Sydney and I finally used our gift certificate to the Dundee Bistro last night. I think many of us in the wine industry have a tendency to order imported wines when we go out, and around here, more often than not, that means Burgundy. Last night, eating duck confit and roasted chicken, it seemed like a perfect option.
The 2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode exhibited a deep, dark red color. Pretty red/black fruit aromas with a touch of barnyard. Sour cherry fruit and cocoa flavors which showed a bit of leather after some time in the glass. A big, sharp hit of tannin and a bitter bite at the end.
This strikes me as a wine being consumed about a decade too soon. As the wine sat, the tannins eased a bit and the bitterness mellowed, although it didn’t entirely disappear. Eating it with the duck, and even the chicken, contributed to making the wine seem softer and rounder and the fruit on the palate really pop.
Everything about this young wine is beautiful and balanced until the finish, when things go a little ajar. While showing some very lovely qualities, the La Dominode is running a little rough which fits with everything I have been reading about the evolution of the 2005s. I gather they are going to sleep, not to awake for many years, at which point the expectation is that they will amaze. In the meantime, we will have the 2006s to keep us occupied since, by all accounts, they won’t require as much time in the cellar to shine.
Now if only the dollar would come out of the hole…
The Pavelot La Dominode is carried by our good friends at Triage Wines.
- Daniel
Posted by Daniel 
