Geoff Kelly Library Tasting - The Great 2005 Vintage in (Red) Burgundy - Wednesday 26 August, 6pm, $290

At Regional Wines, Beers and Spirits - 15 Ellice Street, Wellington 6011

Booking Conditions: Please note there will be no refunds for cancellations with less than 48 hours prior notice

Introduction:

In this Library Tasting revisiting the great 2005 vintage in Burgundy,  we will also pay tribute to two recently deceased absolute pioneers of pinot noir in New Zealand:  the quiet Tim Finn of Neudorf Vineyard,  Moutere Hills,  noted for both chardonnay and pinot noir,  and the colourful Danny Schuster of variously Lincoln College Oenology & Viticulture Group,  initially St Helena vineyard in Belfast,  and later his his own Waipara vineyard,  plus overseas consultancies.  

In previous iterations of these 2005 burgundies,  I have included New Zealand examples,  just to see how we compare (at that stage).  To honour Tim,  this year the New Zealand wine will be his 2005 Home Vineyard. 

For the burgundies,  this tasting is unmatched in recent-years New Zealand-wide wine tasting opportunities,  in offering the chance to compare three different versions of one of the most definitive pinot noir vineyards in all Burgundy,  the 16.8 ha Grand Cru Clos de la Roche in Morey-Saint-Denis.  Two of our producers are world-famous,  Domaine Rousseau and Domaine Hubert Lignier (as may be inferred from the Wine-Searcher current value indications below), and the third Nicolas Potel (ss) is well-regarded.  Special thanks to John Comerford for making the Potel wine available for this tasting.

Points inflation is now endemic in the New World,  with both New Zealand and Australian wine-writers now routinely (and tiresomely) scoring local pinot noirs in the middle 90s ... even 99. Yet upon tasting the wine,  all too often the comments suggest the writers have barely, if ever, tasted Grand Cru burgundy.  This tasting will I hope, provide a not-easily-matched and valid reference point to tune-up on the qualities of truly fine pinot noir.  

The 2005 vintage in Burgundy was at the time received with rapturous enthusiasm.  Jasper Morris,  MW,  in the now 'standard text' Inside Burgundy (pp.623,624):  "For years I used to discuss the potential of a good new red burgundy vintage with Dominique Lafon,  and we would say 'yes, that's good, but not as good as 1978'. However, there was no such question over 2005 – clearly of greater potential than 1978 or anything else since – or indeed any vintage for many years before. Possibly 1959?  The reds will be magnificent over the long term."

Likewise Jancis Robinson, not noted for being easily carried away with the latest fad,  reported in 2007:  "If there is one dominant characteristic of these wines it is their thrilling combination of ripeness and acidity. ...  Fred Mugnier of Domaine J F Mugnier, sees a contradiction in the 2005s because they have both the freshness of a cool vintage and the richness and texture more reminiscent of an overripe vintage. ‘This makes the wines very interesting,’ he assured me, 'because they have great current appeal but also real potential for ageing'."

Evocative stuff.  But in an age inclining more to instant gratification ... many have subsequently expressed disquiet at the high tannin levels of these ripe grapes,  and found the wines thus far relatively unrewarding.  But in general …  the top levels of the British wine trade still believe in them.

In New Zealand I have presented two reviews of the 2005 Burgundies so far,  the first for Otago winemakers in 2015,  the second for Marlborough and Nelson winemakers,  in 2016.  Tim Finn attended the latter one.  And yes … we did feel that maybe the more tender side of great burgundy ... in particular the floral attributes fine burgundy bouquets can display ... were not thus far too apparent.  Whereas the tannin richness and ripeness was.  Hence the delay of 10 years in now presenting a third chance to taste these now-rare wines.

In selecting the wines,  apart from the benchmarking opportunity noted above,  I have sought to show some of the more softly-styled and tending red-fruited Cote de Beaune wines,  as well as the ideally more piquant,  exciting and hinting-at-darker-fruits wines from the Cote de Nuits.  Both  groups include a span of classification and price,  from village wines to Grands Crus.  No space for a simple Bourgogne !

The wines (with duplicates for all three Clos de la Roche wines) plus alternative bottles for the others,  Wine-Searcher valuation shown,  will be: 

Wines:    

2005 Neudorf Vineyard Pinot Noir Moutere Home Vineyard,  Nelson,  14%,  $NZ98

Cote de Beaune:

2005 Nicolas Potel Volnay Vieilles Vignes (original label),  Cote de Beaune,  13%,  $NZ153   
2005 Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Greves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus Premier Cru,  Cote de Beaune, 13.5%,  $NZ309
2005 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Rugiens Premier Cru,  Cote de Beaune,  13.5%, NZ$470 
2005 Domaine de Montille Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru,  Cote de Beaune,  13%,  $NZ673

Cote de Nuits:
2005 Daniel Bocquenet Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Saint-Julien,  Cote de Nuits,  13%,  $NZ158
2005 Domaine Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Non-Filtré,  Cote de Nuits, 13%,  $NZ385
2005 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne,  Cote de Nuits, 13%,  $NZ422   
2005 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée Les Rouges Premier Cru,  Cote de Nuits, 13%,  $NZ461
2005 Nicolas Potel Clos de la Roche Grand Cru (original label),  Cote de Nuits, 13.5%,  $NZ468
2005 Domaine Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Grand Cru,  Cote de Nuits,  13%,  $NZ1,496
2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru,  Cote de Nuits,  13.5%,  NZ$2,291

If sold out, please email John at online@regionalwines.co.nz to be placed on the waitlist.