2005 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru

The Drouhin 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses displays a fascinating nose of peat, fresh black raspberry and bitter sweet flowers. Uncannily rich, creamy, viscous and yet elegant and wafting on the palate, it preserves invigorating, vivacious, sappy fresh fruit along with dark underlying smoky, chalky forest floor tones. Subtly sweet, pungently smoky and decidedly mineral in its prolonged finishing flavors, this deserves to be left in peace for at least 6-8 years, after which re-excavation over a decade or more should be warranted. These 2005s were bottled around two months earlier than usual, says Frederic Drouhin, to retain freshness. (Long-time oenologue Laurence Jobard, incidentally, was replaced this year by Jerome Faure-Brac.) As is always the case, fruit from a great many properties owned or accessed by Drouhin is declassified and blended out, leaving only selected terroirs as the subjects of single-site bottlings. (In 2004, for example, even the Beaune Clos des Mouches – due to hail – was declassified into lip-smacking, remarkably soothing Cote de Beaune.) That said, as befits the quality of 2005, there were more individual bottlings from this vintage than is usual, and I did not taste all of them. (Wines from the Drouhin domaine holdings display a “D” in their listing.) This year’s collection radiates class from top to bottom. Even Drouhin’s ubiquitous, 25,000-case generic “Laforet” displays tender, ripe cherry fruit, a silky palate and iodine-like minerality. Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne Laforet ($14.00;85). Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818 0770

Red-ruby. Sappy nose offers a primary crushed fruit character. Juicy, intensely flavored and urgent in the mouth, with its sheer sappiness leavening its density of material. A bit reduced today, but this has dazzling fruit. Best today on the slowly building back end, which features broad, lush tannins and explosive, perfumed flavors of black fruits and violet.