2005 Domaine Robert Arnoux Echézeaux Grand Cru

The 2005 Echezeaux smells of fresh black raspberry, corriander and wood smoke, comes to the palate with ingratiating fresh fruit juiciness and refinement of (nevertheless abundant) tannins, offering sweet inner-mouth suggestions of lily and apricot. The finish lingers with considerable subtlety and refinement. I would revisit this in 6-8 years. 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.

(from two parcels, one 47 and the other 55 years of age) Good bright, dark red. Black raspberry, bitter chocolate and minerals on the nose. Suave, classy and fine-grained, with a captivating floral aspect and a blacker fruit character than usual for this cuvee Less obviously sweet and open to inspection than some of these 2005s, but this finishes with terrific grip. The rather massive tannins reminded me of a Clos Vougeot. This will need time in bottle.

Cask sample. Lovely bright dark but translucent. Exotically spiced like fruit cake without the sugar and with the savoury edge of dark chocolate. Supersoft even though tannins are present. Glides across the palate and goes on and on. (JH)