"Allen Meadows, Burghound.com 93-95 Points
A pungent mix of wood spice, earth, red berry fruit, game, smoke and natural spice highlights the moderately sauvage character of the rich, full, refined and pure flavors underpinned by ripe and very firm tannins that culminate in an austere and very backward finish. This will require lots of cellar time to be at its best and like the Clos de Vougeot, this will be a long-distance runner."
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Note: from a parcel of 1.5 ha of vines planted in 1949
Philippe Drouhin was about as laconic as one can be with respect to 2005, stating simply "I really don't have much to say. It's a great vintage and indisputably so in my view. The growing season was impeccable, the harvest, which we started on September 21st, was as clean as any that I've ever seen with good yields at between 30 and 40 hl/ha, good sugars at between 12 and 13% and perfect acid balance. The phenolic ripeness was superb About the only surprise was that the color extraction didn't come quite as easily as I would have guessed given the thickness of the skins. We also had a high level of malic acid and thus the malos were extended and some of them are not completely finished." As the scores and comments suggest, these are some truly stupendous wines and it's by far and away the finest vintage that I have ever seen chez Drouhin-Laroze. Given the (relatively) reasonable prices the wines sell for, they are well worth a close look.
