2005 Musigny
By Maison Joseph Drouhin
2005 Musigny from Maison Joseph Drouhin, Burgundy, France
Surveying the formidable landscape of Burgundy, one cannot help but pause at the exquisite creation that is the 2005 Musigny from Maison Joseph Drouhin. A vintage distinguished by its rare combination of power and poise, the 2005 stands as an oenological beacon, lighting the path for fine wine connoisseurs and discerning investors alike.
The Epitome of Elegance: A Vintage Defined
The virtues of the 2005 season in Burgundy are epitomised in this Musigny; a year that yielded wines with profound complexity and exceptional longevity. The benevolent climate graced the vines with ample sunlight and optimal growing conditions fostering an impeccable fruit ripeness whilst retaining essential acidity. The result from Maison Joseph Drouhin is a Musigny with a magnificent bouquet, teeming with red cherries, ripe strawberries, and an earthy undercurrent complemented by hints of spice and delicate floral nuances.
An Unmissable Investment Calibre
Upon palate entry, one experiences an orchestration of balance; where the muscular structure aligns with velvety tannins and exquisite minerality originating from Musigny's cherished terroir. This is a wine that confidently straddles the line between intensity and elegance, offering a luxuriant texture while preserving a thrilling vibrancy through its harmonious finish. Indeed, such intricacies render the 2005 Musigny from Maison Joseph Drouhin a paramount choice for those looking to enrich their portfolio with a bottle that epitomises not just Burgundian finesse but also robust investment potential.
In closing, we observe that this splendidly crafted elixir has embraced its fifteen-plus years with grace and assurance. It emerges now in full command of its faculties, promising further decades of evolution for those with the patience to allow it to reach its zenith. For aficionados and investors yearning to acquire a piece of Burgundy's storied history, this encompassing 2005 Musigny presents itself as one of the most persuasive opportunities of recent times.
Market price (HKD)
HK$220,060.00
12x75cl
Highest score
97
POP score
1354.12
Scores and tasting notes
The 2005 Musigny offers a compellingly complex nose of black raspberry, plum, cranberry, maraschino, truffle, flowers, raw meat, peat, and wet stone. Fabulously mouth-coating, with a plush, creamy texture, its tannins entirely sublimated, this finishes with soaring lift and uncanny clarity and refinement of flavor, incorporating a floral dimension almost as vivid as that accruing to this year’s Clos de Beze. These 2005s were bottled around two months earlier than usual, says Frederic Drouhin, to retain freshness. (Long-time oenologue Laurence Jobard, incidentally, was replaced this year by Jerome Faure-Brac.) As is always the case, fruit from a great many properties owned or accessed by Drouhin is declassified and blended out, leaving only selected terroirs as the subjects of single-site bottlings. (In 2004, for example, even the Beaune Clos des Mouches – due to hail – was declassified into lip-smacking, remarkably soothing Cote de Beaune.) That said, as befits the quality of 2005, there were more individual bottlings from this vintage than is usual, and I did not taste all of them. (Wines from the Drouhin domaine holdings display a “D” in their listing.) This year’s collection radiates class from top to bottom. Even Drouhin’s ubiquitous, 25,000-case generic “Laforet” displays tender, ripe cherry fruit, a silky palate and iodine-like minerality. Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne Laforet ($14.00;85). Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818 0770
David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 28 June 2007