Bouchard Pere & Fils
 2005
Bouchard Beaune Greves Vigne de l'Enfant
Jesus
99.99
"A
distinctly more elegant and higher-toned
nose introduces rich, full, pliant and
refined flavors that possess outstanding
depth on the ripe, balanced, pure and
sublimely harmonious finish. A terrific
Beaune and highly recommended. Sweet spot
Outstanding!"
93AM
Domaine Dujac
|
Louis Seysses, biscuit manufacturer
and gastronome, had a taste for good
food and fine wines. His son Jacques
Seysses quickly came to share his
father's passion, and he decided he
would not only like to drink the
wine but make it as well. With the
help of his father, Jacques began
his career in wine with an
apprenticeship with Gérard Potel at
the Domaine de la Pousse d'Or. He
spent two harvests there during
which time he was lucky enough to
talk and listen to the famous
Burgundian winemakers of the times
whom he greatly admired. In 1967,
he seized the opportunity to
purchase the Domaine Graillet and
renamed it Domaine Dujac. Trying to
blend what he admired in traditional
winemaking with modern techniques,
Jacques went on to refine a style of
his own. Today a new challenge
awaits Dujac: the transition from
one generation to the next. Jacques
is now assisted by his son Jeremy,
who takes part in all the
vinifications as well as
Diana Seysses, Jeremy's wife.
Jacques is carefully putting a
promising future in place with the
same patience and vision which he
has used to make his wines. |
.jpg)
Jeremy Seysses son of
Jacques Seysses - Proprietor &
Winemaker
|
 2005 Morey St. Denis
99.99
"...incense,
bitter-sweet black cherry, musky florality,
a Chartreuse-like aura of herbal
distillates, and wood smoke pungency. In the
mouth, the black cherry and cassis fruit
runs really deep, persistently wreathed in
herbs and flowers, with satisfying hints of
fruit skin bitterness and bitter chocolate
and herb low tones. Already the texture is
silken. The finish - while not overly
candified in character - reminds me of
sucking on fruit and herbal lozenges whose
bittersweet residues cling tenaciously to
the palate. How much better quality can one
ask of a village wine?"
92RP
2005 Chambolle-Musigny
99.99
.jpg) "...offers
smoked meat and generous ripe cherry and
raspberry aromas, its berry flavors then
accented by tart fruit skin and bitter
cherry pit , but displaying little of the
floral dimension possessed by so many other
Dujac wines, and which I would certainly
have anticipated. (But then, perhaps it's
not the terroir, stupid!) Tactile spiciness
and cherry-pit bitterness combine for a
somewhat austere finishing impression, but
this wine's sheer length and purity of fruit
remain formidable, and I suspect it is
simply going through a slightly surly
period."
89RP
"Here the
reduction is much less evident with a lovely
and quite ripe aromatic profile featuring a
mix of red and blue fruits plus violet hints
that lead to refined, rich and beautifully
elegant flavors that are supple and
detailed, all wrapped in a delicious yet
serious finish blessed with ample dry
extract. Recommended. Outstanding!"
88-90AM
Michel Magnien
|
Burgundy is fairly
complicated in many ways. A
complicating issue is the number
of people sharing a last name!
We have already told you about
the incredible wines of "Maison
Frederic Magnien", however,
Frederic is also the winemaker
for his father's winery, Domaine
Michel Magnien. Michel
(Frederic's father) spends his
time in the fields, pruning
mercilessly and maintaining low
yields. Frederic proudly calls
his father "the finest vineyard
worker I have."
Michel Magnien owns 27 acres,
including vineyards within the
grand cru plots of Clos de la
Roche, Clos St. Denis and
Charmes-Chambertin, as well as
premier cru sites and village
parcels in Gevrey-Chambertin,
Morey-St.-Denis and
Chambolle-Musigny. The low
yields and concentrated wines
that are the hallmark of Michel
Magnien wines are due in large
part to Michel's efforts in the
vineyard. This is without a
doubt a fantastic father-and-son
team.
