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Search Flickinger Wine Inventory
Inventory updated: Thu, Apr 19, 2018 08:05 PM cst
Your search criteria:
Regions: Bordeaux Red
Vintages: Between 2005 and 2005
| Producer |
Vint. |
Wine |
Price |
Bts |
Qty |
| | Bordeaux Red |
| Ch. d' Aiguilhe |
2005 |
Cotes de Castillon  |
$39 |
8 |
|
| |
WA 92 (8/2008): This huge, historic property, owned by Stephan von Neipperg, appears to have produced their finest wine to date. The dense purple-tinged 2005 offers up notes of creme de cassis, charcoal, camphor, and espresso roast. A sleeper of the vintage, it is a full-bodied, layered, super-concentrated, smooth as silk blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Enjoy this superb bargain-priced claret over the next 8-10 years.
WS 92 (3/2008): Displays gorgeous aromas of vanilla bean, mineral, raspberry and blackberry. Full-bodied, with very round, soft tannins and a long, rich, fruity finish. Beautiful. Best after 2016. 8,330 cases made.
VM 91 (6/2008): ( 14.5% alcohol) Bright ruby-red. Almost candied sweetness to the aromas and flavors of pungent black fruits and minerals. Then wonderfully ripe, full and sweet in the mouth, with captivating freshness. The tannins arrive very late, allowing the fruit to expand and linger. "We need great ripeness on this chalky site or else we get bad tannins," noted von Neipperg. One of the great values of the vintage: this opened at 13 euros. |
|
| Ch. Calon-Segur |
2005 |
St. Estephe ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$1,559.99 |
2 |
|
| |
JS 94 (11/2015): Tight and dense still but so integrated and seamless in texture. Aromas of chocolate, hazelnuts, dried spices and currants. Full body, superfine tannins and a texture that is so caressing and beautiful. Drink or hold.
NM 94 (3/2015): Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London, the 2005 Calon Segur is on par with the wonderful 2000. The only real difference is that this needs more time in bottle. It has a captivating nose: blackberry and boysenberry fruit coming at you at full pelt; dried blood and bacon fat developing as secondary aromas just behind. There is fine delineation here - an underlying mineralité sure to surface with time. The palate is very intense and disarmingly youthful, almost ferrous on the entry with layers of ripe black fruit that segue into an earthy finish (with a curious light tang of Marmite on the aftertaste!). It is a fabulous Calon Ségur, though the millennial wine might ultimately possess greater precision. We will see.
WA 93 (6/2015): The 2005 is a beautiful Calon Ségur, with sweet mocha, black cherry, leathery fruit, medium to full body, attractive purity, a gorgeous texture, and serious nobility, gravitas and density. Drink it over the next 20-30 years, yet it is surprisingly accessible.
WS 93 (3/2008): Has a beautiful nose of crushed berry, spices and nutmeg, with a hint of coffee. Then turns to licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish of vanilla, berry and cinnamon. Beautifully crafted. Best after 2014. 17,500 cases made.
VM 92+ (6/2008): Deep, bright ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, leather, smoked meat, earth and menthol. Chewy, brooding and deep, with concentrated black cherry, menthol, mineral and leather flavors framed by a powerful spine of acids and tannins. Really saturates the palate on the tannic back end. I'd give this classic St. Estephe a decade of aging, at which time this wine may well merit an even higher score. Stephen Tanzer. |
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|
2005 |
St. Estephe ETA 90-120 Days (6x1.5L) |
$1,559.99 |
2 |
|
| |
JS 94 (11/2015): Tight and dense still but so integrated and seamless in texture. Aromas of chocolate, hazelnuts, dried spices and currants. Full body, superfine tannins and a texture that is so caressing and beautiful. Drink or hold.
NM 94 (3/2015): Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London, the 2005 Calon Segur is on par with the wonderful 2000. The only real difference is that this needs more time in bottle. It has a captivating nose: blackberry and boysenberry fruit coming at you at full pelt; dried blood and bacon fat developing as secondary aromas just behind. There is fine delineation here - an underlying mineralité sure to surface with time. The palate is very intense and disarmingly youthful, almost ferrous on the entry with layers of ripe black fruit that segue into an earthy finish (with a curious light tang of Marmite on the aftertaste!). It is a fabulous Calon Ségur, though the millennial wine might ultimately possess greater precision. We will see.
