2005 Burgundy - First Reports are Glowing

Alan Meadows, aka the Burghound (www.burghound.com) has been studying and drinking Burgundy for over 30 years. His opinions on Burgundy are unmatched in the wine world. So when his latest review of the 2005 and 2004 vintages of the Cote de Nuits starts with the declaration, “2005: Arguably the Best Vintage in a Generation,” you have to take notice.

Meadows has heard a lot of vintage hype for years, but 2005 appears to be the real deal. He says “2005 is quite simply the best top to bottom vintage that I have ever seen, period, full stop. 2005 is so good that it blows the next closest recent contender, 1999, right out of the water. In short, mortgage your house, sell your dog, hock your spouse (but don’t forget where, you’ll eventually need someone to enjoy these wines with!) or do whatever you have to do but don’t miss the best wines of the vintage or you will I believe live to regret it. Finally, just to be sure that I have your attention, the 2005s are the best wines since the magnificent 1978s.”

There is always some bad news to go with the good news and in this case (sic), the 2005 Burgundies will cost you some serious money. According to Meadows, “The first tranche pricing that I have seen is up 10 to 20% over 2004, which given the superior quality is reasonable. Second and later tranche pricing though is likely to get ugly.” One important thing to remember is the quality is great from top to bottom, meaning Bourgogne and Village level wines from top producers will be ones to search for with selective purchasing of 1er Crus. The Grand Crus will be beyond most drinker’s reach and easily rival their 2003 Bordeaux first growth counterparts in price. The old saying, “Burgundy is great if you can get someone else to buy it for you,” definitely applies here.

For a full report on the 2005 Burgundies including extensive tasting notes, subscribe to the burghound reports issued quarterly. The cost is $125 per year ($225 for 2 years) for the electronic version. The subscription also includes access to the largest database of drinking notes on Burgundies going back to many distinguished older vintages of the last century. Called the “ultimate Burgundy reference”, this is no overstatement.