-
Robert A. Sprentall |
2005 Gevrey-Chambertin
39.99
2005 Morey-St.-Denis
39.99
"Mild
reduction can't completely hide the gamy
dark berry fruit aromas where this
sauvage component continues onto the
sweet, vibrant and intensely earthy
medium full flavors that are also
delicious and as Magnien suggests,
possess excellent ripeness on the mouth
coating and firm finish. This isn't
elegant but it is serious."
86-89AM (Additional Scores: 88RP)
"Magnien
lives in Morey so it is no wonder the
village wine of Morey is so good here.
Further, the sweet spot of the vintage
seems very close to Morey: from Clos de
Vougeot north to Gevrey, with Chambolle
and Morey making wines at 110%. This is
a steal; Solid, great length and
depth." 91+ Points
(95 points typicity)
Robert A. Sprentall
2005 Gevrey Chambertin 'Les Seuvrees' 59.99
"A smoky
and highly complex nose of underbrush,
fresh and dense cassis, red berry and
violet notes nuanced by subtle spice
hints that can also be found on the
serious and powerful full-bodied flavors
that display old vine concentration and
superb length. This is flat out stunning
for this level and highly recommended.
Outstanding! Top Value." 90-92AM
"The
Michel Magnien Gevrey-Chambertin 'Les
Seuvrees' is from old vines planted in
'32 and '47, vineyard located below the
Mazi-Chambertin. It is rich, full,
clearly approaching Grand Cru stride.
The regular bottling of Michel's Gevrey
is from vines less than 40 years old in
Souvrees (and not shabby) so the 'Souvrees'
is indeed very old and it smells and
tastes it. This is a sleeper. It is far
superior to the 1er Cru 'Goulots' from
Magnien; different slopes and soils
etc." 92 Points (100 points
typicity) Robert A. Sprentall
2005 Chambolle-Musigny 'Les Fremieres' 59.99
"A
completely different aromatic profile of
upper register red berry fruit and spice
notes include anise and clove leads to
sweet, sappy and mouth coating flavors
that possess admirable concentration and
the structural elements are notably
ripe. This is not as complex as the
Seuvrées but this is still an
exceptionally impressive villages with
terrific length and once again,
recommended. Outstanding!" 89-91AM
"Michel
Magnien Chambolle-Musigny 'Fremieres' is
proof of this "sweet spot". This is
excellent Chambolle certainly in the
league of any 1er Cru other than a great
Amoureuses. Beautiful silky wine yet
great attack and grip." 92
Points (96 points typicity)
2005 Morey St. Denis 1er Cru 'Les
'Millandes'
79.99
"This is
slightly more elegant with strikingly
pretty and pungent red and black cherry,
spice and warm stone notes that have
that subtle saline character to them
that merge into full, ripe and textured
flavors possessing good detail and
excellent precision, all wrapped in an
admirably persistent finish. I
particularly like the mid-palate
concentration as it renders the
structure almost invisible at present
though I suspect this will firm up
quickly once in bottle. Outstanding!"
90-92AM
2005 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 'Les
Sentiers'
89.99
"An even
riper nose featuring red, blue and
violet aromas nuanced by subtle herb and
pepper notes dissolves into textured,
sweet, mouth coating and opulent flavors
that are wonderfully rich and border on
being thick. This is delicious if not as
precise as one might like yet there is
no sense of heaviness. A plush wine that
is forward but should age well over the
mid-term. Outstanding!" 89-92AM
(Additional Scores: 89-92ST)
2005 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 'Les
Cazetiers'
99.99
"A more
complex and serious nose of red and blue
berry fruits, game, smoke, spice,
underbrush and a hint of roast espresso
highlights the rich, full and notably
powerful big-bodied flavors that are
sappy and mouth coating with a chewy but
not aggressive finish. This is actually
quite racy for this appellation with
real verve and underlying tension.
