The VAULT

wines

The 2003 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape has gone from strength to strength and now looks to be the finest vintage since the monumental 1995. Deep ruby to the rim with that classic Rayas nose of flowers, kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, crushed rocks, and minerals, the wine is dense and concentrated, with a broad, savory mouthfeel, sweet yet silky tannin, fabulous persistence, and a blockbuster finish that just goes on and on. This is a reassuringly profound Rayas that seems to suggest that Emmanuel Reynaud has finally figured out this cold-climate terroir in a warm climate appellation. This wine should be given 3-4 years of bottle age, and drunk over the following 20+ years.Robert Parker | 95 RPSilky and perfumed as well as not showing any of the over-ripeness of the vintage, the 2003 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve possesses beautiful aromatics of kirsch, black tea, garrigue, and green peppercorn that are wrapped around loads of sweet Grenache fruit. Perhaps less intense than other top vintages of this wine, it still shows the telltale Rayas aromatic profile. Medium to full bodied on the palate, the wine is stunningly textured, well balanced and fresh, firming up nicely on the finish with subtle tannin and good energy. Drinking well now, I see nothing that would keep this from continuing to deliver over the next 10 to 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDLovely perfume, with tightly woven red and black cherry, graphite, incense, mineral and sous bois notes that stay fresh and focused thanks to finely imbedded acidity. Stylish finish. Drink now through 2025. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Saturated ruby. Remarkably deep nose combines cherry, raspberry, licorice, smoked meat and mineral notes, all lifted by an intense floral quality. A stunning example of freshness and precision married to power, with deep cassis, bitter cherry and candied licorice flavors enlivened by zesty minerality and framed by firm but harmonious tannins. "This is not about extraction," notes Perrin. The endless finish echoes the mineral and floral tones, showing a persistent lavender note. This was not yet bottled when I tasted it.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMA powerful, modern style, delivering a torrent of cassis and cocoa notes backed by a second wave of tar and fig paste. Densely structured from start to finish, with floral and mineral hints in the background. Pure and driven, this is steel-plated for the long haul. 60 percent Mourvèdre, with Grenache, Syrah and Counoise. Best from 2008 through 2027. 500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2004 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin continues to show well, and was even more open from this bottle than from one earlier this year. While still youthful, it has beautiful complexity and depth on the palate, and certainly offers plenty of pleasure. Dark fruits, spice, cured meats, truffle and licorice all flow nicely to a full-bodied, concentrated, lively feel on the palate. It has bright acidity and fine tannin, and while it will never have the sheer decadence of a bigger year, it shines for its complexity, elegance and length.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPShowing beautifully (as are most wines from this vintage), the 2004 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin is reminiscent of the 1994, 1995, and 1999, as it relies more on complexity, elegance, and length than sheer richness and depth. Blackcurrants, cured meats, black truffle, licorice, and peppery garrigue notes all emerge from this full-bodied, rich, concentrated effort that has the higher acidity of the vintage, yet backs it up with beautiful fruit. It’s going to continue drinking nicely for another 10-12 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDAromatically speaking this isn’t quite as detailed and precise as most other vintages of Hommage, but there is plenty of squished blackberry fruit among polished wood and beeswax notes. It’s only medium-bodied on the palate, but then builds on the finish. Still plenty of slightly drying tannin, 2004 is a very tannic Hommage. The alcohol sticks out a bit, so not the most harmonious year; it feels a bit unsure of itself at this stage. I would give it another couple of years, it can’t do any harm. Drinking Window 2022 - 2036Decanter | 94 DEC(Châteauneuf du Pape “Hommage à Jacques Perrin”- Château de Beaucastel) Interestingly, the 2004 Hommage à Jacques Perrin is another full point lower in alcohol than the 2005, coming in at 13.5 percent octane. The wine is a step up in complexity on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet wafting from the glass in a still youthful blend of cassis, leather, licorice, tree bark, dark soil tones, cedar and a topnote of cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, nascently complex and ripely tannic, with a fine core, good structure and the first vintage in this series that shows some serious soil signature on the long finish. Good juice and much more in keeping with the high reputation of this bottling. (Drink between 2022-2040)John Gilman | 93 JG

