Producer note: Pierre Morey (who is also the winemaker for Domaine Leflaive), commented that 2005 gave us a "troubled flowering in chardonnay but not in pinot. As such we had a good quantity without having excess production with excellent maturity of the structural elements and essentially a perfectly clean crop. Moreover, there was excellent balance between the elements of sugar, acidity and tannins. We picked between the 17th and the 24th of September without a drop of rain and cool morning conditions. I really like 2005 and it will be a long distance runner." The reds were bottled in January and I tasted them in February. (Wilson & Daniels, St. Helena, CA; Wine Society, Justerini & Brooks, Layton's Wine Merchants, Oddbins and Bibendum, all UK).
Tasting note: A relatively high-toned nose of very fresh red berries and cherry with bass notes of warm earth and underbrush that continue onto the rich, full and dense flavors that display outstanding depth of material and are supported by ripe tannins and impressive length on the powerful and penetrating finish. Excellent quality.
