Tasting Notes
Vinous 96+
(vendange entier Deep red-ruby. Pungent aromas of red fruits and flowers deepened by musky roast coffee and sexy nutty oak. Superbly concentrated and refined red berry and floral flavors show outstanding grip and energy, and a light touch that belies the wine’s great sweetness. Finishes with exceptional persistence and penetration. This too has alcohol between 12.8% and 13%. Jeremy Seysses noted that the family did not control the vineyards from the Thomas-Moillard purchase until the growing season of 2006, and thus these wines are at least a half-degree lower in alcohol than the crus from the original Dujac holdings.
JancisRobinson.com 18
Fewer than three full barrels made of this. Lowkey nose of this wine about to be bottled. Opened up in the glass to something quite different from any of the wines tasted before – there’s an element that’s almost roasted. Sweet start then sumptuous and silky. Perhaps this just needs time? Fine and not too earthy although not explosively wonderful yet. From a plot of vines planted by Sylvain Cathiard’s grandfather.
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2032
Robert Parker 97
From the former Thomas-Moillard holdings, the Dujac 2005 Romanee St.-Vivant offers a superb nose of purple plum, black raspberry, flowers, tar, game, clove and star anise. Soothing and sweetly-fruity like the Chambertin and with similarly integrated tannins ” here in a positively creamy, palpably thick matrix ” it truly stains the palate with the intricacy, clarity and indelibleness of a master tattoo artist. This Pinot possesses a remarkably energetic sense of flavor interplay, elegance, and lift for one so viscous and densely-, almost digitally-packed with flavor information. The already rich array of crus at Domaine Dujac has recently been augmented on two fronts. The purchase (along with de Montille) of the Societe Civile du Clos de Thorey (Thomas-Moillard) has brought them a raft of choice parcels including three new grand cru holdings (for a staggering total of eight). Meanwhile, they have expanded their negociant arm (with control over harvest and green harvest a prerequisite) to supplement in particular their volumes of village-level wine. (Those wines ” labeled “Dujac Fils & Pere†” are signified in the above listing with “FPâ€. In fact, due to a legal technicality, the 2005 vintage wines from the properties newly acquired by the domaine ” but not subsequent vintages ” will also read “Fils & Pere†rather than “Domaineâ€.) Even with California-trained oenologist Diana Seysses (nee Snowden) joining her husband Jeremy and in-laws Jacques and Alec, and with a new winery (though at the old address) I wonder at how they are able to keep up with the magnitude of their responsibilities. Yet despite so many parcels and vines new to them this year, the results are consistently outstanding and at times astounding. Much of the vinification ” increasingly as one goes up the hierarchy of crus ” was of whole clusters. Malos finished (finally) by November and the wines were bottle in December and January. Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel.(415) 491 4724
