How good is the 2005 Burgundy vintage

[Jayson_Cohen]

I haven’t even the slightest doubt now that there are many 2004s that will be utterly magical in twenty year’s time. The trick will be to survive to enjoy them.

I’m long 2004 because it’s my son’s birth year, but even I don’t have your faith. From your lips to G’s ears.

[M_Meer]

Certainly!

But what I’m really saying is that it’s a pity to fixate on one vintage to the total exclusion of others.

Hopefully, I will still be allowed in said house if I ever have the stones to utter it.

A snapshot of my more major holdings:

2015 6%
2014 11%
2013 13%
2012 8%
2011 4%
2010 13%
2009 13%
2008 7%
2006 2%
2005 8%
2003 4%
2002 2%
1999 2%

Looking at it reminded me that I went into '05 buying 1er cru and lower, and most of the higher level 1er & GC are from the other vintages, including “lesser” ones like '06, '08, '12, and '13. I’m having more fun drinking '00 1er cru CdB than I am the same bottlings from '05, '09, and '02, even.

If I had the foresight back then, maybe I would have filled the stacks up with Rousseau and everything else I choose not to buy anymore, but every bottle I open that offers up pleasure helps to suggest that I did okay in what I decided at the time. It also gives me hope that I can live to enjoy a majority of them, instead of leaving all the fun to my kids, years like 2005 included.


Oh, and back to OP… Like most years, it’s wine to wine. I’ve also liked a villages Savigny (Pavelot) and a 1er cru Gevrey (Vougeraie) but might not touch some of my Bourgogne for a few more years (Ch. de Chorey).

[Gaudissabois_Johan]

Friends,

To expand on the C ROUMIER quote I just add that Christophe was of course talking bout the so-called great vintages. As an aside : I think the CLOS des LAMBRAYS 2005 is also ready to be “further investigated”. A friend told me it was great yesterday evening…
SINCERELY JOHAN

[Glenn_P1]

Always fun to read the “Burgundy Excuses”!

[Keith_Levenberg]

2005 Mugnier Marechale is showing beautifully right now.

The 2005 mugnier marechale and chambolle are so lovely right now that I was tempted to open a Fuees but decided to hold back.

Can confirm the Fuees is a beauty at this moment as well.

[Howard_Cooper]

Friends,

To expand on the C ROUMIER quote I just add that Christophe was of course talking bout the so-called great vintages. As an aside : I think the CLOS des LAMBRAYS 2005 is also ready to be “further investigated”. A friend told me it was great yesterday evening…
SINCERELY JOHAN

That surprises me. I was not planning on opening mine for a while. Thanks.

In January 2020, I did try a couple of nearby 2005 Grand Crus side-by-side - Clos St. Denis by Jouan and Drouhin (who I understand buy some or all of their CSD from Jouan) and they had soften up a good bit and were very enjoyable. But, they were still very primary and in need of further development. My guess is that they need 5-10 more years to get mature.

[Yao_C]

A 2005 Hudelot-Noellat RSV that a generous friend popped a few months back is my spouse’s best-ever Burgundy experience. It is wide open and the substantial vintage harmonizes really well with the elegant winemaking and terroir. That’s not to say that this is typical, merely that exceptions to the rule are really worth pursuing, and isn’t that what Burgundy is all about?

[Greg_K]

2005 Mugnier Marechale is showing beautifully right now.

The 2005 mugnier marechale and chambolle are so lovely right now that I was tempted to open a Fuees but decided to hold back.

Can confirm the Fuees is a beauty at this moment as well.

Agreed, the Fuees is fantastic.

[Gaudissabois_Johan]

Friends,

Yesterday evening my wife and I drank a CLOS de la MARECHALE 2005 and I hereby confirm that it is a delicious wine ready to be drunk. I will soon try BONNES MARES and AMOUREUSSES of this brilliant domaine and keep you lot posted. I read that the HUDELOT-NOELLATT R-St-V was terrific too. Anyone out there having had any experience with other Vosne grand crus of this by now mythical millésime?

SINCERELY JOHAN

[Josh_Najjar]

How Good is the Burgundy 2005 vintage?

Lots of noise when the 2005 Burgundy vintage came on the market. A MEADOWS rated the vintage to be among the greatest ever. Since 15 years have passed us by we could come up with the question : is it really that good? A friend of mine stated that the 2005 ECHEZEAUX by Bocquenet (being a fan of the domaine and its grand cru) was “atypical”. Not charming at all and too much of everything…Do the followers of WINE BERSERKERS share this thought after having tasted other 2005 BURGUNDIES?

