Overview of 2005 Burgundy

Posted 03/25/2008 at 01:54 PM by Ben

From the moment that the 2005 Burgundies finished their bubbly fermentation in early 2006, there has been no question that this is one of the great red Burgundy vintages of all time. The only question has been whether this would also be a vintage that that would give both early as well is long-term drinking pleasure.

That debate has now been settled, at least in my mind. This is not a vintage to drink young. While it's a truly amazing vintage with an almost perfect balance of elements and components, it will require a lot of time to show its best.

This aspect of the wines emerged in spades at the tasting of the 2005 Burgundies. I recently conducted. While I was deeply impressed by the ripeness, complexity, and harmonious nature of the fruit of these wonderful 05's, there's simply too much phenolic material (tannins and acidity) to allow for much pleasure in the early stages.

Moreover, over the next several years, the drinkability quotient of these wines is going to get worse, not better. Even those lucky 05's that are showing lots of glossy red fruit at the moment are likely to go into a shell for a prolonged period over the next year or so, and will stay there for a while. In other words, this is not a vintage for the impatient.

My advice is to hold village wines (e.g., Pommard) for at least two or three years, premier crus for five to seven years, and grand crus for at least ten years.

And I would make one other very positive observation. The top bottlings I tasted, such as the Gros Frere Clos Vougeot, or the Prince de Merode Corton Renardes, will develop well for 25 to 30 years, or perhaps longer.

In other words, if you're young, these are wines to grow old with. If you're not quite so young, say like myself, these could well be the wines you'll want to leave to your children. They are that great - and that likely to reward extended aging.

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