I’ve always had a ‘special’ love for Clos St.Denis, and a bottle such as this does nothing to assuage my predilection! It’s still surprisingly ‘wide open’ and ‘giving’, it’s really a beauty.
2005 Bertagna, Clos St.Denis
Medium-plus cherry-red colour. Whilst not the deepest, the nose offers many layers of fruit; red, bluer and blacker and then with a swirl you release violets – it’s a real beauty – give it time and it does deepen, showing a musky edge to the fruit and a faint caramel note. In the mouth it’s not over-ripe, and the first attack comes from the acidity, dragging with it a lovely intensity that peaks on the mid-palate before slowly decaying in a very long finish. The tannin is all-but hidden in the all-enveloping, nicely textured, extract from the fruit – it’s currently more about texture and density than layers or complexity. There is a hint of oak flavour in the finish but it is a minor component next to the lingering creamy fruit. It may only be the 7th of January, but, drunk over two evenings, this is, by a very wide margin, the finest wine I’ve opened this year!
Rebuy – Yes
There are 3 responses to “bertagna 2005 clos saint denis”
What a beautiful note. I love CSD as well, and in fact find it generally more interesting than CDLR, which I know many think is the superior vineyard.
I’ve not had any Bertagna wines. How would you describe their wine making approach? Is this a negociant or domaine bottling?
@Richard – The only time I ever edged a Clos de la Roche ahead of the same producer’s Clos St.Denis was in the cellar of Laurent Ponsot last year.
Re Domaine Bertagna, there’s plenty of info here, but from the 2006 vintage onwards I haven’t visited – since the very talented Claire Forestier left the domaine. The Clos de Vougeot, Chambertin, Clos St.Denis grand crus are all domaine wines. The style of the 05’s I’ve tasted is more 05 than the domaine (a good thing) and there’s hardly any oak to spot.
For info, Claire has a new venture of her own which I’m planning to visit at the end of January.
Cheers, Bill
With you Richard, & thanks Bill for the note.
We are not alone either as, whilst I was laughing with Sebastian Thomas of Howard Ripley Ltd last evening about my Arlaud vendange piece (see Bill’s Harvest 2008 tab for my ramblings), which Sebastian has kindly read, he told me he also loved the aspect, terroir etc of Clos St Denis – which I most certainly did whilst picking there. Gorgeous escapism that morning – very special. Guess which wine I’ll be looking to spend pennies on from the 08’s.
Romain Arlaud also freely admitted to me it is very, very special to him also.
P.S Bill, I adored the 07’s tasted last night – lovely juicy, fruity, mineral, acid whites (my style) and some fabulous real surprises amongst the reds – Faiveley’s Clos de Beze was………. Louis Michel’s Chablis’ – yum, yum – Wow !!