2005 Red Burgundy – Greatest Vintage of the Century?
2005 Red Burgundy – Greatest Vintage of the Century?
The 2005 vintage for Red Burgundy is widely regarded as a truly great vintage. Jasper Morris, the influential Burgundy critic, wrote on his Inside Burgundy website that he thinks of 2005 as “probably the best Red Burgundy vintage of my working lifetime”. The late Clive Coates wrote in The World of Fine Wine -- "The 2005 vintage in Burgundy is one of those rare occasions when nature and human skill combine to create something sublime. The red wines are stunning, with a rare combination of intensity, elegance and harmony. They have a seductive perfume of red and black fruits, flowers, spices and minerals, a silky texture and a firm backbone of acidity and tannin. They are wines of great character and longevity, but also of immense pleasure and charm."
Excellent wines were produced in both the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. The wines are characterised by rich and ripe fruit flavours, firm tannins and balancing acidity, a near perfect combination for red wines that will age gracefully. In this tasting we present a range of premier cru and Grand Cru wines, including wines from the well-known appellations of Pommard, Nuits-St-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Gevrey-Chambertin and Clos-St-Denis, and from well-regarded producers, including Marquis d’Angerville, Henri Gouges, Faiveley and de Montille. The tasting provides a comprehensive look at wines across the Côte-d'Or.
The wines presented in this tasting were purchased by the Society when first offered to the market en primeur. The prices for wines from Burgundy (red and white) have appreciated dramatically in the past decade, and the market value of the wines in this tasting is significantly in excess of the prices paid. The ticket prices for the tasting are £100 for Members and £120 for guests, and these prices represent a substantial discount to the market value of the wines, providing the Society’s Members and their guests the benefit of tasting mature wines from the Society’s reserves at prices well below market prices, while at the same time allowing the Society to invest in wine reserves to be presented at future tastings.
The Society is very pleased to welcome back Lance Foyster MW, of Clark Foyster Wines, and an importer of and enthusiast for Burgundy and its wines, to guide us through these fine wines. The tasting will appeal to experienced Burgundy connoisseurs as well as to those that are not yet familiar with the region, and attendees can decide for themselves whether all the ‘hype’ around Burgundy and the 2005 vintage is warranted. This tasting is not to be missed, and we expect tickets to sell quickly.
The wines to be tasted are:
Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses, Domaine Simon Bize
Volnay 1er Cru Champans, Domaine Marquis d'Angerville
Pommard 1er Cru Grand Clos des Epenots, Domaine de Courcel
Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots, Domaine Henri Gouges
Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots, Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Clos des Issarts” (Monopole), Domaine Faiveley
Corton Les Pougets Grand Cru, Domaine de Montille
Clos-St-Denis Grand Cru, Maison Nicholas Potel
Member tickets are £100 and guest tickets are £120.
If you have any questions, please contact the organiser, Will Robertson, on 020 7318 5002 or at will.robertson@realestate.bnpparibas.