2005 Maison Joseph Drouhin Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

Black raspberry with horehound aromas in Drouhin’s 2005 Bonnes Mares lead to a sappy, intense palate of black raspberry and pungent herbal essence with notes of caramel and cocoa, and to a finish of persistent fruit intensity. Here is another of those cases where imposing richness coexists with bright, indeed almost electrically energetic fresh fruit intensity. This lacks the riveting complexity of the best wines here today but will be a force to reckon with in 8-10 years. These 2005s were bottled around two months earlier than usual, says Frederic Drouhin, to retain freshness. (Long-time oenologue Laurence Jobard, incidentally, was replaced this year by Jerome Faure-Brac.) As is always the case, fruit from a great many properties owned or accessed by Drouhin is declassified and blended out, leaving only selected terroirs as the subjects of single-site bottlings. (In 2004, for example, even the Beaune Clos des Mouches – due to hail – was declassified into lip-smacking, remarkably soothing Cote de Beaune.) That said, as befits the quality of 2005, there were more individual bottlings from this vintage than is usual, and I did not taste all of them. (Wines from the Drouhin domaine holdings display a “D” in their listing.) This year’s collection radiates class from top to bottom. Even Drouhin’s ubiquitous, 25,000-case generic “Laforet” displays tender, ripe cherry fruit, a silky palate and iodine-like minerality. Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne Laforet ($14.00;85). Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818 0770