2005 Meursault Rougeots

My love affair with Jean-François Coche's superb 2005 Meursault Les Rougeots continues, and every time I taste this wine, I think I have underrated it. Opening in the glass with lovely aromas of pears, buttered toast, citrus oil, sesame and flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, succulent acids and chalky structuring extract, concluding with a long and mineral finish. This is always a great cuvée, but in 2005, something special happened here.

First bottle: Deep gold with a hit of orange. Intense with masses of density. Lots to chew on. Very savoury rather than charming. A little heavy. Lack of acidity. No lack of weight! Not very expressive at the moment. Big butterscotch note. And then dried out on the finish. Marc Robelin, Roanne ringleader, tasted it recently and it was fabulous apparently. A problem bottle? A little oxidation. Shame! With no remark or word, Edmond Asseily of Lebanon left the table to find another bottle in his Paris flat round the corner. This was the only vintage Robert Vifian couldn’t find in his cellar so he exchanged with a friend. That’s the explanation for this poor showing perhaps. Second bottle : Really exciting with good density. Rich, yet heavy and rewarding for the long term. Very dramatic with lots still to give. The score is for this second bottle. (JR)