2005 Gerard Raphet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques

"From vines planted in the 1920s, Raphet’s 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St.-Jacques – of which there are but three and a half barrels – leads with scents of black raspberry and smoked meats. Rich, yet not at all heavy on the palate, it displays lovely sweetness of primary fruit and inner-mouth perfume suggesting flowers and citrus zest. Here one gets multi-dimensional, layered complexity along with elegance. A long, meat- and mineral-dominated finish ultimately culminates in wisps of smoke and a lick of salt. A substantial share of Raphet’s diverse acreage is in the Clos de Vougeot, all of it situated near the route nationale and nearly all in one large block at the north end of the Clos. The wine is often good but seldom exceptional." 94pts - The Wine Advocate