A Couple of '05 Cote de Beaunes

I only tasted about half of the line up that was offered today, but these were of most interest to me. The more I taste '05 Burgundy, the more I admire those wines that manage to retain some delicacy and lightness in the face of the ripeness and concentration that the vintage allowed. In this regard, these wines spanned the spectrum of size and weight, and my favorite (for near term pleasure, anyway) was a village wine, not one of the Premier Crus.

• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  Deep and dark. Sweaty, tannic smelling dark fruit. In the mouth, highly extracted, fairly large scaled and black fruit all the way. Tart with a real hole in the mid-palate before the tannins kick in. This did develop some redder fruit and more flesh, but in the end still came across as harsh.

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• 2005 Joseph Drouhin Volnay

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay

  Medium center with lighter edges. Tangy raspberry nose (think Chambolle). Light on its feet due to great acidity, some tannins, and a long earthy finish. Very Volnay and very Drouhin in style. Tremendous example of village Volnay. I liked this a lot.

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• 2005 Nicolas Rossignol Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Medium to dark ruby. Reduction and anise on the nose. Big, lush, syrupy feel-positively chewy and liqueur-like. Essence of Pinot. Undeveloped fruit, long tannic finish, but could use more acidity. This is a beast that hits you like a sledgehammer when tasted right after the delicate Drouhin Volnay. Reminiscent of old time Burgundy with very impressive material yet no sense of being overextracted. Who knows where it is going, though. I find it difficult to read whether it will turn out to be titanic or a poorly balanced, flabby dud.

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• 2005 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Santenots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Medium red. Briary Savigny-like nose with black licorice. Lovely weight with blueberry fruit and spice with acid more than tannin providing the focus. Complete and again, very Volnay, but it is not clearly better than the Drouhin village wine, and I actually prefer the finish of that wine.

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• 2005 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Medium red with light edge. Some sour pickle barrel wood upfront, but more pure red berries come up with air. The wood is not nearly as prominent on the palate, thankfully. Evergreen adds complexity to the fruit, and the feel is much more airy and elegant than the Rossignol Clos du Roy. This clearly needs time but could be really good if it absorbs the wood which is currently sticking out.

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