2005 Beaune Greves Vignes de l'Enfant Jesus

Good deep red. Captivating aromas of raspberry, mocha, spices and minerals complemented by sexy oak tones. At once suave and serious, with a lush, seamless texture and excellent lift and tang to its red fruit, mineral and spice flavors. Lovely tangy, complex Beaune wine with a weightless quality and a subtle emerging note of leather. The wine's firm, perfectly integrated tannins should ensure an extended life in bottle.

Such is Bouchard’s pride in their 2005 Beaune Greves Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus and the monopole in which it grew, that they presented this wine at the end of my tasting, following even the very tough (or rather, class) act of a Clos de Beze. Raspberry and strawberry preserves, wood smoke, and roasted meats dominate the nose and palate. There is no lack of stuffing, but also a silky texture and impressive refinement, leading to a satisfying finish that slights neither animal, mineral, nor fruit. Managing director Stephane Follin and cellar master Philippe Prost preside over a remarkable new, gravity-fed winemaking facility capable of handling the fruits of Bouchard’s 130 hectares of vines – Burgundy’s largest estate (with 84 hectares in premier and grand crus alone) – not to mention the enormous range of wine from purchased fruit or wines. Fully 40% of the reds are vinified in open-top fermenters with manual punch-downs (the balance in a battery of roto-fermentors) and the system of traffic control alone that must be in place during crush is hard to imagine. The underground acreage devoted to barriques similarly defies imagination – until one sees it. Prost was very cautious with pigeage this year, but incorporated a significant percentage of whole clusters with stems in many of his better lots. A reputation for improved quality is being built here to which the results of 2005 will certainly contribute. I suspect that a number of the wines I tasted had not recovered from their recent bottling, hence the number of “+?”s one sees displayed following my scores. (Wines from the Domaine are designated D on the list above.) Also recommended: 2005 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Lavieres D ($30.00; 86), 2005 Monthelie Les Duresses D ($35.00; 84), 2005 Monthelie Clos des Champs Fulliot D ($35.00; 85), 2005 Beaune 1er Cru “Beaune du Chateau” D ($45.00; 86+?), 2005 Beaune Marconnets ($35.00; 86+?), 2005 Volnay Taillepieds D ($55.00; 85+?), 2005 Pommard 1er Cru ($45.00; 84+?), 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges ($55.00; 85), 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin ($35.00; 86), 2005 Vosne-Romanee ($35.00; 85), 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Porrets St.-Georges ($55.00; 86+?), 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Damodes ($55.00; 86+?). Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY

(Bouchard owns four hectares here) Ruby-tinged red. High-pitched aromas of black cherry, licorice, minerals and menthol. Juicy and precise; in a cooler and somewhat more medicinal style than the Marconnets and Teurons. A sappy wine that finishes with building tannins, notes of licorice and menthol, and good mineral grip. But this is a bit youthfully austere today and in need of time.