French, Burgundy Red

87 Points - Wine Spectator, December 2007
"Aromatic, with floral, dried berry and a hint of chocolate, this is complex and dense, with a grainy texture. Broad and well-integrated, with a lingering finish. Drink now through 2014. 1,100 cases made." -Bruce Sanderson

From the Winemakers:
"Our red wines are showing attractive and rather deep colour with red fruits on the nose. They have marked though closed annins, which bring roundness and length.

Our white wines are unveiling fresh and expressive flavours with a dominance of fruits rather than flowers. On the palate, they are offering delightful aromatic precision, great purity and more suppleness than we initially expected.

The 2004 vintage, in white as in red, gave birth to balanced wines, full of freshness, fruit and finesse. Certainly most of them will be pleasant in their youth, however the Premiers and Grands Crus will deliver some very pleasant surprises after a few years bottle ageing."

Rating and Review for Previous Vintage:

93-94 Points - Wine Advocate, June 2007
"From sixty-some year-old vines in chalk and flint-rich soil, Germain’s 2005 Beaune Les Cras Vieilles Vignes more than lives up to the reputation established in the course of many vintages by its illustrious predecessors. A complex nose of black cherry, orange zest, black truffle, toasted walnuts and subtle flowers lead to a palate of fresh, spiced cherry, sedate underlying fresh meatiness and a fascinating finishing interplay of fruit, spice, piquant nuttiness, sweet florality, wet stone, salt, and indeed downright ineffable minerality. This incorporates 50% new oak, but it’s not noticeable." -David Schildknecht

100% Pinot Noir from vines planted in 1966. The grapes are harvested in September and fermented in stainless steel followed by 8-10 months in the barrel. The wine is not fined, and undergoes only a light filtering. 6000 bottles produced each year.

89 Points - Wine Spectator, October 2009
"This offers macerated cherry and raspberry flavors, with spice and fine tannins for support. Supple and elegant, with a mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2014. 450 cases imported." -Bruce Sanderson

"While Philippe Colin's red wine vineyards number fewer than his white wine holdings, the red wines are certainly no less impressive. Indeed, a good argument could be made for the case that Colin's reds rival those of an even more select group of top Burgundian producers. His 2006 reds are lovely wines, graceful and elegant, yet loaded with complex flavors. Each is a striking example of Pinot Noir as it should be grown and produced in Burgundy." -The Importer

Rating and review for previous vintage:

90 Points - Wine Spectator, May 31, 2009
"A touch gamy on the nose, shifting to black cherry, blackberry and earth notes. Rich and dense, with well-integrated tannins and a lingering finish. Drink now through 2016. 50 cases imported." -Bruce Sanderson

100% Pinot Noir sourced from 1.6 ha in the communes of Bligny-lés-Beaune and Pommard. The wine is characterized by a moderately intense color, and reveals an impressive array of aromas, an essential quality of Pinot Noir.

Rating for previous vintage:
Wine Advocate # 170 (Apr 2007)
Rating: 88
"The emphasis is on striking purity of fruit and what the French would call digestibilite, as aptly illustrated by a 2005 Bourgogne Cuvee Gravel offering aromas and flavors of sweet, pure, frank baked cherry, a creamy texture and caressing finish."