Of the pair of châteaux, La Mission Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion (both owned by the Dillon banking family) that face each other across the crowded streets of Pessac, Haut-Brion is the one with the structure, the darkness, the brooding character. This is so true of 2004, with its hugely firm structure underlying the initial supple fruit. At the end, the acidity is an enticing surprise, lifting the aftertaste.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEOpen the bottle and you’ll find harmony in the glass, but the wine remains subtle, stony and mute, as if the flavors lie behind a closed door. Over the course of several days, that door begins to open, the stoniness transforms into sleek fruit, as if to mirror the complexity of the multicolored pebbles that sustain Haut-Brion’s vines, a range of flavors from red to purple to black. The structure grows increasingly substantial, while the harmony remains, lending the wine mysterious power. Twenty years from now, this will just begin to reach a plateau and should sustain itself long after.Wine and Spirits | 96 W&SWonderful aromas of dried flowers, currant, berries and mineral. Full-bodied, yet reserved and refined. Lovely texture, with a pure silk feel. Seamless and beautiful. Great length. Even better than from barrel. Best after 2012. 12,500 cases made..Wine Spectator | 95 WSIt has been a few years since I last tasted the 2004 Haut-Brion. Now at 12 years of age, it retains its deep color. The bouquet is "pleasant" if not as complex as the 2004 Latour, yet it’s possibly just biding its time as it gradually opens with black fruit, black olive, even a touch of mint that might dupe you into thinking Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied and very harmonious, almost caressing thanks to the Merlot lending that velvety texture. The second half changes tack, the Cabernet nudging the Merlot off the stage and delivering a more structured, possibly foursquare finish that is linear and correct. It is an excellent wine for the vintage although it will always be overshadowed by the 2005 inter alia. Maybe more personality just needs to develop? Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMGood deep ruby-red. Reticent nose showed some dark cherry with aeration. Densely packed but youthfully closed, even a bit austere today, offering hints of black raspberry and minerals. This is fairly tannic wine (the IPT is 72) but there’s nothing hard about it. My sample gained in sweetness and texture with aeration, although its fruit character remained tightly wound. Give this time in a carafe if you plan to try it anytime soon. At this tasting, the ’04 La Mission was showing much more personality.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

There are tannins, structure and power, but also supreme elegance. The 2004 acidity comes through in the sweet cassis flavors, supported at the back by dry tannins. Currently, the wine is closed up, losing some of its fresh fruit, but this is a moment in its slow evolution towards a classic Latour.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEA terrific effort from Administrator Frederic Engerer and owner Francois Pinault, the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Latour exhibits a strong cassis character intermixed with notes of crushed rocks, earth, cedar, and forest floor. Racy, elegant, but powerful with medium to full body, and sweet tannin, it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring, and should keep for three decades. It is a very impressive offering. Robert Parker | 95 RPCaptivating aromas of currant, black licorice and spices, with just a hint of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Structured and racy. Best after 2011. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSBright ruby-red. Classic aromas of currant, plum, graphite and minerals. Suave and smooth in the mouth, with a compelling sweetness and lushness for the vintage. At once easygoing and wonderfully complex, conveying a powerful soil character. The finish is ripely tannic, sweet and very long. This is wonderfully expressive today but the young 2006 may have even longer aging potential. Along with Chateau Margaux, my candidate for wine of the vintageVinous Media | 94 VMThe 2004 Latour checks in as a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and a splash of Cabernet Franc, all aged in new French oak. It shows the more elegant, silky style of the vintage, yet with plenty of Latour grandeur and depth in its ripe cassis, smoky mineral, graphite, and saddle leather aromas and flavors. It’s medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated, and has serious length, as well as another two decades of longevity, although it’s certainly drinking beautifully today.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe modern Latour has a vast architectural presence. The edges of ferrous power here are tamed on a supple texture, though the choice seems to have been to trade some freshness for that textural grace. The tannins have the potent austerity that grows out of Latour’s deep hill of stones. Closed off for now, the fruit aspect of the wine will not likely show for more than a decade, and the wine will likely need 20 years to reach maturity.Wine and Spirits | 94 W&SThis is surprisingly approachable, especially from a big bottle. It’s soft and fruity with balsamic and sweet tobacco character. Full and round mouthfeel. It will obviously improve with age, but why wait? Served from imperial bottle.James Suckling | 93 JS

