2005 Clos Vougeot

The finished 2005 Clos Vougeot offers surprisingly candied black raspberry and cherry aromas, with floral, carnal and mineral notes largely overwhelmed by the sheer sweetness of perfume. Formidably dense and mouth filling, it is possessed of considerable tannic chew yet persistent sweetness. Cedary, smoky, and toasty notes emerge in the finish, and suggestions of meat and stone manage to assert themselves as well. I suspect this wine will harden not too long after bottling even if a lot of superficial sweetness remains. Certainly it can scarcely be faulted for sheer concentration, although I prefer the extra measure of transparency in the Corton. Nearly all bottlings from this negociant – on an upward path since the influx of Rodet capital in the early ‘90s – in fact originate in the Domaine Jacques Prieur. Martin Prieur and his team have striven to capture purity of fruit through gentle extraction, although for my taste I found some of their 2005s overly confectionary due to the influence of toasty new wood on already very sweetly ripe raw material. After malo – which was generally quite late here this year – the wines were sulfured but not yet racked. Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700.

Good bright red-ruby. Very closed, primary aromas of black cherry, mint and minerals, with a hint of peppery spice that comes from vinification with 5% whole clusters (the rest of the fruit was destemmed but not crushed). Sweet, lush and stuffed with ripe black fruit and mineral flavors. There's nothing hard about this Clos Vougeot, despite the late end to its malolactic fermentation. A violet note contributes to the impression of finesse. Broad, dusty tannins arrive late.

The finished 2005 Clos Vougeot offers surprisingly candied black raspberry and cherry aromas, with floral, carnal and mineral notes largely overwhelmed by the sheer sweetness of perfume. Formidably dense and mouth filling, it is possessed of considerable tannic chew yet persistent sweetness. Cedary, smoky, and toasty notes emerge in the finish, and suggestions of meat and stone manage to assert themselves as well. I suspect this wine will harden not too long after bottling even if a lot of superficial sweetness remains. Certainly it can scarcely be faulted for sheer concentration, although I prefer the extra measure of transparency in the Corton. Jun 2007, www.robertparker.com