The 2005 vintage was about as close to perfect as Burgundy gets. Allen Meadows (Burghound) called it “one of the greatest vintages in the history of modern Burgundy.” Jancis Robinson MW called it a “glorious” and “ revered” vintage; Jasper Morris MW called it “the most uniformly successful vintage I have seen in my career.”
As happens with most great vintages, the 2005s went into hibernation after bottling — over the past fifteen years they’ve shown their intensity and class, but have been missing the richness and complexity you’d expect from great wine.
Today they’re beginning to enter their drinking window. We think it’ll be at least another 5-8 years before the window begins to close, but we’ve decided to let our customers direct their final acts. It’s been a long year — consider treating yourself with something special.
We have two 2005 cuvées from Michel Gros in stock:
Michel’s Nuits-St-Georges “Les Chaliots” is from a vineyard on the southern end of the town, not far from the famous “Les St-Georges” vineyard. This is classic Nuits, with rich meatiness, bold intensity, and dark blackberry fruits. Look for cassis, cinnamon, mushrooms, and leather.
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GROS Nuits-St-Georges “Chaliots” 2005: $125
The other Nuits-St-Georges cuvée is a blend of four plots near the border with Vosne-Romanée, and this cuvée combines aspects of both villages. There’s the traditional intensity of Nuits-St-Georges, but with an increased layer of Vosne spice and silk. Look for dark berries, earth, pine, and toast.
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GROS Nuits-St-Georges 2005: $125