Reflecting Drouhin’s especially large, choice holdings in this commune, their 2005 Chambolle-Musigny offers charry, smoky, meaty, pungently herbal and sweetly floral aromatics. Displaying subtle beef marrow richness, inner-mouth florality and cherry stone bitterness on the palate, this delicate and demure, bright and incipiently silken Pinot wants just a bit for juiciness and displays a slightly drying spot in the finish which I suspect is attributable to bottle shock. 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, 25,000-case generic “Laforet” displays tender, ripe cherry fruit, a silky palate and iodine-like minerality. Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne Laforet ($14.00;85). Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818 0770

Richly smooth wine, perfumed, elegant, but also, because this is from 2005, packed with ripe fruit. The balance is perfect, showing acidity, plenty of red berries, and layer of sweet, enticing tannins. At the end, the acidity gives a great lift to this powerfully charming wine.——R.V.(8/1/2008)—— 92