Recommended. Outstanding!"
90-93AM (Additional Scores: 90-93ST,
91RP)
"Michel
Magnien Gevrey 'Cazetiers' is sublime.
This is Grand Cru level here, deep,
rich, banging GC. Extraordinary pedigree
here. Vine age? Which Roosevelt I'm not
sure. The Domaine sells off some of
their production of Cazetiers as they
own a large piece (1/6) so we get
nothing but the crème here." 95
Points (98 points typicity), Robert A.
Sprentall
2005 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
149.99
"Ample
wood spice frames red pinot fruit and
warm earth aromas where the earth
component can also be found on the rich,
fleshy and generous full-bodied flavors
that are textured, concentrated and
culminate in a mocha and plum infused
finish. This is certainly a "statement"
wine with a flair for the dramatic as it
possesses plenty of personality but I
marginally prefer the detail and
delineation of the Cazetiers."
90-92AM (Additional Scores: 90-93ST)
Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg
|
Marie-Andrée Mugneret described
2005 as a "vintage where I have
never seen such good fruit. The
summer wasn't especially hot but
there was really good
luminosity, which contributes to
the superb acid/fruit
balance..." The Mugneret '05s
are wonderful as would be
expected but lots of domaines
made great '05s. Everyone did
not succeed in 2004 however and
it is entirely to the domaine's
credit as to how good their '04s
are. And over the past few
years, I can't think of any
domaine that has performed
better. If you're for whatever
reason not familiar with the
Mugneret wines, you owe it to
yourself to get acquainted, even
with the Bourgogne as it is
consistently one of the very
best in all of Burgundy.
- Allen Meadows,
Burghound.com |
Marie-Andrée and Marie-Christine
"The Mugneret Sisters" |
Click here to see other vintages
available of Mugneret-Gibourg
2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Villages
69.99
"A more
deeply pitched nose of Gevrey earth and
animale nuances adds interest to the
spicy dark berry fruit aromas that
complement the rich, full and muscular
flavors underpinned by dusty tannins and
excellent depth given the young vines.
Easily the best vintage since these
vines came back into production and it's
really quite impressive. Sweet spot
Outstanding!" 90-92AM
2005 Nuits St.Georges 1er Cru "Les
Chaignots"
79.99
"From
barrel, the Mugnerets' 2005
Nuits-St.-Georges Les Chaignots
continues a line of recent successes
from this site (including the 2004, from
the year in which they took back
complete control from tenants). Fresh
blackberry with subtle hints of vanilla
and chalk dust on the nose lead to a
palate nicely counterposing creaminess
of texture with infectious juiciness and
a tart berry edge. The wine finishes
with polish and refinement, its pure
black fruit tinged with spices and
citrus zest and underlain by nut oils
and wet stone. The Mugneret sisters (I
take the liberty of heading this report
with what is about to become their
official, unified domaine name) have
rendered a 2005 collection illustrating
the chiseled-precision, complexity,
refinement and restraint for which their
wines are famous. They were still trying
to coax their Bourgogne through malo at
the time of my visit incidentally, and
it was too gaseous to properly assess
(although it showed very promisingly
pre-malo)." 91-92RP
Maison Nicolas Potel
 "Nicolas
Potel is a notable exemplar of the new breed
of hands-on micro négociants. I suppose
some might argue that he is the reductio ad
absurdum of the micro-approach on the basis
of his seemingly unmanageable number of tiny
(typically 3-5, but sometimes only 1-2
barrel) lots - of which I tasted by no means
all. But one only has to consider his
uniformly superlative results to be in awe
of Potel's accomplishment. There is no
question he taps some extraordinary sources
never subjected to individual bottlings
before he arrived on the scene.
