2005 Domaine Leroy Nuits Saint Georges Lavieres

Producer note: Lalou Bize-Leroy calls 2005 an "excellent millésime in both colors. There is a harmony to this vintage that speaks of la grande classe and you can feel it in the quality of the tannins, which are refined and very ripe. The level of phenolic ripeness in this vintage is really something yet there is absolutely no sense of surmaturité or heaviness. Overall, including the Bourgogne, we brought in just under 20 hl/ha, which for us is a good yield. Sugars were excellent at between 13 and 13.5% as were the acidities and the post malo pHs were also terrific at around 3.4. Overall, the vintage really has no direct parallel but I suppose it reminds me somewhat of 1996 or perhaps 1999." In contrast to several recent vintages where the wines were bottled very early, Mme Bize told me that they would begin the bottling for the '05s at the end of November so I tasted them just before they were to be racked into 4 barrel groups for the mise.
The Leroy '05s are exceptional by any measure and several of the 1ers are simply incredible and while it's hard to call any wines that sell for the prices that these do bargains, if such a term can be applied to them then it applies to the best of these 1ers, in particular the Beaux Monts and Chambolle Charmes, which are quite simply mind bending. There is no additional review of the 2004s as they were reviewed from bottle in Issue 22. However, I wish to add that a number of subscribers who had tried them here in the US notified me that there was an extreme cloudiness to several of them. In this regard, I can report that I have had the range of Leroy '04s twice now and in neither case did I notice undue cloudiness or lack of commercially acceptable clarity. At the second tasting in November however I did notice that they had shut down substantially since February but again, there was no problem with clarity.

Tasting note: Here the aromas are higher-toned and more elegant with a pretty mix of spicy red and black fruits nuanced with mocha and earth notes that continue onto the suave, rich, sweet and sappy medium full flavors that drench the palate in dry extract on the round and long finish that is certainly attractive but there isn't quite the energy and punch here. Still, this is a lovely effort and worth a look.
Tasted: Jan 01, 2007 Score: 89-91 Drink: 2012+.
Allen Meadows-Burghound issue #25