2005 Jean et Gilles Lafouge Auxey Duresses 1er Cru "Les Duresses" Cote de Beaune Burgundy France. Chambers Street Wine; $27.89. 13% alcohol. Imported by Fruit of the Vines, New York, NY.
Pale red color, pale hue, lovely fruit aroma with very good spice, mint, floral and earthen notes, very good red fruit tastes with mint, floral and earth notes, very good acidity in excellent balance with light tannins, long, interesting finish with fruit, mint and earth notes. Opened a little closed, but developed very nicely in the glass over two hours. Delicious with left over lamb stew. A very pretty wine drinking very well now. 4*.
Notes:
Auxey-Duresses is a village in the Cote de Beaune, a neighbor of Meursault, Monthelie, and Saint Aubin. There are only a few 1er Cru vineyards in Auxey-Duresses, Les Duresses and Bas du Duresses are the two at the southern most part of the appellation.
Chambers: We have long been partial to the Meursault, Auxey-Duresses and Pommard wines of Jean and Gilles Lafouge. It's a small domaine, roughly 7 hectares, the top vineyard being a small parcel of Pommard, les Chanlins. The quality here is very consistent, as we saw with the excellent wines produced in 2003 (despite the heat) and 2004. The premier cru Auxey-Duresses reds are always a great value with pretty fruit and lovely expressions of terroir. The quiet and modest Gilles Lafouge thinks that the La Chapelle has the best exposure, although the Climat du Val is considered to be the best site in Auxey-Duresses, with the Les Duresses wines being slightly lighter and ready to drink sooner. The 2005's here are lovely, very round and ripe with beautiful balance and good acidity. The Les Duresses is the most open with slightly spiced (mint) strawberry fruit. The La Chapelle is a bit heavier, but will need some time to open up. The Climat du Val has darker fruit, with more prune and plum and hints of violet.
Lyle Fass:
email: Gilles Lafouge thinks that the Les Duresses is the best of his three 1er Cru vineyards for early drinking. It has lovely pure strawberry fruit with herbal highlights, and soft tannins. it should drink well for another 5 years or so....It also has typical '05 crunchy Burgundy fruit and just this short of jammy. Really nice.
website: Had this wine yesterday and this was the Lafouge I remember. The wine had a soaring nose of spice, red berry fruit and minerals. The palate was a bit lean but explosive red berry fruit, a pillowy tetxure and those amazing 2005 ripe sweet tannins. Long finish and kept getting way complex as it aerated. Yum. Buying some for the cellar. No doubt.
I was at Chambers St. Wines this afternoon, and had this on my list but replaced it with a couple of 2005 Marechale Burgundies. I love Lafouge Meursault (2002 vintage) and thought about trying this one. Oh well, maybe another time.