The 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin (and all of the wines that follow it in Claude Dugat’s line-up) was bottled only a week before I arrived, but any tendency these wines had to seem unyielding struck me as part and parcel of their personality and the vintage rather than a result of their recent (unfiltered) bottling. This comes from numerous parcels, most of them below the route nationale. Aromas of dried cherry and cranberry with whiffs of wood smoke and oak resin lead to a concentrated, sweet yet pithy, chewy palate of chocolate-dipped and kirsch-saturated dried cherries, with firm tannins and noticeable oak but undeniably persistent sweetness in the finish. I confess to finding this more formidable than loveable. The structure and concentration suggest at least 8-10 years aging, although I am uncertain about what will emerge as this wine’s primary sweetness recedes. Known for his low yields and intensely concentrated Pinots (all but the Bourgogne raised in new barrels), Claude Dugat – with the increasing involvement of his son Bertrand – has rendered a formidable 2005 collection that makes no concessions to early charm. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083.