Bonnes Mares Vieilles Vignes 2005 75cl

There are three barrels of 2005 Bonnes Mares ? an appellation new to Laurent ? and the wine is notable for its ripeness, its lift and elegance, and its clarity for flavors. Vanilla and caramel-tinged black raspberry and strawberry mingle with smoked meat, brown spices, mineral salts on a creamy, rich palate. Yet there is an abundance of fresh berry tone as well, lending a juicy, invigorating cast. The finish offers ultra-refined, ethereal, almost endless sweet fruit in a Riesling-like call and response with ineffable mineral notes. The typical savageness of this site (as amply demonstrated by so many 2005 examples) has here been tamed and refined to a remarkable degree. One could enjoy this in its youth, it seems, although I am sure it will benefit from more than a decade?s aging.