Disgorged in 2012 after eight years sur lattes, the 2004 Brut Alexandra Grande Cuvée Rosé has really begun to develop some complexity after seven years on cork. Salmon-pink in hue, the wine wafts from the glass with a beautiful bouquet of blood orange, iodine, dried rose petals, aromatic bitters and tangerine. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, pure and racy, with a delicate pinpoint mousse, good concentration at the core and a long, saline finish. Readers who have had the foresight to cellar a few bottles should pop a cork or two, as this rosé is showing brilliantly.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPAromas of peaches and light cherries with rust and hints of grapefruit. Earth and spice undertone. Full-bodied, fruity and spicy. Hints of black pepper. Extremely bright and creamy texture. Delicious and delicate finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSFirst produced in the 1987 vintage to celebrate the marriage of owner Bernard de Nonancourt’s eldest daughter, this bottling is now mature. Ripe, it still retains plenty of red fruits while also allowing the toasty character to show through. It’s a rosé that calls for food, a rich and balanced wine that is just perfect to drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay): Light, bright orange-pink. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and floral scents are underscored by an intense mineral nuance. Taut, linear and strikingly pure, offering deeply concentrated redcurrant and strawberry scents and hints of allspice, smoky lees and jasmine. Powerful yet lithe rose with superb finishing power, focus and mineral-driven persistence.Vinous Media | 94 VMAromatic notes of smoke and mineral herald this rich rosé Champagne, leading to a finely meshed mix of dried white cherry, toasted almond, spring forest and orange peel, carried on a soft, pearled bead. Fresh, with lightly mouthwatering acidity firming the fruitcake-laced finish. Drink now through 2029. 25 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA luscious Champagne, this bristles with tight red raspberry and fresh floral notes. The flavors last with finesse, a sophisticated integration achieved through macerating Pinot Noir (80 percent) and Chardonnay together, allowing the skins of the Pinot Noir to bleed their color into the juice. Chef de cave Michel Fauconnet produces this wine only in top vintages, when the varieties ripen at the same time.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&S

Still a baby, the 2004 Cristal Rosé has begun to put on considerable weight over the last few years, which only serves to balance the focus and tension that have always been present. Even at eleven years of age, the 2004 Cristal Rosé remains tightly wound and a touch austere at times. Hints of orange peel, white pepper and cranberry add an exotic flair on the deeply expressive finish. Readers who can find the 2004 should not hesitate, as it is simply stunning by any measure.Vinous Media | 98+ VMFew of the noble wines of the world have the effortless grace of Cristal Rosé. The pinot noir for the blend, planted in the 1960s, grows in the center of the slope in Aÿ. Its flavors are more focused on the soil than fruit, as if the vines are bent on extracting the scent of fossilized seashells from the limestone their roots explore. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon blends the pinot noir with 40 percent chardonnay from Avize, creating a wine with flavors that reach the horizon line, and an ethereal fragrance that last for minutes after each taste, bright, weightless, elusive and grand.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 98 W&SWith red berry and currant aromas on the pure and salty, complex and delicately vinous nose, the 2004 Cristal Rosé is a juicy but structured, vibrantly fresh and energetic cuvée with very fine tannins, great lightness, finesse and elegance. Tasted in New York, November 2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

