Barthod has a strong reputation particularly over the last few years and yet I don't seem to have tried the wines very often. I don't know why, because the quality here is excellent. The Bourgogne Rouge has usually been very good (I recall drinking quite a lot of the particularly good 1988 over several years) and according to Ghislaine Barthod one reason (apart from the quality of the winemaking here) is that there is some rather good soil that is only "Bourgogne Rouge" in the vicinity of Chambolle. The 2005 seems to be a splendid example, continuing this tradition. One thing that struck me about the premier crus here was the difference between the Beaux Bruns from the centre of the appelation with the higher-toned, more elegant Les Fuees and Les Cras from further up the hill - the latter two vineyards are essentially the southward continuation of the Grand Cru Bonnes Mares. I prefer the latter but I am sure the plummy, more luscious Beaux Bruns will have its fans too.

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