Medium-plus colour. Dark aromatics that are a little wilder-fruited than the Champans and again with a higher-toned floral background. Mineral concentration – and plenty of it! Lots of grainy tannin and a river of length. Very impressive wine.
2005
2005 Lejeune Pommard Les Argillières
Tested from a half bottle. Medium-plus colour. The nose is wide with dark fruit, and a little spice with a chocolate edge, unfortunately a resting glass shows just an edge of cork taint. You don’t really taste it on the palate which is wide and concentrated, with plenty of reasonably grained, ripe tannin and again a hint of chocolate. Swirl the glass and you can just about ignore the taint. The length seems a little compromised, but this wine was good enough despite that contamination for me to still finish the half bottle – I can’t think of a much better recommendation!
2005 de Montille Beaune Les Perrières
Medium colour with hints of purple. The nose starts wide, high-toned and with a rather candied fruit – quite interesting – and particularly so as it starts to develop a distinct creamy edge that’s not totally obviously from the barrel. In the mouth it is lithe and beautifully detailed – again with a creamy tinge that expands in the long finish – actually one phase during the evening shows this aspect just a little too much, but it slowly subsides to a more considered level. There is a lovely core of acidity with the ripe fruit, precise on the nose and in your mouth. A beauty whose star shines, wanes then shines again over about 3 hours that it lasted.
2005 Remoissenet Père et Fils Beaune Marconnets
Medium colour. Width but little depth on the nose – just a twist of oak early on, followed by nice soft red fruit and a slowly intensifying redcurrant. On the tongue it’s soft, no Pommard rusticity, tight, reasonably concentrated though not obviously intense. Understated length, lingering with mouth-watering acidity.
2005 Voillot Joseph Volnay Champans
Medium and a bit depth of colour. The nose is deeply red with an impression of soft oak in the background. It’s a narrow entry, right through into the finish where it suddenly widens and shows a lovely length of flavour. The fruit is a mix of beautifully melded cherry and raspberry, the tannin must be in there somewhere but the impression is just the smooth ride to the finish. Compelling, but less interesting and open today than the Brouillards despite a little more density.
2005 Voillot Joseph Pommard Les Rugiens
Medium colour. Width but little depth on the nose – just a twist of oak early on, followed by nice soft red fruit and a slowly intensifying redcurrant. On the tongue it’s soft, no Pommard rusticity, tight, reasonably concentrated though not obviously intense. Understated length, lingering with mouth-watering acidity.
2005 Voillot Joseph Volnay Fremiets
2005 Voillot Joseph Volnay Vieilles Vignes
Medium colour – a little darker than Voillot’s Brouillards. The nose has some inelegant powdery fruit and hints of sulfur, faint black shades and occasional glimpses of lovely pure fruit. It needs a lot of time – in fact overnight – and the nose cleans up considerably, turning quite black. In the mouth it’s fresh and slowly mouth-watering with just a little more tannic texture than the previous premier crus. The flavour profile is almost good but on day one reflects the less interesting parts of the nose – but improves, though comes across a little diluted in the mid-palate. It may put on weight with time, but I won’t be along for the ride.