2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru

One of the great renditions of this cuvée in recent times is the 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques, a magical wine that unfurls in the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of red berries and plums mingled with hints of raw cocoa, violets, blood orange and peony, complemented by enticing carnal bass notes. Full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's seamless and complete, with fine concentration, racy but ripe acids and ample reserves of fine, powdery tannin, concluding with a long and sapid finish. The 2005 Clos Saint-Jacques is a decade away from full maturity, but its reference-point quality has long been impossible to miss. This bottle, enjoyed in a Burgundian restaurant, only amplified my regret that I have none of this particular vintage in my own cellar.

One of the great renditions of this cuvée in recent times is the 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques, a magical wine that unfurls in the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of red berries and plums mingled with hints of raw cocoa, violets, blood orange and peony, complemented by enticing carnal bass notes. Full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's seamless and complete, with fine concentration, racy but ripe acids and ample reserves of fine, powdery tannin, concluding with a long and sapid finish. The 2005 Clos Saint-Jacques is a decade away from full maturity, but its reference-point quality has long been impossible to miss. This bottle, enjoyed in a Burgundian restaurant, only amplified my regret that I have none of this particular vintage in my own cellar.

The 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru is evolving into a beautiful creature, but be warned that it only blossoms after an hour in the glass. Similar to so many 2005s it has a frightfully backward nose that you just have to leave for as long as possible. Then, it reveals intense dark berry scents, brown spices, crushed stone and pressed flowers. Entrancing! The palate is more structured and carries more weight than the 1996 by direct comparison. This has a solid backbone, slightly grainy in texture, the dark berry fruit tinged with a discrete ferrous note. It finally mellows with aeration but there is no question that it requires several more years in bottle. Tasted at the Gevrey-Chambertin lunch at China Tang in Hong Kong.