We wanted to check in on how 2005 was coming along, but felt that it still might be too early for grand crus. So we opted for Premier Crus, decided on Cote de Nuits, and somehow ended up in Vosne-Romanee. I didn’t have much worthwhile here in my cellar (just Tardy Charmes), so chose the next best thing (NSG Boudots, which is right next door to the Malconsorts we’d be tasting). Wines were double decanted 3-4 hours prior to the tasting. Overall, I would say that the wines are certainly not closed down monsters, and are ready to enjoy, with tannins well controlled. In some ways, they seemed to behave somewhat like young wines still, with noses that closed down somewhat with time open, and still seeming to lack a little complexity that I would hope would come with further age.
2005 Jadot (Gagey) Nuits-St-Georges ‘les Boudots’–Bright red. Pretty effusive nose upon opening that had closed down somewhat 3 hours later. Palate is sweet and broad, mid red berry/cherry fruit with slight earthiness that recedes with time. Good concentration. A very nice wine batting well above its price range. Less NSG-like than many other NSG sites, but would also be hard for me to place it in Vosne.
2005 Bouchard Vosne-Romanee ‘Aux Malconsorts’–Deep red color. Nose of undefined mid red fruits, palate is sweet and full. No real spiciness or excitement for me. Still a very nice wine but a tad anonymous. (a fairly typical Bouchard for me).
2005 Domaine Moillard Vosne-Romanee ‘Malconcorts’–Mid deep red. Nose is sort of undefined “red Burgundy” with mid red fruit. Palate is full, good concentration, a little less overtly sweet than the Bouchard, perhpas slight spice but not much. Again, a nice red burg, but would not have placed it in Vosne.
2005 Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanee 'les Suchots’–A clear step up–deep dark red. Reductive nose with burnt tire and some sulfur, but blows off in 5-10 min with air (I didn’t think to throw a penny in). Underneath is beguiling dark red/black fruit with plenty of spice and sinuous, seductive qualities. Nice palate density and length, tannis in check. A beautiful wine once the reduction has blown off, and classic Vosne.
