Uncorked DK tasting: 2005 Burgundy
Karlebo Kro
Tasted February 29, 2008 by gorm with 1,741 views
Introduction
Last friday our tasting group gathered for a long awaited tasting of Burgundy 2005 which I hosted at Karlebo Kro in the Northen Sealand, Denmark. We were 9 people and as we started lots of questions were in the air: is the vintage as great as it is said to be, will the wines be difficult and closed or will be be able to gain an insight into their qualities or maybe even get some pleasure from drinking them?
The settings were perfect, the food absolutely great, the company in good mood, and most importantly: the wines were drinking absolutely beautiful. While planning this event literally dozens of people have been lamenting how sad it would be to drink these wines this young. While I can understand that point of view I have to say that almost every wine did the trick in spite of their youth. And well, somebody has to take one (or a few more) for the team...
I had a previous thread concerning decanting. In the end I did like this: all wines were opened 4 hours before the tasting, double-decanted, kept in bottle and then decanted again 30-45 minutes before serving.
All wines were served single-blind (list known, but not serving order) except the Dom Perignon, Becker Tafelwine, Vogue Musigny and Krohn Colheita, which were served double-blind.
All reds were very dark in color.
Now on to the wines...
Flight 1 - Flight 1 - Champagne (1 note)
As always when serving 20+ years old wines I was very worried about whether it would perform. It did great!
White - Sparkling
1982 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
France, Champagne
Nice golden sherry color. Delicious nose of mature fruit, honey, freshly baked wheatbread, candied orange peel and rye bread. Fat, yet fresh mouthfeel. Good mousse too. Still seemed young and more potential. Most group members thought this to be at least 10 years younger. Group average: 94.5.
Flight 2 - Flight 2 - Whites (2 notes)
White
2005 J.M. Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Light yellow. Lots of youthful lemon and some oak on the nose. Nice fat mouthfeel, youthfully tight fruit and loads of toasted wood. Delicious and pleasing in spite of its youth. Group average: 92.8.
White
2005 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Light yellow. A somewhat shy nose. In the mouth this is tightly composed with a vibrant structure and immense minerality. This is intensity married to elegance - a virtual ballerina. Some sweetness from the oak lingers on and on in the very long aftertaste. A truly great white! Group average: 95.
Flight 3 - Flight 3 - Vosne-Romanee Village and 1er Cru (2 notes)
These two are both pretty modern in style, but they showed beautifully and made a strong opening for the reds. The Confuron was really amazing.
Red
2005 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée La Colombiere
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Very dark and concentrated red. Sweet nose of strawberries and caramel from the wood in combination with some spicyness. In the mouth this is intense with good acid, but it also comes across as a bit closed, or perhaps just dominated from excessive use of wood? Medium aftertaste. Group average: 91.8.
Red
2005 Jean-Jacques Confuron Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Nose is a bit shy at first, but the wine eventually reveals loads of asian spices, even chili, underbrush and soy. In the mouth this is wonderfully intense and spicy, but also very acidic and a bit austere. A wine with a great potential. Group average: 92.8.
Flight 4 - Flight 4 - Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (2 notes)
After the previous flight these wines really came across as charming and seducing. I just love chambolle!
Red
2005 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Insanely beautiful nose - I mean really seducing - with loads of sweet charming cherries, hints of flowers and brown sugar. In the mouth this is very pure, intense, long and elegant. A real charmer that everybody at the table fell in love with. Group average: 93.2.
Red
2005 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
A very intense and warm nose of kirsch and some spicyness lurking beneath. In the mouth this has terrific grip and fine tannins, but yet has a good lightness to it. almost like a barolo in its build. A wine of great potential! Group average: 93.2.
Flight 5 - Flight 5 - Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (2 notes)
Following the chambolles these wines appeared very "serious".
Red
2005 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
The lightest colored red of the evening. Very dense nose of dark cherries, pine needles and forrest floor. In the mouth this comes across as tannic, yet beautifully balanced. Very delicious and a sweet spot wine for many in the group. Group average: 93.1.
Red
2005 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
This had an instantly impressive nose of dark fruit, soy and cool mint. In the mouth this is wild, going in multiple directions and filling out every corner. A very serious wine, definitely more grand cru than premier cru in composition. But also a wine that, for the time being, is more impressive than pleasing. But what potential..! Group average: 94.1.
Flight 6 - Flight 6 - Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru - "The Biker and the Slut" (2 notes)
I pitched these against each other as they are both somewhat modern in style, a bit controversial and because I have heard that Leclerc considers Mortets wines to be "slutty". If Mortets wine are "slutty" (and it were indeed) then Leclercs wine were a brutal "biker".
Red
2005 Philippe Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Intriguing nose of wild forrest fruit jam and motor oil! In the mouth this is very concentrated with wild fruit, but also with some good acid. Sadly enough this is also very tannic and with an immense amount of oak. Right now this does not quite balance or integrate, but maybe it will with time. There sure are plenty of stuff crammed into this bottle. Group average: 89.1.
