The wines of Gevrey-Chambertin are among the best in Burgundy's Côte d'Or region.
2005 Burgundy Barrel Tasting
A preview of this monumental year finds ripe, fleshy reds that show terroir in spades, plus high quality whites
Bruce Sanderson
Posted: Friday, March 02, 2007
The quality of the 2005 vintage for red Burgundy is stupendous. It is simply the best young vintage I have tasted in my 17 years working in the wine business. While the wines are still resting in bottle or barrel in Burgundy cellars, I urge you to place your pre-arrival orders with fine-wine retailers to claim a share of this treasure trove.
The 2005 red Burgundies are ripe, vibrant and balanced, especially the tannins. The wines have a juicy, fleshy midpalate—what I call sappiness—and the flavors are long. Better still, the wines reflect their individual terroirs. The high quality is remarkably consistent across all appellations, from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy.
Based on my recent visits and tastings in the region, I give the vintage a preliminary rating of 95 to 100 points, or classic, on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale.
In late January and early February, I visited more than 30 top domaines and négociants, tasting more than 500 wines. (While I was there, I chronicled my tastings in numerous blogs; I also wrote a preliminary report based on my visit last June.) There wasn't a bad wine in the lot. I tasted the wines non-blind, in either the cellars or offices of the domaines and négociants. Although some wines were bottled, the majority were barrel samples and not finished wines. In my accompanying cellar notes, I have used a score range to indicate potential quality.
"We have never seen this complexity and purity in Pinot Noir," said Nadine Gublin, enologist at Domaine Jacques Prieur. "It's hard to speak of perfection, because that's impossible, but for me, [2005] is the most perfect expression of Pinot Noir. 2005 has the color of 1990, the ripeness of 2003 and the purity of 2002."
The whites are very attractive also, with ripeness and opulence. A mid-July hailstorm hit Chassagne-Montrachet, reducing the crop, but the wines from these crus tend to be more concentrated. (When yields are reduced, the remaining berries are able to achieve added ripeness.) The wines from Puligny-Montrachet show the district's typical finesse, and I also tasted some delicious wines from St.-Aubin and Corton-Charlemagne.
But the reds are the story in 2005.
Unfortunately, the '05s will be expensive due to strong demand and the weak dollar. Plus, prices at the source, for négociants buying grapes or wine, are 30 percent to 45 percent higher. For example, Mommessin's 2005 Clos de Tart, a grand cru from Morey-St.-Denis, costs 50 percent to 75 percent more than the 2003, based on pre-arrival offerings, even though there will be about 30 percent more wine available compared to the earlier vintage.
Mark Lartigau, director of European estates for importer Diageo Château and Estate Wines, expects the prices from their growers to increase 5 percent to10 percent for the whites, 10 percent to15 percent for the village wines and premiers crus and 20 percent or more for the grands crus "That will be reflected in the retail prices here in the United States," he added.
Martine Saunier, a West Coast-based importer, reports that prices from her growers are "very uneven," ranging from no change to increases of as much as 40 percent.
"The demand is extraordinary, unlike any vintage I've seen in 20 years in the business," said Geri Tashjian, owner of the specialty retailer Burgundy Wine Company in New York. "We have long-term clients and people we don't even know calling to be put on the mailing list for the 2005s."
That makes the less famous appellations more appealing. You can purchase Bourgogne and appellations like Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits-Villages, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Santenay and Marsannay with confidence.
What made the 2005 vintage was excellent weather throughout the growing season. If anything, it was a bit dry, but there was enough rain at the right times and, most importantly, yields were not too high. "Like so much in '05, the yields were just right," explains Jeremy Seysses, whose Domaine Dujac and Dujac Fils & Père vineyards averaged about 2.5 tons per acre.
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| David Croix of Camille Giroud |
The only cautionary note concerned the drought. "I've been careful with the extraction because of the drought," said David Croix, winemaker at négociant Camille Giroud. "I was thinking of '76, which had dry tannins, so I was softer in extraction." Indeed, the '05s have plenty of tannins, but the ripeness is also there. "The maturity of the tannins in 2005 reds was fantastic," added Saouma.
Many vintners compare 2005 with 2002, but feel the more recent year has an extra dimension. "2002 was made in September," Croix said. "2005 was made all season. To me, that's the difference between a very good and a great vintage."
The best 2005s will age well, if Burgundy lovers can hang on to them. They are wines of finesse and balance, with detailed flavors and length. But they are not blockbusters in the sense of volume and power, like the 2003s.
"I'm a little concerned about people's image of 2005," reflected Christophe Roumier, owner of Domaine G. Roumier. "It's not what they think. The wines are not big and rich, they are very classic, you see it in the range of aromas and flavors, with long aging potential."
Regardless, fans of Pinot around the world will be clamoring for their favorite 2005s. Twenty years from now, we will be better able to assess where this vintage stands among Burgundy's greats.
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