A classic vintage meets a standout terroir. This 2005 Les Cailles shows off deep cherry fruit, spice, and a firm backbone of tannin and minerality. Youthful structure still intact, but starting to show its refined side. Elegant and built to evolve—definitely worth a decant if opening now.

* Available for pre-order, estimated delivery December 2025
* Offered in OWC 1 or OWC 6 cases

Wine Spectator | WS 91
Published: May 15, 2008

A modern style, clean and polished, with black cherry, raspberry and spice flavors backed by firm tannins. Shows concentration, with a tough finish now. Needs time. Best from 2013 through 2025.

The Wine Advocate | RP 89
Published: Jun 29, 2007

From a recent acquisition, the Bouchard 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Cailles displays tart, cherry-rhubarb fruit character. Distinct chalkiness but pliable texture, along with impressive clarity of fruit and inner-mouth perfume, lead to a clean, lean, refined red fruit, spice and chalky mineral finish.

Managing director Stephane Follin and cellar master Philippe Prost preside over a remarkable new, gravity-fed winemaking facility capable of handling the fruits of Bouchard’s 130 hectares of vines – Burgundy’s largest estate (with 84 hectares in premier and grand crus alone) – not to mention the enormous range of wine from purchased fruit or wines. Fully 40% of the reds are vinified in open-top fermenters with manual punch-downs (the balance in a battery of roto-fermentors) and the system of traffic control alone that must be in place during crush is hard to imagine. The underground acreage devoted to barriques similarly defies imagination – until one sees it. Prost was very cautious with pigeage this year, but incorporated a significant percentage of whole clusters with stems in many of his better lots. A reputation for improved quality is being built here to which the results of 2005 will certainly contribute. I suspect that a number of the wines I tasted had not recovered from their recent bottling, hence the number of “+?”s one sees displayed following my scores. (Wines from the Domaine are designated D on the list above.)

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 18-
Published: Jan 18, 2006
Drink: 2010-2019

Cask sample. Sweet slightly medicinal cherry and spice on the nose. Smoky oak overlay and opening out to a masculine exoticism. Lovely crisp acidity perfectly aligned with firm fine tannins and supporting this darkly spicy fruit. Spicy oak a bit dominant at the end just now.

Bouchard-pereetfils.com

Situated in the south of the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges, the "Climat" of Les Cailles is different from its neighbours, producing an elegant, feminine wine. As early as 1892, Danguy and Aubertin classified it as a "tete de cuvee" in their book "Les Grands Vins de Bourgogne". Bouchard Pere & Fils owns 1.08 hectares of this exceptional "terroir" where the ground is oolithic chalk (chalk composed of ooliths i.e. little balls of the size of fish eggs formed by the concretion of chalk on hard stones).

T A S T I N G
TASTING NOTE: Intense notes of black fruit blended with oaky touches and delicately spiced. Full and fleshy on the palate, the structure of this wine is based on elegant tannins. Very good ageing potential.
FOOD/WINE PAIRING: Game, venison, meat dishes in sauce.
SERVING TEMPERATURE: Between 17C to 18C
AGEING POTENTIAL: 7 to 10 years and more

K N O W - H O W
HARVEST: manual, in small cases of 13 kg. Careful manual sorting of each grape.
VINIFICATION: Following total or partial destemming on the vintage, fermentation in small containers, gentle pressing ensure optimal vinification. Depending on the profile of the vintage, vatting lasts 15 to 20 days.
MATURING: is carried out for 12 to 14 months in French oak, with 40 to 50% new oak.
AGEING: The cellars of the Bastions of the ancient Ch?teau de Beaune offer natural ambient conditions that are perfectly adapted to ageing the Premiers Crus.

V I N E Y A R D
GRAPE VARIETY: Pinot Noir
EXPOSITION: East-Southeast
SOIL OF THE APPELATION: Oolite limestone
TOTAL SURFACE OF THE APPELATION IN PRODUCTION:3.81 hectares
DOMAIN SURFACE IN PRODUCTION: 1.08 hectares