Day two of the bottle tasting. The bouquet has become a lot more fruity but the raw minerally vegetation is still present. Spicy red fruits and, yes a little rainy earth. A complex nose. The flavours a full and complex. The balance of tannins and acids are excellent. I wish I could identify that floral/vegetative note.
Ruby red, light to medium depth of color and quite clear. Minerally nose, with vegetable leaves. A little white pepper. The fruit is quite subdued initally but there are hints of red cherries and ruhbarb. Let's see what happens with time. Good strong tannins and acid are what you notice up front, with stewed red cherries. Finish is long and full, coating your entire mouth in fine tannins and toasted fruits. Lovely complexity on both the nose and the palate.
From Bouchard's home vineyard, this is one of their signature wines. In 2005, it has produced a luscious, fruity wine whose richness is only part of its wonderful floating
Good bright red. Enticing aromas of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, leather, chocolate and flowers. Plush and sweet, with lovely spicy lift and energy to the red fruit flavors. Not a big wine but ripe, seamless and suave. Finishes with late notes of wild strawberry and leather.
The favourite by far, but not without controversy. Half matured in new French oak. Intense strawberry, floral, earthy, and wooded nose. “Full-bodied” pinot with great balance of acidity, tannin and warmth, although somewhat short. Left to develop, oak aroma intensified.
For such a massive production - over 100,000 bottles from 21 hectares of 17 different 1er crus - this wine delivers impressively high quality in almost every vintage, 2005 is no exception. This has a lovely full nose with a creamy depth to the fruit and eventually that faintly vanilla/caramel barrel note that most of these reds are wearing. Concentrated, but vs the previous wines this is more supple and has much finer tannin. Really exemplary balance coupled with good length. I think this is a wine to buy by the case in this vintage.