This shows lots of mulled spice, warm tobacco leaf and well-roasted cedar accents, but isn’t short on fruit, offering enticing layers of red currant, plum and blackberry confiture. The long finish is riddled with sweet smoke, black tea and iron notes. A gorgeous wine from an overlooked vintage.--Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Best from 2020 through 2035. 23,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSI drank this 2004 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild the other night at home with some wine producers. I decanted it only right before serving - a mistake made while concentrating on the cooking food. On the nose there were coffee and chocolate aromas with hints of vanilla. It was super fruity, and its medium body was coupled with beautifully soft tannins. This is just coming around now and it’s very New World in style. Overall, a much overlooked vintage from Mouton.James Suckling | 94 JSSupple and grand, Mouton has a heavenly richness in 2004. The flavors are saturated with blackberry and black-cherry fruit, bright on the aroma, quieter and softer in the end. The wine has a laconic beauty, closed off behind its oak and stony tannin. With several days of air, the succulence of the fruit grows more prominent as it will with 15 to 20 years of age.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SThe 2004 Mouton Rothschild is supple, forward and inviting. Dark cherry, plum, tobacco and grilled herbs are all pushed forward. This is an especially succulent Mouton, partly because of the high percentage of Merlot that was common during this era. Gravel, pencil shavings, smoke and cured meats add myriad shades of nuance on the powerful, explosive finish. Philippe Dhalluin told me he waited as long as possible to harvest in 2004, the driest vintage Mouton had seen up until that point. The blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot harvested between September 29 and October 15.Vinous Media | 93 VMA wine that is powerful, highly extracted and intense. The chocolate flavors and serious, dry tannins go with big, fat blackberry fruits and finishing acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEIt is probably unfair to appraise this wine with more mature siblings. It has a deep garnet core. There is good intensity on the nose with cedar, tobacco, pine forest and blackberry leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite masculine and obdurate at the moment with a grainy, austere finish. Moderate length. It needs to muster more charm but I remain cautiously optimistic. Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

The 2005 Ausone is a perfect wine of the vintage. It displays crushed rock, spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry fruit, a full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning purity and richness, and perfect harmony among all of its component parts (acidity, tannin, wood, alcohol and extract). Still youthful, but oh, so promising, this wine should be set aside for another decade and drunk over the following 50-75 years.Robert Parker | 100 RPI love the tobacco, berry, cigar box, toasty oak, ripe fruit and fresh mushroom flavors in this full-bodied red, which has ultralayered tannins and vanilla, new oak and berry character. Powerful and superconcentrated, with great length. This is a muscular, full-throttle wine, racing very, very fast. Best after 2019. 1,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 100 WSDeep ruby-red. Penetrating aromas of cassis and minerals. The nose does not prepare one for this huge, improbably sweet, palate-saturating wine, whose pungent minerality and epic intensity makes it solid as a rock. The three-dimensional texture here is uncanny, and the wine’s explosive finishing flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and minerals persist for minutes. This must be one of the three or four greatest young Bordeaux I’ve ever tasted. The numbers here: 14.28% alcohol, 3.55 pH and an IPT between 80 and 85. This will go on for several decades, and I would not be at all surprised if it shut down in bottle for a very long time.Vinous Media | 98+ VMA superb wine that brings together all the qualities of this vintage. It has great fruit, layers of acidity, dark tannins and a velvety texture, without losing the sense of place that sets great Bordeaux apart.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WE

Made up of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the opaque bluish/purple 2005 from Bellevue-Mondotte offers amazing chocolate espresso notes along with blueberry and blackberry liqueur, some incense and a hint of flowers. Full-bodied and staggeringly concentrated, this blockbuster wine (in a blockbuster vintage) is unreal. Talk about a wine that is beyond belief – this is a great achievement from Chantal and Gérard Perse. Drink it over the next 25-30 years. Sadly, there were only 340 or so cases produced.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe crushed blackberry and raspberry are wonderful in this wine. Full-bodied, with superpolished tannins and loads of ripe fruit, toasty oak and coffee on the palate. Goes on and on. An opulent young red. Best after 2016. 420 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSBright ruby. Aromas of cassis, black raspberry and liquid graphite. Hugely concentrated but very backward, with exotic and extremely dark flavors of black fruits, licorice and violet. This has a surprisingly silky texture (a year ago it seemed to be a bit more chunky) but the major tannins are going to require considerable patience. Better than I thought last year, but not for the faint of heart.Vinous Media | 91-94 VMIncredible velvety texture, refined tannins, noble taste including the classic truffle undertones of the area, very intelligent winemaking. Super-first growth level. Drink from 2013.Decanter | 91 DEC

