After taking a year off in 2004 (it was not released because of hail) the red Clos des Mouches is back and in excellent form with a high-toned and wonderfully seductive nose of raspberry and strawberry aromas nuanced by hints of oak spice and earth that continues on the rich sweet and solidly detailed medium full flavors all wrapped in a delicious supple and relatively forward finish supported by buried tannins. Like the Grèves this is so well balanced that it should age effortlessly.

Representing huge domaine holdings and in effect the Drouhin flag ship their 2005 Beaune Clos des Mouches displays aromas of roasted meat wood smoke black truffles plum and black raspberry. Persistently meaty in the mouth with plum pit and wet stone adjuncts this is archetypal 2005: richly ripe yet with an invigorating tart fresh edge and quite dark even somber in flavor shadings. The long savory finish while pouring out a generous helping of top quality fruit and meat juices also offers a veritable catalog of mineral nuances ... if only one had names for them all. This should be terrific in 5-7 years. These 2005s were bottled around two months earlier than usual says Frederic Drouhin to retain freshness. (Long-time oenologue Laurence Jobard incidentally was replaced this year by Jerome Faure-Brac.) As is always the case fruit from a great many properties owned or accessed by Drouhin is declassified and blended out leaving only selected terroirs as the subjects of single-site bottlings. (In 2004 for example even the Beaune Clos des Mouches - due to hail - was declassified into lip-smacking remarkably soothing Cote de Beaune.) That said as befits the quality of 2005 there were more individual bottlings from this vintage than is usual and I did not taste all of them. (Wines from the Drouhin domaine holdings display a "D" in their listing.) This year's collection radiates class from top to bottom. Even Drouhin's ubiquitous 25000-case generic "Laforet" displays tender ripe cherry fruit a silky palate and iodine-like minerality.