SINCERELY JOHAN

I sampled the same bottle recently, it showed very nice concentration but seemed a little disjointed and in need of more time to come together, to be optimistic. I don’t believe that bottle exemplified my recent experience with the vintage.
I have opened more than a handful of '05s in the past year, and I believe it’s a very fine year with great concentration and very good balance.
I recently opened up three MSD premier crus from three different producers and each one was excellent, all with great depth of flavor, very good transparency, and for the most part, excellent balance. All were slightly on the young side, but with another 3-5 years they should all prove to be excellent bottles. I can say the same for the few Volnay premier crus that I’ve sampled, which were even more evolved.
For optimal drinking, I still think we may be looking at 5+ years for the PCs, and another 10+ years for the GCs…

[Jeremy_Holmes]

We’ve had plenty of '05’s in blind tastings over the years. They almost always finish at, or close to the top of the bracket. Even at Bourgogne level they may not be ready, but it is a very good vintage.

[Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow]

When would you guess they “may be ready”, Jeremy? if even minimally so?

[Jeremy_Holmes]

Village wines in another 10 years, perhaps?

[Kirk.Grant]

As a very broad generalisation, if one really wants to enjoy red burgundy without waiting thirty years one should buy the less ‘good’ vintages.

I would revise that and say buy earlier maturing vintages. I have found 2007 and 2017’s as earlier drinking in general compared to big vintages like 2005 and 1999. “Less good” does not necessarily translate to earlier drinking, sometimes they are just not good period. Also, I would avoid buying grand crus as in general they take the longest to mature, a village wine from an excellent producer can achieve great heights in my opinion, given enough time.

This is so very true. I opened a 2005 de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny back in late 2019 and was very, VERY happy with it. Every time I pull out my 2005’s this is the bottle I stare at & wonder how it will be when tertiary notes start to come in later in life.

[Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow]

Village wines in another 10 years, perhaps?

ouch

[A_Gillette]

As a very broad generalisation, if one really wants to enjoy red burgundy without waiting thirty years one should buy the less ‘good’ vintages.

I would revise that and say buy earlier maturing vintages. I have found 2007 and 2017’s as earlier drinking in general compared to big vintages like 2005 and 1999. “Less good” does not necessarily translate to earlier drinking, sometimes they are just not good period. Also, I would avoid buying grand crus as in general they take the longest to mature, a village wine from an excellent producer can achieve great heights in my opinion, given enough time.

This is so very true. I opened a 2005 de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny back in late 2019 and was very, VERY happy with it. Every time I pull out my 2005’s this is the bottle I stare at & wonder how it will be when tertiary notes start to come in later in life.

I opened that same de Vogue last year and thought it was fantastic. It led me to open more of my 05’s, many of which have been similarly fantastic (mugnier, Dugat Py, Ramonet reds) and some of which have been totally shut down (Clavelier).

I think it’s worth noting that burgundy doesn’t really age in a linear fashion and the wines tend to open and close and get better and worse multiple times from youth to maturity, so just waiting doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to catch it at the right point.

A

[James_Billy]

I would revise that and say buy earlier maturing vintages. I have found 2007 and 2017’s as earlier drinking in general compared to big vintages like 2005 and 1999. “Less good” does not necessarily translate to earlier drinking, sometimes they are just not good period. Also, I would avoid buying grand crus as in general they take the longest to mature, a village wine from an excellent producer can achieve great heights in my opinion, given enough time.

This is so very true. I opened a 2005 de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny back in late 2019 and was very, VERY happy with it. Every time I pull out my 2005’s this is the bottle I stare at & wonder how it will be when tertiary notes start to come in later in life.

I opened that same de Vogue last year and thought it was fantastic. It led me to open more of my 05’s, many of which have been similarly fantastic (mugnier, Dugat Py, Ramonet reds) and some of which have been totally shut down (Clavelier).

I think it’s worth noting that burgundy doesn’t really age in a linear fashion and the wines tend to open and close and get better and worse multiple times from youth to maturity, so just waiting doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to catch it at the right point.

A

I’ve heard this before, but seems unlikely to me. Surely it’s a function of the variability of the corks?

[A_Gillette]

This is so very true. I opened a 2005 de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny back in late 2019 and was very, VERY happy with it. Every time I pull out my 2005’s this is the bottle I stare at & wonder how it will be when tertiary notes start to come in later in life.

I opened that same de Vogue last year and thought it was fantastic. It led me to open more of my 05’s, many of which have been similarly fantastic (mugnier, Dugat Py, Ramonet reds) and some of which have been totally shut down (Clavelier).

I think it’s worth noting that burgundy doesn’t really age in a linear fashion and the wines tend to open and close and get better and worse multiple times from youth to maturity, so just waiting doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to catch it at the right point.

A

I’ve heard this before, but seems unlikely to me. Surely it’s a function of the variability of the corks?

Don’t think so. I think it’s a function of fruit, acid, tannin all developing and changing at different rates and therefore being in and out of sync multiple times over the life of a particular wine.

[Ian_S]

Meadows hailed 2015 as best since 2005 (better than 09/10) and another GOAT candidate

What does GOAT stand for mate? Is it some manner of Burghound acronym?

[crickey]

Greatest Of All Time.