A magical showing, the 2005 Chateau Cheval Blanc is a powerful, deep, incredibly massive wine by this estate’s standards, yet it nevertheless never loses a sense of elegance, purity, and finesse. Bombastic notes of cassis, flowery incense, tobacco leaf, and dried soil all flow to a full-bodied red that has sweet, integrated tannins, a beautiful mid-palate, flawless balance, and a huge finish. It’s drinking shockingly well today, and my money is on it continuing to show this way for another three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2005 from Cheval Blanc is a quintessentially elegant, beautiful, deep bluish/ruby-colored wine from St.-Emilion, with raspberry, blueberry, and floral notes, impressive density, great precision, freshness and purity. Full-bodied, but extremely light on its feet, I don’t mean to gush, but it is super-intense, rich and just so meticulously crafted! This is another fabulous wine and a perfect expression for this vintage. It is difficult to forget the gorgeous blueberry and raspberry fruit, full body, sweet tannin, a multi-layered texture, and purity and palate presence of this stunning wine. Drink it over the next 20 years. P.S. In 2005, this was 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2005 Cheval Blanc has been nothing less than magical on two separate occasions. A wine of breathtaking nuance and sophistication, the 2005 Cheval dazzles right out of the gate. With a few hours of aeration the aromatics blossom and the wine is explosive in every dimension. Espresso, rose petal, mint, blood orange and incense all open as the 2005 shows off its magnificence and pedigree. Bright saline underpinnings convey energy, tension and brilliance. Cheval Blanc is perhaps not as immediately seductive as some of the other top 2005s, but its all there. In spades. I would give it a few more years to unwind.Antonio Galloni | 100 AGAlways a fabulous nose of black fruit, dark chocolate, nuts and spices. It’s full-bodied with beautifully dense tannins reminiscent of cashmere. A long, long finish rounds out this beautiful wine. It would be better to leave it alone until 2020 but so hard not to revel in its splendor now.James Suckling | 98 JSSubtle, complex, alluring aromatics. The palate is exceptionally smooth, ripe and intense with blackcurrant fruit, full and fleshy, lifted with freshness and with very fine tannin running through. Glorious! A very dry year, warm but without 2003’s heatwave, creating small berries, with a concentration of tannin, acid, colour delivering. 57% of the wine went into the Grand Vin, 26% Le Petit Cheval and 17% the 3ème vin. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030Decanter | 97 DECPlump, padded and comfortable is the initial impression. But this is also finely structured and dense, with tannins that are sweet, flavors of dark chocolate to go with the roundness and the enticing Cabernet Franc perfumes. In all, this is a great wine, with considerable aging potential, but with enough sweet fruit to make it attractive now.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThis is starting to awaken, with mulled spice, warm cocoa, freshly plowed loam and steeped black currant fruit aromas and flavors emerging slowly but steadily. The long finish ripples with dark earth, licorice snap and smoldering tobacco notes, while the currant core keeps pace easily. A big, beautiful wine.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe aristocracy of St-Emilion coasts on nonchalant power, with the grandeur you would expect from this site on the edge of Pomerol’s sacred plateau. Part voluptuous, part lean, this has a layering of flavor that could fill a writer’s notebook with the earthy, meaty and spicy directions of its complexities. It’s distinguished by an exact ripeness, so that the Bretty funk that might eat a lesser wine is merely a way into the cool limestone architecture, a tannic underground cellar that will sustain the fresh fruit. For the ages. Diageo Château & Estate Wines, NYWine & Spirits | 96 W&S

