Burgundy (Red) - 2005

A great, classically styled vintage for reds; one of the three or four best vintages in the last 50 years.This is a great year with huge ageing potential. Keep.

Made from a vintage of normal temperatures but very low rainfall, the red wines have pure, vibrant and fresh aromas. The small grapes produced ripe and concentrated flavours, but without heaviness. Perhaps what really sets this vintage apart is the perfect phenolic maturity of skins, pips and stems which leads to sweet and rounded tannins. That, and the consistent quality at all levels from generic Bourgogne to grand cru and in both Côtes, Beaune and Nuits, is what makes this a great vintage. Everything is good!

Even the generic Bourgognes planted on the flatter sites with deeper, colder and wetter soils, where ripening is usually problematic, are superb. In cool and wet years their tannins can be green and scratchy. In 2005, they are silky and polished and glide over the palate. Even villages where the tannins can be a little firm (Pernand, Aloxe, village Pommard) are sweet and succulent in this vintage. If these are lovely you can imagine how great are the best premiers and grands crus of Volnay, Vosne, Gevrey etc. The 2005s have excellent ageing potential.

The weather conditions throughout the year were close to ideal. Apart from some losses due to hail, and a little water stress in some vineyards of the Côte D’Or, the growers had no significant problems to contend with.

The principal characteristics of 2005 were of normal temperatures, slightly higher sunshine hours, but significantly less rain than average – June, July and August had about half the average rainfall. The dryness meant there were no serious fungal diseases and the grapes were concentrated, healthy and ripe. There was hail in the Côte de Nuits on 3rd May which destroyed some of the crop in northern Vosne, Chambolle and Clos de Vougeot reducing the quantity and improving the quality. July and August were very dry. The wind was predominantly from the east, but with temperatures just below average which enabled the grapes to ripen without losing acidity. On the premiers and grands crus slopes of the Côte de Beaune there was some occasional water stress where, because of lack of water, the ripening process was temporarily delayed. The biggest problem was a severe hailstorm on 17th July that destroyed up to 20 per cent of the crop in Santenay and Chassagne.

Growers were pleased to notice that véraison, when grapes change colour, was ahead of schedule. Clos de Tart reported it beginning at the start of August. The drought conditions were relieved by a morning of beneficial rain on 6th September which spurred the ripening where water stress had delayed it.

The critical harvest month of September was superb, and considerably drier and warmer than normal. In the Côte D’Or the official start of the harvest was 12th September. The normal-sized crop of pinot noir grapes ripened under stable conditions and at a steady pace so the producers could pick their moment to harvest, rather than the more usual forced compromise of picking before optimal ripeness because of impending autumn rain, or the onset of rot. Some domaines such as Jean Grivot and Clos de Tart waited until 21st to begin harvesting. Producers record that the grapes were small, thick skinned, ideally ripe and healthy. The personnel manning the sorting tables had virtually nothing to do.