WA 93 (6/2015): The 2005 is a beautiful Calon Ségur, with sweet mocha, black cherry, leathery fruit, medium to full body, attractive purity, a gorgeous texture, and serious nobility, gravitas and density. Drink it over the next 20-30 years, yet it is surprisingly accessible.
WS 93 (3/2008): Has a beautiful nose of crushed berry, spices and nutmeg, with a hint of coffee. Then turns to licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish of vanilla, berry and cinnamon. Beautifully crafted. Best after 2014. 17,500 cases made.
VM 92+ (6/2008): Deep, bright ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, leather, smoked meat, earth and menthol. Chewy, brooding and deep, with concentrated black cherry, menthol, mineral and leather flavors framed by a powerful spine of acids and tannins. Really saturates the palate on the tannic back end. I'd give this classic St. Estephe a decade of aging, at which time this wine may well merit an even higher score. Stephen Tanzer. |
|
| Roc des Cambes |
2005 |
Cotes de Bourg ex-Negociant |
$74.99 |
1 |
|
| |
| VM 90 (5/2008): Saturated medium ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry, violet and licorice. Deep, powerful and penetrating, with a real warmth to the black fruit and spice flavors and superb breadth for this bottling. Finishes long and ripe, with lovely restrained sweetness. A big boy, with 14.3% alcohol. In fact, this is downright powerful. Stephen Tanzer. |
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| Ch. Carignan |
2005 |
Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux Prima Lightly Bin-Soiled Label |
$35 |
1 |
|
| |
| WS 90 (3/2008): Black currant and violet notes on the nose, with a good dose of slightly charred oak, follow through to a full body, with fine tannins and a long, vanilla-colored finish. There's lots of oak, but also lots of fruit. Needs time. This is very chewy. Best after 2011. 6,665 cases made. |
|
| Ch. La Clemence |
2005 |
Pomerol ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$1,110.99 |
3 |
|
| |
WA 91 (6/2015): From proprietor Christian Dauriac, this wine, which has a tendency to be very oaky, has evolved nicely, with the oak well-measured and restrained. The color is a dense purple and the wine full-bodied, rich, heady and youthful. There is still plenty of meat, tannin and body, so this wine would probably be best cellared for another few years. Forget it for now and drink it between 2020 and 2035.
WS 91 (6/2008): Mineral, leather and berry aromas lead to a full body, with round tannins and a long finish. Chewy. A big wine. Best after 2012.
VM 89-92 (5/2006): Moderately saturated ruby-red. High-toned aromas of black cherry, violet, licorice and menthol, plus a whiff of smoked meat. Pliant, nicely delineated flavors of black cherry and spices offer an insidious sweetness. Finishes firmly tannic and persistent, with lovely violety lift. The best young vintage I've tasted to date from this chateau.
NM 89 (1/2012): Tasted at BBR’s 2005/2009 tasting in London. The nose is very pure with cassis, small dark cherries, a touch of liquorice and blueberry with good definition. The palate is medium-bodied with toasty tannins, plump and rounded with noticeable new oak and a ravishing sweet finish that is just missing a little tension and reserve. Modern and supple in style, it will appeal to those who prefer a more New World style of Pomerol. |
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| Ch. La Confession |
2005 |
St. Emilion |
$74.99 |
1 |
|
| |
WA 95 (4/2008): Opaque purple, with a sweet blue and blackberry perfume intertwined with licorice and graphite, the 2005 La Confession exhibits massive concentration and extraction, but this full-bodied wine pulls back from being over-the-top because of intrinsic freshness and admirable purity. It is a brilliant effort from the young Janouiex, but it needs some cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028.
WS 89 (12/2009): Very floral and fruity, with hints of blackberry and flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, with firm tannins and a good density of fruit. Long and racy. A little reserved, but pretty. Best after 2011. |
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| Ch. Grandes Murailles |
2005 |
St. Emilion ex-Negociant |
$69.95 |
49 |
|
| |
WA 91 (4/2008): The Reiffers family has turned out a seductive 2005 offering notes of blueberries and raspberries interwoven with notions of crushed rocks and spring flowers. With medium body, sweet tannin, and outstanding purity, density, and ripeness, it is relatively approachable for a 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2023.
