2005 Morey St Denis

The corresponding 2005 Morey-St.-Denis smells smoky, resinous, and loaded with ripe black cherry and cassis. Firmer and more obviously structured than the Gevrey, and playing to the more typical darkly hued flavor spectrum of 2005 (black fruits, black tea, peaty earthiness, bitter herbs), this really imprints itself on the palate with sharp fruit definition and distinctive nuance, its sheer density and complexity enhanced (the proprietors would at least argue) by the inclusion of whole clusters and stems even at this classificatory level. The already rich array of crus at Domaine Dujac has recently been augmented on two fronts. The purchase (along with de Montille) of the Societe Civile du Clos de Thorey (Thomas-Moillard) has brought them a raft of choice parcels, including three new grand cru holdings (for a staggering total of eight). Meanwhile, they have expanded their negociant arm (with control over harvest and green harvest a prerequisite) to supplement in particular their volumes of village-level wine. (Those wines—labeled “Dujac Fils & Pere”—are signified in the above listing with “FP.” In fact, due to a legal technicality, the 2005 vintage wines from the properties newly acquired by the domaine—but not subsequent vintages—will also read “Fils & Pere” rather than “Domaine”.) Even with California-trained enologist Diana Seysses (née Snowden) joining her husband Jeremy and in-laws Jacques and Alec, and with a new winery (though at the old address), I wonder at how they are able to keep up with the magnitude of their responsibilities. Yet despite so many parcels and vines new to them this year, the results are consistently outstanding and at times astounding. Much of the vinification—increasingly as one goes up the hierarchy of crus—was of whole clusters. Malos finished (finally) by November, and the wines were bottled in December and January. Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel.(415) 491 4724