2005 Musigny Vieilles Vignes

14 years of age seems to have had limited effect on this monument of a wine that remains robust, powerful, intense and clearly built to age for decades to come. Indeed so little has changed that I repeat my original note here: A positively brilliant nose of violet and rose petal shines against a background of intensely spiced extravagant red and black pinot fruit nuanced by hints of earth and stone and this minerality continues onto the surprisingly supple flavors that convey a remarkable sense of energy and power on the almost unbelievably intense, focused and structured finish that seems to go on and on without end. And the '05 VV has what all truly great burgundies have which is that extra dimension of power without weight as this carries terrific punch and power yet delivers that explosiveness with impeccable class and grace. Note that unlike the '05 Bonnes Mares (see herein) that is also very much a baby but could actually be enjoyed, there is zero point in opening a bottle of the '05 Musigny VV today as it remains quite closed. Tasted on several occasions recently and in short, this is super-promising but profoundly backward.

My notes on the 2005 Musigny Vieilles Vignes represent a composite impression from a selection of barrels. There can be little question that this deep, dark wine displays its class of origin, indeed a class of its own in this year’s collection. Fresh black raspberry, pomegranate, blackberry, and iris dominate the nose and stain the palate. A wealth of spice, mineral, chalky and bitter-sweet floral nuances persistently wreath the fruit at all stages. This shows lovely creaminess of texture in counterpoint to the persistent freshness of fruit. The intensely rich yet refreshing palate saturation and tenacious cling exhibited auger well for extended cellaring yet don’t detract from an impression of utmost elegance and refinement. The domaine will begin bottling the wines in spring and all will, as usual, receive “the minimum, gentlest possible” filtration. Francois Millet notes that skin-to-juice ratios this year were as formidably high as those of 2003, yet thanks to relatively mild temperatures, the fruit retained what he terms a “sorbet-like presentation.” Dreyfus Ashby, New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770 and a Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93

Medium to deep ruby. The nose is intoxicatingly fragranced with enticing notes of jasmine, violets, milk chocolate, red cherries and wild strawberries. The medium+ bodied palate provides fairly high acidity, a medium+ level of silky tannins and adds a very fine touch of minerality to the perfumed fruit. Very long, elegant finish.