:
Interesting to taste at this point. The nose is lovely and starting to show some mature notes with forest floor and a bit of leather. There is also still some fruit that is trending toward dried red berries; spice and floral notes linger in the background. The palate is still impressively structured with mouth coating tannins that tighten everything into a compact and short feel in the mouth. I am not sure the '05s will come around given the fact that some of the fruit seems to be fading and the tannins are as robust as ever. I suspect the best wines will and will be epic 50-100 year wines, but I think many of the others will end up remaining overly tannic. At this point given my experiences I'd buy 2009 and 2010 over 2005. Will cont to try to hold some of my other '05s and see what happens.
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8/31/2019 - rossi.wine wrote:
Over dinner, no formal notes. On the nose expressive, quite evolved and a little tired. Lovely complexity on the palate, rather soft and very open, earthy, spicy, smooth. Quite mineral with good length. Keep/drink up. 91-93?
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8/22/2019 - Jammy Wine wrote: 83 Points
The 2005 Michel Lafarge Beaune Les Aigrots was unbelievably tannic and rigid for a Pinot Noir, this is Pinot Noir on steroids. We can clearly tell from this wine Michel Lafarge wines are traditional in the winemaking, but we did not expect a village Beaune to display the intense structure. Fresh blackberries, cassis, 1999 structure. A strange 2005. (83/100)
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6/11/2017 - sdchevs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mid-ruby; big fruity Pinot nose; black fruit; a little wood, earth; mid-body; tight tannins; hard finish; good flavor, though; needs time.
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4/30/2017 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
Let me first say that I drank this wine the Sunday night on a weekend in which I drank 94 Rousseau Chambertin on a Friday, and 55 Capellano Barolo on Saturday night. Not easy after that. But it showed great. Wide open aromatically with very pure and fresh aromas that show deep dark fruit, black licorice, something gamy, and a lot of stone. A compelling and pretty nose. The palate is entirely balanced and well composed - this is a very well made wine. Aromas carry through to the palate, where richly fruited flavors are complex and detailed. The thing abut drinking this after Chambertin is that I can better appreciate where this wine is good and also where it has limitations. This is a great Beaune. It is a delicious and satisfying wine.
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1/1/2017 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
Dinner at Andrew's place: Blackberries, dark chocolate and black spices on bouquet. Also dark fruit, black soil and some iron, at the core, on palate. Firm but reasonably fine grained tannins. A lot of structure here but, still, reasonably accessible on the night. I was surprised, on the reveal, that the wine was a 2005, as it was relatively open. Ideally, I'd still give it 5+ more years.
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4/7/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 89 Points
A Mixed Bag of Frenchies and Italians (Heirloom, St.Paul, MN): Dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Sour cherry, pretty nose with subtle earth. The palate is medium plus bodied, cherry, wood, some heat, nice tannins and overall structure, loam, firm tannins.
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9/17/2015 - Sycamore Likes this wine: 92 Points
Love this; came in considerably on the upside of expectations. Aromatics off the charts -- brings it all, really. Really smooth on the palate. Initial tannins a bit abrupt (though tame), but smooth out as the bottle opens -- loaded with character, and really well-balanced on the overall. Likely better in 5 years, but hard to argue with it now.
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4/16/2015 - Ramberg wrote: 87 Points
This shows a very fine, somewhat still primary and shy nose, with meat, deep dark fruits, touch of herbs and dark earthy spices.
Palate shows earth and cherries with some fat raspberries.
Good length and body.
Touch bitterness present.
Young.
Fine Beaune 1:er Cru.
(87 – 89)
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4/3/2015 - ccn wrote: 89 Points
Very approachable now with a pleasant round sweetness, light red spicy fruits; soft for a Beaune. Very slightly rustic. Gentle, slightly woody tannins at the finish don't take anything away but suggest 3-5 years of further improvement. Unlike other tasters I didn't find the wine overly acidic or tightly wound. I would score this higher (90-91) on the flavor profile and elegance but found it so light that it was borderline diluted.
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11/15/2013 - Japesurf wrote: 88 Points
This Lafarge was more open in on release with bottle shock then it is now. I came back to it 3-4 times in a 3 day period and it was wound tighter then a drum. Not sure if it will ever unwind. This may be the case for many of the 05 V and PC wines.
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4/13/2013 - Gargantua wrote:
Closed so tightly, far more so than when I last tasted it a few years back. And all the king's horses, and all the king's men, and even 3+ hrs in a wide-mouthed decanter couldn't open it up again. I'll have a grey beard by the time this is ready. Geez, still a bit like a shut down Morgon or Fleurie.
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10/9/2012 - PhDP wrote:
Domaine Michel Lafarge (groupe du mardi, chez Vincent Lagneaux): note moyenne du groupe: 14,5/20
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12/4/2010 - Gargantua wrote: 93 Points
As to evolution in relation to previous tasters, this wine is in no way too tart or acid on the palate in its finish. The acid is lovely at this point. After an hour open, I feel this wine firmly in its drinking window, with a long ways to go. Gorgeous! Juicy, plush texture...opens in a half hour into a lovely juicy, sappy, rusty Pinot, with a touch of that trademark bright high-toned, saliva inducing, smiling fruit that I expect in a Beaune. Just the right amount of rusty sap, balanced by a juicy acid--an effect that I love. Hadn't tasted this since the 2003 Louis Jadot Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru "Clos St. Jacques" that Mike opened last Burgundy dinner night. The fruity acid's lightness and lift makes that sap tolerable. On some level, it's not unlike a lovely, honest ballerina, gracefully prancing on top of a jumbo jet liner. Beautiful aromatics of soap, sweet rum raisin cake, Play Doh, and high toned floral spikes on the aromatics at the end of an empty glass, beckoning you to refill. Just magic drinking this wine next to the fresh Christmas tree.
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4/22/2010 - jlemerond wrote: 88 Points
Still very primary, but good depth of fruit and bright acidity. The alcohol is a little out of balance, but a great qpr. Long, mouthcoating finish.
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12/8/2009 - jlemerond wrote: 89 Points
Drank over two days, leaving corked in the refrigerator overnight. On night 2, deep nose of dark red fruits and earth. Long, mouthcoating finish. The tannins and alcohol are a touch too noticeable on the finish, but a very nice bottle of wine, esp. for the price. Given night 2 vs night 1 (very primary and tannic), I'd recommend waiting on bottles of this.
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2/17/2009 - Claudio161 wrote: 90 Points
House of Glunz - A Fine Tasting of Burgundy (Old Town, Chicago, IL. Near the Northwest corner of Wells and Division Streets): Nose: Initial presentation included some burgundian funk notes with some earthiness. More cherry notes than other burgs this evening - but there still is ample raspberry as well. Some sap/wood notes as well.
Taste: Great on and accross the palate, the one major fault was that it was slightly too dry on the finish for my taste - otherwise a nice show.
Overall: 89-91 points.
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2/17/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 88 Points
nose: very cool and laid back nose with nicely balanced tones of red fruits, bits of earth, dark spices, and raspberries. It takes a bit to open up, but once it does, it takes on a perfumed quality
taste: medium/high acidity almost makes this bracing, and there is a tightness to it with earth tones, dark spices, and raspberries. Good lighter feel
overall: right now this is a wine that would work great with food. Some time sideways will help smooth it out and let the aromatics really get going. A good amount of promise and very much a baby at this time, but should really blossom in a few years
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