2005 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er Cru

Saturated ruby-red. Explosive, multidimensional nose offers raspberry, dark cherries macerated in alcohol, minerals and leather, with a treble note of citrus skin. Like liquid silk in the mouth; already shows its great depth, but the highly complex, soil-inflected flavors of black raspberry, dark chocolate, leather and fresh blood are still youthfully reserved. Most impressive today on the remarkably sappy, precise finish, which builds slowly and subtly and is given even greater penetration and grip by a suggestion of grapefruit. I could drink this wine every night of the week-and probably for the next two decades.

The 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges Les St.-Georges displays a fascinating nose of black cherry, wood smoke, sandalwood, and sea breeze. Rich, deep, charred meat, toasted nut, lightly-cooked black fruit and myriad mineral notes lead to a palate-saturating spread of flavors, finishing vividly bright and above all – with its elements of wet stone, salts, iodine and ore-like if ineffable essences – memorably mineral. Fine-grained in tannin and formidably concentrated, this should be at least a twenty-year wine, revealing plenty of additional nuance along the way. The 2004 version, incidentally, is also serious and worth tracking down and cellaring for a few years. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Full red-ruby. Reduced, austere nose hints at dark berries, licorice and minerals. Then silky and wonderfully fine-grained, with brilliant flavor definition and the breadth and palate coverage of a top grand cru. Compellingly dense and thick but not the least bit heavy. Finishes with uncanny aromatic persistence. A potentially brilliant example of Nuits-Saint-Georges from an estate that has consistently been at the top of the hierarchy in this village for at least the past 15 years.