2005 Nuits St Georges Les St Georges

Forey’s 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges Les St.-Georges (from 72-year-old vines) offers a strikingly deep color and meaty depth of flavor. Notes of violet, salty mineral and soy-like suggestions impinge on aromas and flavors of plum, blackberry and chocolate. The palate impression is rich and expansive, the abundant tannins fine-grained, and the finish terrifically long but subtly low-toned, with chocolate, dark fruits, roasted meat and stone. This should gain further stature over 7-10 years in the bottle. At the time of my visit, Regis Forey had only recently (with one exception noted below) bottled his 2005s – unfiltered, and with very low levels of sulfur. These are a profoundly-satisfying, and ageworthy group of wines, but not at all showy. Forey was not timid with extraction when it came to this vintage; on the other hand he was one of several growers who told me he had recently lightened up on the use of new wood, and one of several to employ a significant number of 500 liter (double barrique) barrels to diminish the stave surface to wine volume ratio and enhance freshness. Forey’s line-up has been significantly enhanced in recent years by rental agreements. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

Bright, saturated ruby-red. Slightly reduced, distinctly black aromas of dark berries and bitter chocolate, with a hint of confiture. Broad and superripe in the mouth; today this comes across as more massive and a bit heavier than the Perrieres. This really saturates the palate with black cherry and ripe chocolate flavor but today it's more imposing than elegant. Finishes with the substantial but fine-grained tannins of this cru and a note of white pepper. Perhaps in an awkward stage.