2005 Musigny

This wine was already singing its heart out in the glass. Coffee, rich and seductive. Indeed this was the single most seductive wine of the day and for the first time I consciously ingested a small mouthful; I can see just how little (one and a half barrels) was made! Very heady purple velvet impression. Tightly focused finish but lovely fresh richensss. Great force but great purity too. Electric stuff. Extremely persistent. (JR)

There will sadly be fewer than forty cases of 2005 Musigny, which displays pristine ripe and distilled red berry fruit, herbal and bitter-sweet citrus zest and floral essences, and mysterious intimations of meat and minerals on the nose. In the mouth, this offers polished, melting tannins and creaminess of texture; clarity, vivacity and intensity of sweet, ripe red fruits; persistent iris and violet florality; deep, marrowy meatiness; and a dynamic exchange with subtly tactile suggestions of white pepper, chalk dust, and wet stone such as – other than Pinot – only a great Riesling can give. One senses that Christophe Roumier considers 2005 a high point of his career, and my visit with him was among the high points of my recent trip. He describes this as “a classic vintage lending itself to very calm, classic vinification,” which given the opportunities afforded by perfectly healthy, firm, dry, ripe fruit involved triage almost solely to remove ladybugs, and included around 25% whole clusters in the fermenters at the Premier Cru level and 50% at that of Grand Cru. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400.