2005 Domaine Charles Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie

(94 Points  ----  John Gilman)

The 2005 Clos de la Dioterie continues to evolve gracefully from where it was a year ago, with the profound depth and purity of this vintage in Chinon beautifully displayed in this broad-shouldered, pure and powerful young wine. The bouquet is very deep, ripe and beautifully focused, as it offers up a stunning blend of black cherries, cassis, dark chocolate, currant leaf, woodsmoke, gravelly soil tones, tobacco and a pungent topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, bottomless and sappy at the core, with ripe, well-covered tannins, beautiful focus and superb length and grip on the palate-staining finish. This wine is very ripe (over fourteen percent), but shows absolutely no signs of overripeness in its aromas and flavors, and not a hint of heat anywhere on the palate. It should age brilliantly, and prove to be one of the longest-lived and most profound examples from Chinon in this great vintage. Shockingly, it is still readily available in the market. Review Date: 07/2008