2005 Gevrey-Chambertin en Billard (Alain Burguet)

It is rare that we bring back a bottle from some trip and open a bottle right away, but on this occasion we were concerned about a potential corked situation and we were in the mood for a good bottle of wine. Thus this wine was opened probably 5 years in advance of what we expected. This Côte-d’Or, Burgundy was highly recommended from the Caves Augé local guru. Augé is one of the oldest wine shops in Paris, located in the 8ieme on blvd. Haussmann this shop will delight the senses immediately upon entering (see picture below to see what I mean). Once inside do not be shy to ask for help. Name a region and a price range and watch the shopkeep work his magic. In this case we wanted something in the 35 to 50 euro range for our Bourgogne choice. Part of our requirements beyond price were the ability to cellar and something he would drink himself. Not difficult requirements, and pleasantly we were rewarded with a fine wine. Before I go on to the tasting it should be noted we did buy two of these, but I doubt we will open the second for many a year as the below will indicate. But when we do, I will blog about it here. Another note should be that the Gevrey-Chambertin region is the closest region to the famous city of Dijon and therefore the most northern part of Burgundy. On to the tasting!

This wine decanted showed it’s youth with a vibrant purple-red colour and heavy nose of cherry and spice. Once inside our pinot glasses we swirled out more of the same fruit and hints of casis. First sip gave a quick view of what was in store, big bold and beautiful. Good solid tannins with heavy fruit make this wine jump at you in such a way as to want to more and more. This beauty will benefit from significant cellaring time, in the range of 7 to 15 years. It is stellar Burg’ and represents the vintage well. If you happen to come across this in any capacity pick some up, you will be well rewarded. We ended up paying under $60 Canadian after exchange which makes this one ‘helluva’ a steal. Online auctions have this in the $65 US range if they have stock, so keep your eyes peeled.

The CWG Subjective Rating is a 91 out of 100.

Mrs CWG believes

we made a good choice getting two of these!