Vinification - over which he has control in
the vast majority of cases - is scrupulously
low-sulfur and this year virtually entirely
with whole clusters. A significant
percentage of the acreage from which Potel
sources - all planted to selections massales,
and a small portion of it under his
ownership - is farmed organically, and in
many cases biodynamically (a trend he
prominently supports)."
Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s, The Wine Advocate,
Issue 171 (June 2007)
2005 Pinot Noir
"Cuvee Gerard"
19.99
2005 Savigny-les-Beaune
- Vieilles Vignes
29.99
Nicolas bought this parcel planted in 1913,
his first vintage was 2004. There is a
superb selection-at-large which lends a fat
and ample character associated with old
vines to this cuvee. Five other parcels,
purchased with the typically strict Potel
nose for quality, have vines 50-70 years.
2005 Volnay
- Vieilles Vignes
39.99
"Moderate reduction makes the nose difficult
to evaluate but the moderately rustic and
full-bodied flavors are frank, rich and
direct, underpinned by rugged if not
aggressive tannins on the supple but
admirably dense finish. This is complex and
the material is impressive..."
87-90AM
2005 Nuits St. Georges
44.99
"A 2005
Nuits-St.-Georges offers alluring aromas of
strawberry and red cherry, comes onto the
palate smooth and polished with abundant
ripe fresh fruit and subtle raw meatiness,
and finishes with satisfying length."
90RP
2005 Pommard "Vignots"
44.99
2005 Beaune "Clos des Vignes Franches"
- 1er Cru
44.99
"This too is
discreetly wooded, framing an expressive and
airy nose that is reserved to the point of
coolness, displaying an earthy mix of red
and black fruit aromas and hints of spice
and leather that can also be found on the
rich, full and decidedly more powerful
flavors that are wrapped around a firm core
of dusty but ripe tannins and excellent
length. This is a serious Beaune and
recommended. Outstanding!"
89-92AM
2005 Clos de Vougeot - Grand Cru
149.99
"Deep ruby. A
strongly reduced nose gives up little but
the well-muscled flavors are big, robust and
very powerful and possess the class young
Clos de Vougeot youthful austerity...this
should reward 10 to 15 years of cellar
time."
91-94AM
2005 Grands Echezeaux - Grand Cru
249.99
"An intense
and expressive nose of subtle wood spice
combines with red pinot and black currant
notes plus almost pungent warm earth notes
that continue onto the big, robust and
sleekly muscled full-bodied flavors that are
linear and more obviously structured on the
cool, fine and pure finish that goes on and
on. Patience will be required but this
should amply reward a decade or more in the
cellar. Don't Miss!"
92-94AM
La Pousse d'Or
 "Today's
owner of Domaine de la Pousse d'Or, Patrick
Landanger (pictured left),
made a sizable fortune as an
electromechanical engineer. He liquidated
all business holdings and in 1997 purchased
one of Burgundy's great jewels. Since then
no expense has been spared and Partrick's
passion and drive will carry this domaine
for many years as the wines continue to
improve. The 2005's are the culmination of a
decade of hard work affirmed by nature. The
history of Pousse d'Or begins in the middle
ages. The existing structure renovated in
the late 18th century on a 16th
century foundation was built over the ruins
of the royal chateau owned by Louis XI,
whose affection for Volnay we all know; the
entire vintage of 1477 was sent to the royal
chateau! With old domaines comes old vines.
For instance, the vines of Clos d'Audignac
(named after the owner at the turn of the
century,1800) were planted in 1966. The
Pommard consists of vines planted: 30% in
1925, 14% in 1962, 5% in1967 and so on.
Pousse d'Or belongs in any serious Burgundy
collection!"
Robert A. Sprentall, B-21 Proprietor
2005 Santenay "Les Gravieres"
44.99
"A somber but
ripe nose of black berry fruits and elegant
hints of violets and spices leads to rich,
fresh and detailed flavors that offer good
depth and balance on the beautifully
balanced finish. This is more than
respectable considering the hail damage in
Santenay."
