2005 Domaine Jean Grivot, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

Here the nose is much more deeply pitched with attractively spiced aromas that include iron-infused warm earth notes as well as animale and underbrush hints that lead to delicious, powerful and youthfully austere big-bodied flavors blessed with ample dry extract and a linear, concentrated and driving finish. There is real energy here and while the tannins are a bit brut at the moment, this is actually fairly refined as young Clos de Vougeot typically presents itself. Worth a close look as there is real depth here.

– Burghound.com, Issue 29. Tasted: Jan 2008

Wow. A stunning, powerful nose of super ripe blueberry, cassis and raspberry with wonderful interwoven new oak. The palate is warm and embracing, full-bodied and quite toasty but with good acidity and delineation. Almost impenetrable at the moment, but I think this will end up becoming a sumptuous, quite decadent Clos de Vougeot. Needs a great deal of time though. Tasted January 2007. Drink 2013-2018

Bright red-ruby. Strong redcurrant and cherry liqueur aromas, complemented by sweet oak. Very rich and thick, with a candied, liqueur-like quality that reminded me of a chocolate truffle. Very Clos Vougeot in its medicinal, menthol character, but can't quite match the lift or class of Grivot's '05s from higher-altitude sites. This is a more earth-bound wine but there's also plenty of juice on the very long, ripely tannic finish.

A 2005 Clos Vougeot offers a nose of blackberry, wreathed in wood smoke. Firmer in tannin and with less surface polish than most of Grivot’s wines, it exhibits chalky, black-fruited depth, and overt density, palate-coating richness, but also notable freshness and grip all the way through to its long if ultimately rather austere mineral finish. Figure waiting for 5-7 years just to check back on this. Etienne Grivot aimed this year for gentle extraction (essentially without pigeage), then watchful preservation of the freshness, subtleties and refinement inherent in near-perfect raw material. He performed some very light chaptalization to extend the fermentations. Given the health and natural concentration of his vinous raw material, he felt no need to sulfur or rack the wines until shortly prior to bottling (without filtration), which was the stage at which I tasted. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400.

Cask Sample. Very dark. Rather glorious nose – great spread of flavours, some almost brulée. Very dry on the finish but a lot more exciting and ambitious than many Clos Vougeots. (JR)