2005 Domaine Sylvain Cathiard, Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, Aux Malconsorts, Bottle (750ml)

RP97 "I recall tasting the 2005 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Malconsorts from barrel with Sylvain back in 2007 and thinking something along the lines of “Wow.” And despite being first in the line-up of many older vintages, this still ranks as one of Sylvain’s finest creations. It has a pure and precocious mint-tinged nose that is almost crystalline in its purity, deftly handling the new oak and retaining its youthful zeal. There is a sense of symmetry and precision on the palate – not a hair out of place. The fruit is slightly darker than its ’02 counterpart tasted alongside. The finish offers a gentle crescendo that risks leaving the imbiber stupefied. Give it a few more years, but this is one case where I empathize with infanticide. Drink 2017-2030+ Tasted June 2014." NM for TWA Aug 2014

BH95 "Subtle traces of background wood and reduction frame overly spicy black and blue fruit plus rose petal and violet-infused floral aromas that are still notably primary. The wonderfully fresh, vibrant and powerful flavors are quite rich, robust and well-muscled though not rustic with copious amounts of dry extract that saturate the palate on the velvety and seductively textured finish that goes on and on. As I wrote when I first reviewed this that it could very well surprise to the upside and indeed it has done just that. Note too though that this is still at least a decade away from being really drinkable closer to 20 years away from full maturity so ample patience will still be required. Tasted twice since my original review (see herein) with similar if not exact results." AM for BH Oct 2018