One of the great renditions of this cuvée in recent times is the 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques, a magical wine that unfurls in the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of red berries and plums mingled with hints of raw cocoa, violets, blood orange and peony, complemented by enticing carnal bass notes. Full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's seamless and complete, with fine concentration, racy but ripe acids and ample reserves of fine, powdery tannin, concluding with a long and sapid finish. The 2005 Clos Saint-Jacques is a decade away from full maturity, but its reference-point quality has long been impossible to miss. This bottle, enjoyed in a Burgundian restaurant, only amplified my regret that I have none of this particular vintage in my own cellar.

A ripe yet cool and wonderfully fresh nose is just beginning to display subtle secondary nuances and is composed mostly by red berry fruit, discreet spice and earth, all of which is trimmed in an extremely subtle touch of oak. There is fine delineation and plenty of minerality on the utterly delicious middle weight flavors that are perhaps a bit less powerful than one might expect in the context of the vintage on the reasonably well-balanced and gorgeously long finish. I say reasonably well-balanced as there is a hint of warmth but it's not enough to compromise the sense of harmony. This decidedly serious effort is very much still on the way up and while it could be approached now, another 10 to 15 years should certainly return benefits. Tasted several times in the last 5 years with good consistency.