88AM
2005
Pommard 1er Cru "Les Jarollières"
69.99
 "By contrast, here the intense, elegant,
airy and almost startlingly fresh red berry
fruit nose is expressive to the point of
exuberance as the nose explodes from the
glass with a flourish to reveal delicious,
rich and full yet beautifully delineated and
ultra pure flavors that are focused, linear
and penetrating on the distinctly
mineral-infused finish. This is a really
lovely and sophisticated Pommard that bears
more than a passing resemblance to its
'across the border' Volnay neighbor
Frémiets." 91-93AM
2005 Volnay 1er Cru "Clos l'Audignac"
79.99
"(a vineyard that rarely gets the same
degree of sunlight as the other Volnay 1ers
in the portfolio and thus it can often be
more Pommard than Volnay in character).
Somewhat curiously, the fruit here is both
higher toned and redder than usual plus it's
airier and more refined compared to what I
typically find and though the muscle and
power that one expects shows up in the mouth
as the middle weight plus flavors are sweet,
intense and very firmly structured. While
the refinement of the tannins can't match
those of the Bousse d'Or, this is a lovely
effort in every respect that should repay up
to a decade of cellaring and should drink
well for another."
89-92AM
Domaine Paul
Pernot
 "There
is a southern saying, "his cradle was a
cotton row". For Paul Pernot (pictured
right) it was rows of vines. He is
the "old school" vigneron whose hands bare
testament to his employer. He has come to
know vines and wine from the typical
Burgundian approach; tough, hard work in the
vineyards, informed by the vines and oral
history, all woven into a family tradition.
My visit in April was with his son, also
Paul. In twenty years of visits, that was my
first with Paul Jr. It's nice to know the
family tradition allows a seamless
transition from one generation to the next.
Pernot, located in Puligny-Montrachet is
known for his white wines. His reds can be
very good and great values. I remember well
his 1990 Beaune "Teurons" which was
stunning. (be on the look out for his 2006
whites)
"
Robert A. Sprentall, B-21 Proprietor
2005 Beaune "Reversee"
1er Cru
29.99
"(from 79 year old vines). Somewhat
surprisingly, this is more deeply pitched
with fresh, earthy,
smoky and underbrush suffused aromas that
complement perfectly the rich, full and
sweet flavors that possess excellent depth
and mid-palate concentration on the linear
and moderately austere finish. There is more
depth here than the Teurons has but less
elegance. A choice."
89AM
2005
Pommard "Noizons"
34.99
"A completely backward and reserved nose
that is borderline taciturn at present
though the rich, full and concentrated
flavors are underpinned by a beautifully
intense and well-structured finish that is
classic Pommard in character but not hard or
aggressive. This is a terrific villages and
well worth a look."
91AM
Maison
Frederic Magnien
"Introducing
Frederic Magnien (pictured left).
Burgundy is fairly complicated in many ways.
A complicating issue is the number of people
sharing a last name! In this case it is the
same name, same family, but different
wineries. Frederic is the winemaker for the
family winery, Domaine Michel Magnien.
Michel is Frederic's father. Fredric is also
the wine-making talent at Maison Frederic
Magnien. Conveniently, both are located in
Morey St. Denis. This past April was my
third visit at Maison Fredric Magnien which
takes a few hours as there are literally a
hundred wines to taste if one is willing!
From that tasting we have for our very
first offering a selection of the very best
wines Frederic produced in 2005. These are
wines that articulate the terroirs of
Burgundy and I most highly recommend."
Robert
Sprentall, B-21 Proprietor
2005 Haut Cotes de Nuits 'Genevriere'
24.99 (22.99 btc)
"Here is a contender for the greatest
pinot noir value of the vintage. Fredric
has fashioned a stunning Haut Cotes de
Nuits from 35 year old vines. My notes
from April read "complete", meaning it
has everything in terms of aromatics,
palate feel, length and finish with all
those attributes in balance with one
another. This is a 'tour de force' in
terms of wine making achievement and a
great introduction to the wines of the
talented Fredric Magnien."
