This is a study in silk and velvet with a ripe, elegant and refined nose featuring very red berry fruit aromas and hints of smoked meat, wood spice and anise that merge seamlessly into dense and concentrated flavors that completely saturate the palate with sap and culminate in a fantastically long finish that leaves one almost wondering when it will stop as it seems to stop only to start up again. The '05 Griotte has that 'wow' factor as it's harmonious and spherical and while it will age effortlessly for years to come, there is so much mid-palate depth that it will be approachable young.