2005 Musigny Vieilles Vignes

From 25 to 55 year-old vines. Wonderfully subtly graded crimson. Very heady nose already. The malo finished in July 2006. Very complex and velvety already. This wine caresses the senses. Beautiful texture. Very, very fresh and elegant, lifted and lively. That precision of Amoureuses again but with much more voluptuousness. This wine expresses something that has absolutely nothing to do with ‘winemaking’ – juts place. Very fine tannins on the finish. Wonderful elegance. Seductive but in a very cerebral way somehow. This wine smells so amazingly fresh, in complete contrast to the more worked noses of the Dominique Laurent wines tasted earlier that day. Tasting the two wines alongside, it’s easy to imagine Amoureuses as a subset of the Musigny There is minerality, elegance and sensuality too. Real éclat. Aug 2007, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2015-2032

Bright, dark, saturated red-ruby. Pungent, noble aromas and flavors of raspberry, flowers, white pepper and powdered stone. Enters the palate with a wonderful lightness, then mounts impressively toward the back and saturates the entire mouth with fruits, spices, minerals and earth. As flamboyantly sweet as this wine is today, it's most remarkable for its power, definition, energy and cut. The tannins are still a bit youthfully spiky but this extremely backward wine finishes with superb thrust, grip and persistence. It's hard to imagine that this wine won't gain in texture and complexity over the next 20 to 30 years of aging in a cold cellar. 98+. Mar 2008, www.vinous.com

Prepare to be transported. A positively brilliant nose of violet and rose petal shines against a background of intensely spiced extravagant red and black pinot fruit nuanced by hints of earth and stone and this minerality continues onto the surprisingly supple flavors that convey a remarkable sense of energy and power on the almost unbelievably intense, focused and structured finish that seems to go on and on without end. And the '05 VV has what all truly great burgundies have which is that extra dimension of power without weight as this carries terrific punch and power yet delivers that explosiveness with impeccable class and grace. While I am duly mindful of the many legendary wines this domaine has produced (see the database for all vintages reviewed dating to 1919), the 2005 could very well join the list of the all time greats, there is really that much potential here. Whether it will ultimately transcend the heights achieved by the 1919 or the 1949 (among many others) remains an open question, I have zero doubt that 2005 will be a genuinely great vintage for this wine. Brilliance personified and absolutely a 'wow' wine, in fact, this merits a double 'wow'. Jan 2008, www.burghound.com