89+RAS
2005 Gevrey-Chambertin "Echezeaux"
49.99
2005 Nuits St. Georges Vieilles Vignes
39.99
"A classic Nuits nose combines pungent
iron-infused earth, animale and
underbrush notes at the heart of a mix
of mostly red berry fruit aromas that
precedes rich, full, fleshy and generous
medium full flavors that are sweet and
complex on the concentrated and
beautifully complex finish. This is an
absolutely terrific wine for its level
and recommended. Outstanding!"
89-91AM*
2005 Chambolle-Musigny "Coeur de Pierres"
1er Cru
64.99
"This too is classic Chambolle in
demeanor with high-toned and strikingly
stylish red and black berry fruit aromas
that complement to perfection the
extract of cassis and black cherry that
drenches the palate on the notably but
naturally sweet finish. I like the
generosity here as there is no trace of
heaviness or obviousness. Outstanding!"
89-92AM*
2005 Gevrey-Chambertin "Lavaux St.
Jacques" 1er Cru
69.99
2005 Latricieres-Chambertin - Grand Cru
149.99
"Interestingly, there are distinct notes
of torrefaction and mocha to the
otherwise fresh and mineral suffused
rich, full and quite ripe flavors that
are almost too ripe for my personal
taste yet deliver impressive volume and
finishing power on the remarkably
persistent finish. To be sure, this is a
dramatic wine with quality raw materials
but it's not for me."
90-92AM,
90-92ST*
2005 Chambertin-Clos de Beze - Grand Cru
149.99
 "A
kaleidoscopically broad nose features an
amazing array of spices with an
extremely ripe nose that leads to
brooding full-bodied flavors that are
quite powerful though I was a bit
surprised at the lack of refinement
present. This may very well round out
and the length is certainly dramatic but
I confess to expecting somewhat more
despite the obvious underlying quality
of the raw materials. In sum, excellent
rather than brilliant."
91-93AM*
Domaine Rapet
|
After
taking a year off in 2004 (it was not released because of hail), the
red Clos des Mouches is back and in excellent form with a high-toned
and wonderfully seductive nose of raspberry and strawberry aromas
nuanced by hints of oak, spice and earth that continues on the rich,
sweet and solidly detailed medium full flavors, all wrapped in a
delicious, supple and relatively forward finish supported by buried
tannins. Like the Grèves, this is so well balanced that it should
age effortlessly. 92AM
Chateau
de la Maltroye
"An
expressive and very
ripe black berry
fruit, spice and
earthy nose is
surrounded by a
generous blast of
new oak that
continues onto the
rich, full,
concentrated,
powerful and sweet
flavors that possess
superb mid-palate
density and huge
length. This is an
extremely rich wine
and because of the
influence of the
wood, the detail
that will very
likely come with
time in bottle has
not yet developed.
As such, my score
offers the benefit
of the doubt that
both the finer
detail this wine
generally displays
as well as better
integration of the
wood will arrive as
this ages. Still,
there is terrific
raw material and
this is definitely
built for the long
haul and should
amply reward 15
years or so of
patience."
92-95AM
"The
soft spoken
Dominique Gallois
runs this small 3.5
ha domaine. Gallois
chooses his words
carefully and is not
given to
overstatement yet he
describes 2005 as a
"superb vintage,
indeed I would go so
far as to say that
it was truly a dream
vintage. It was
essentially perfect
from start to finish
and while it was
dry, the vines got
rain exactly when
they needed it and
the crop was
healthy, clean, ripe
and with good if not
really abundant
yields. Really, I
can't say enough
good things about
2005 and to my mind,
it's a great vintage
that we'll be
drinking 30 years
from now."
Allen Meadows,
Burghound.com