Made from 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Clos Fourtet is a powerhouse that does everything right and is borderline perfection in a glass. Awesome notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, graphite, tobacco, and scorched earth all flow to a full-bodied, thrilling concentrated, textured beauty that has sweet, sweet tannins, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a finish that won’t quit. I think it’s drinking perfectly today, but it has two more decades of prime drinking ahead of it. Don’t’ miss this stunning bottle of wine!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDDense ruby/purple, with notes of crushed rock, blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with some licorice and chocolate, this full-bodied, massive wine from proprietor Philippe Cuvelier coincides with the resurrection of this premier grand cru classé in St.-Emilion. As the wine sits in the glass, notes of espresso roast and chocolate emerge. This full-bodied classic should continue to drink well for another 25 years. This is a killer effort.Robert Parker | 98 RPThe 2005 Clos Fourtet is a dramatic, sweeping Saint-Émilion endowed with tremendous depth and unctuous intensity. Dark cherry, plum, cedar, tobacco and woodsmoke build as this rapturous, deeply textured wine shows off its allure. Silky, plush and wonderfully expressive, Clos Fourtet is fabulous in 2005. Bright saline notes, that are such a signature of Saint-Émilion’s plateau, balance all of the natural richness of the year. Readers lucky enough to own it can look forward to another several decades of exceptional drinking. This is a superb effort from the Cuvelier family.Vinous Media | 97 VMFeatures a lovely smoldering feel, with the currant and fig paste notes now melded seamlessly with apple wood and graphite details. Long and rich, this is starting to hint at a secondary phase, showing flashes of mulled spice, tobacco and tar. The structure has brightness and energy, but moves slowly to the background. Approachable now.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2035. 3,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA perfumed, sweet wine, immediately attractive. Behind this friendly exterior is a dark core of firm tannins, along with spice, blackberries, and new wood—not too much, just right. This chateau is firmly back on form.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WENo written review provided. | 92 W&S

A beautiful mix of red and black pinot fruit aromas nuanced by hints of smoke, earth and underbrush merges into textured and layered medium full flavors that possess plenty of underlying material and a punchy, strikingly long finish. This is quite backward at the moment and like the Colombière is closing up fast so again, plenty of air is advised. In sum, this is highly recommended as it’s of reference standard quality.Burghound | 93 BHGood deep red. Ripe, complex, slightly reduced aromas of plum, currant, cherry and smoke. Silky and vibrant, with lovely lift to the flavors of red fruits and dried rose. Finishes very long and bright, but distinctly firmer than the preceding village wines. This seems to be shutting down in bottle today.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

Full ruby. Brooding, deep aromas of blackberry, black cherry, minerals, violet and earth. Pure, precise and superconcentrated, with uncanny density and strength of blackberry and floral flavor. This saturates the entire palate, finishing with very firm tannins, a lightly mentholated quality and great persistence. Will need extended aging to express its inherent complexity. The year for Chambertin," notes Martin Prieur, who added that the Prieur parcel is located in a "much less regular spot" (in terms of ripening) than some others. Potentially great for this cuveeVinous Media | 94+ VMThe Prieur 2005 Chambertin had been racked and returned to barrel when I tasted. Generous blackberry liqueur, cedar and roasted meat aromas usher in an almost implosively concentrated, severely black-fruited palate, underlain by charred meat and a veritable sauna bath of wet stones. This really grips in the back, but formidable tannins keep it from being much fun to taste, for all of its obvious ripeness. If you imagine Chambertin of Napoleonic compactness and ambition – even though some of the best 2005s demonstrate how full of flowers and finesse youthful wine from this appellation can be – then here is your emperor of a wine. I wouldn’t want to bet against it over the long haul, although that might be long indeed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-93 RPStill very deeply colored. The still somewhat primary though nicely nuanced black fruit, spice and earth scented nose introduces big-bodied, rich and very concentrated flavors that brim with dry extract that also serves to buffer the moderately firm and lingering if somewhat monolithic finale. To my taste this has peaked even if only just and is a wine that should last for several more decades. With that said, it’s not clear that it’s necessarily going to improve from here. I found this to be perfectly good if a bit inelegant.Burghound | 92 BHI am sure that the Chambertin and Musigny chez Prieur are raised in one hundred percent new oak, and both wines were showing a fair bit of wood spice on the nose and a fair bit of wood tannin on the backend at the time of my March visit. The nose on the ’05 Chamby is a fine, meaty mélange of black cherries, cassis, woodsmoke, grilled meats, earth and spicy oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and focused, with a fine core of fruit, tangy acids, and plenty of chewy tannin currently in ascendancy on the long finish. I am sure that this will have no trouble eventually absorbing all of its new oak, but the question really needs to be asked as to whether or not the wine is better off for all of its new wood. As I tasted this I could not help imagining these fine raw materials with the terroir front and center in the same way that Freddy Mugnier’s Musigny is utterly defined by its refined soil these days. This is a very good Chambertin that to my palate could be unmistakably great with the new wood dialed down. (Drink between 2017 - 2060)John Gilman | 90-94 JG