2005 Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots

A bit less deep in color than the Chaumes, perhaps simply a matter of the more recent sulfuring. Raspberry, exotic spices and a hint of blood orange on the nose; seems a bit more evolved than the Chaumes. Then suave and silky in the mouth, with lovely delicacy in the middle palate and a slowly mounting finish culminating in a whiplash of flavor. This seems almost ready to bottle.

Lachaux’s 2005 Vosne-Romanee Les Reignots displays aromas of black raspberry preserves and sweet brown spices, with vanilla, smoke and resin notes from the (lone, new) barrel. Effusive inner-mouth florality and continuing concentrated fruit with nutmeg and cocoa powder on the palate lead to a sultry, gentle finish that may grip more after a few week’s rest in bottle. ||Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne (85).||Pascal Lachaux (the late Robert Arnoux’s son-in-law, who has been in charge here now for nearly two decades) had just bottled his 2005 collection – vinified in his superb, recently-completed, gravity-fed facilities – when I visited. Lachaux compares the proper watchword of the winemaker in a vintage with Pinot as healthy and naturally-concentrated as in 2005, to that of a chef confronted with a perfect piece of fish: restraint. That also describes the results he has achieved in bottle, although allowance should be made for the possibility that the expression of certain wines was restrained by their recent bottling.||mporter: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990. Wine Advocate.April, 2007