Red
2005 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Very intense and linear nose of cherries and blackcurrant - I am certain that I would have guessed for overseas Shiraz or Cabernet if I've had this one blind. In the mouth this is smooth, pure and intense with more sweet cherry and blackcurrant jam. Eventually a lot of oak becomes evident as well. While this is very atypical, it is in fact very pleasing, but also a bit simple. A wine that it is difficult to make up your mind about. Group average: 91.4.
Flight 7 - Flight 7 - Clos Vougeot (2 notes)
A classic Clos Vougeot and a favourite of mine (Meo) pitched against what is possibly the smartest buy in clos Vougeot.
Red
2005 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A truly delicious nose of soy, smoked meat and dark berries. Nicely build - clean, lush, long and with good structure. Just seems poised at all levels, yet immediately seducing. Actually very similar to the 04 version, perhaps with just a bit more longivity to it. Group average: 94.4.
Red
2005 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A pleasing "teriyaki"-nose (that special fat and spicy japanese soy) with underlying dark berries. In the mouth this is a long, concentrated brooding monster, which instantly had everybody guessing for an overseas wine. Even though this is a bit atypical I find it very impressive as well. Group average: 93.2.
Flight 8 - Flight 8 - Vosne Grand Crus and a joker (3 notes)
Two classic grand crus and a joker, which has been elected as the greatest red wine from Germany for 5 years in a row. While the german were clearly not burgundian it was great. It was also blown away by the other twos, of which I will always remember the Grivot Richebourg, it is just so intriguing.
Red
2005 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Broad and whole soy-nose with dark, dense and seducing fruit, smoke and meat. In the mouth this is again broad, round, very intense, very long and just incredibly delicious. The fruit seems almost too perfect. It also seems amazing that a 05 grand cru can perform this well young. Group average: 95.6.
Red
2005 Friedrich Becker Pinot Noir Tafelwein
Germany, Pfalz
A very very sweet nose of coconut, glue, wild strawberries and milky chocolate. This was so different that everybody instantly identified it as being a joker. In the mouth it is also very sweet and very fat. But these impressions are balanced by some herbal and iron notes which ultimately keeps the sweetness in check. This is very delicious! But not burgundian in style, or german, or anything else for that matter. A wine all its own. Seems almost like a hypothetical blend of 20% d'Yquem and 80% spätburgunder. Group average: 93.7.
Red
2005 Domaine Jean Grivot Richebourg
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
A somewhat hesitant, yet very complex nose of raspberries, herbal tea and earthy dust. In the mouth this is very intense, yet light and tightly wound. Probably the most closed wine of the night, yet intellectually seducing. Those dried dusty herbs are just so piquant. This has great potential. Group average: 96.
Flight 9 - Flight 9 - Gevrey Grand Crus (2 notes)
Lucien le Moine has gotten a lot of attention lately and judging from this - deservedly so. However the Rousseau Chambertin was just plain and simple the best pinot noir that I have ever had! What an amazing wine!
Red
2005 Lucien Le Moine Mazis-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
On the nose raspberries with impressive sweetness and spicy wood. In the mouth this is clearly marked by a heavy dose of wood, but it seems almost seamlessly integrated. This was the second most concentrated wine of the night (after Clos de Tart) and very long. When this finally comes all the way around it will be remarkable. Group average: 95.2.
Red
2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
When I opened this earlier in the day it had an 100 points nose, just immensely complex and intense at the same time. 8 hours later it had turned the volume a bit down, but it was still remarkable: soy, freshly digged farm vegetables, smoke, hung meat and licorice. In the mouth perfect fruit seamlessly integrated with ultrafine tannins. Endless aftertaste. I'm in love. Group average: 97.3.
Flight 10 - Flight 10 - Clos de Tart and Vogüé Musigny (2 notes)
Best buy of the evening and the most expensive wine of the evening. Both legends in the making.
Red
2005 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru
Tight nose of extremely dark fruits. In the mouth this is tight, yet intense, with a high level of acidity and frightingly dark and concentrated fruit. Also minerals that seems to cut like a bullit. Still seems to hold everything in balance. Probably a bit closed, but what a beast. Best "value" of the evening. Group average: 96.1.
Red
2005 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Let me state at once: this wine was very difficult for me to evaluate. My head was spinning from the previous wines and my expectations were extremely high (nothing less than 100 points would do the trick). Well, on to the wine...
Incredibly intense nose of ethereal cherries and hints of coconut. Extremely pure and concentrated, this was not just "perfumed", it was more like an actual eau de perfume. In the mouth the intensity continues. Extreme aftertaste. But while the structure, feel and intensity seems out of this world the actual flavor at this point is a bit simple. This keeps we wavering between being blown away by the build and disappointed by the flavor. My rating is a compromise. Group average: 95.5.
Flight 11 - Flight 11 - Dessert Wine (1 note)
Red - Fortified
1968 Krohn Porto Colheita
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Light transparent brown. Sweet nose of raisins, chocolate and plum. In the mouth this is sweet, warm, yet light and pleasing. Group average: 92.7.
Closing
There is absolutely no doubt that 2005 is a vintage that is truly remarkable. All of these wines were dark colored, dense, intense, concentrated, pure, yet also complex and seducing across producer styles and different terroirs. In a time where one great vintage seems to follow another in many regions this is not only great, it is legendary.
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