WS 91 (3/2008): Blackberry, black licorice and coffee bean aromas follow through to a full body, with very integrated, silky tannins. There's a lovely texture to this refined, elegant wine. Best after 2012. |
|
| Sarget de Gruaud Larose |
2005 |
St. Julien ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$569.99 |
2 |
|
| |
WS 85-88 (12/2006): Lots of plummy and smoky character on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, round and velvety, with good fruit and a toasted oak character, but slightly short.
NM 85 (5/2009): Tasted at the chateau. This is a little muffled on the nose with dried herbs, a touch of smoke and green leaves. Moderate definition. The Merlot is brighter and suppler than on either the 2004 or 2006, silky in texture with a svelte red cherry, strawberry and cranberry finish. Fine. |
|
| Ch. Haut Batailley |
2005 |
Pauillac ETA June 2018 ex-Negociant |
$79.99 |
24 |
|
| |
WS 93 (3/2008): Offers a beautiful nose of crushed blackberry and cherry, with hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with a lovely balance of silky, caressing tannins and ripe fruit. Very long and minerally, with mint and eucalyptus character. A wonderful wine from this estate. Best after 2014. 7,915 cases made.
WA 92 (7/2016): Tasted at a vertical tasting at the château. The 2005 Haut Batailley obviously has a more intense bouquet than the 2004 with blackberry, wild hedgerow and cold gravel scents. It is still quite tight, but there is very fine precision here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, ripe earthy black fruit. It is actually more approachable than I was expecting for a 2005 having loosened its tie in recent years. There is great depth here and fine mineralité, completing what is a classy and sophisticated Pauillac that should repay further bottle age. Chapeau!
VM 89 (5/2008): Medium red-ruby. Ripe, smoky aromas of plum and caramel; this smells opulent! Fat and sweet in the mouth, with a slightly roasted character to the supple plum and leather flavors. In a heavier style than the 2006 but with a reasonably fine-grained texture. Finishes with dusty tannins. I find this less refined than the 2006, but there's more material and ripeness here. Stephen Tanzer. |
|
| Ch. Lafite Rothschild |
2005 |
Pauillac ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$13,259.99 |
2 |
|
| |
WS 98 (3/2008): Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry and mineral. The finish is long, with a coffee, almost meaty, aftertaste. Very beautiful and balanced. Best after 2013.
VM 97 (6/2008): Bright medium ruby. Knockout nose combines black- and redcurrant, minerals, graphite, licorice and lavender. Wonderfully suave and seamless, but with great purity and precision of flavor and terrific inner-palate perfume and lift. This dances over every square millimeter of the palate. Almost painfully young today, with an impression of fresh acidity serving to intensify the wine's flavors. About as austere a wine as I tasted from this vintage in April and yet it's not hard. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and a whiplash of minerally perfume. I'd forget about this one for about 15 years.
WA 96+ (4/2008): While the 2005 is another brilliantly classic Lafite Rothschild, for my taste, it comes in slightly behind their extraordinarily opulent 2003 as well as the dramatically powerful 2000. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, the 2005 boasts a dark ruby/purple color in addition to that exceptional Lafite perfume of graphite, spring flowers, crushed rocks, and sweet black cherry and black currant fruit that exudes class and nobility. The wine is medium-bodied with extremely high levels of tannin in addition to sensational purity, length, and overall harmony. However, it is exceptionally backward, and even more tannic than either the 1995 or 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050+ |
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|
2005 |
Pauillac ETA 90-120 Days (6x1.5L) |
$12,745.99 |
1 |
|
| |
WS 98 (3/2008): Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry and mineral. The finish is long, with a coffee, almost meaty, aftertaste. Very beautiful and balanced. Best after 2013.
VM 97 (6/2008): Bright medium ruby. Knockout nose combines black- and redcurrant, minerals, graphite, licorice and lavender. Wonderfully suave and seamless, but with great purity and precision of flavor and terrific inner-palate perfume and lift. This dances over every square millimeter of the palate. Almost painfully young today, with an impression of fresh acidity serving to intensify the wine's flavors. About as austere a wine as I tasted from this vintage in April and yet it's not hard. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and a whiplash of minerally perfume. I'd forget about this one for about 15 years.
WA 96+ (4/2008): While the 2005 is another brilliantly classic Lafite Rothschild, for my taste, it comes in slightly behind their extraordinarily opulent 2003 as well as the dramatically powerful 2000. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, the 2005 boasts a dark ruby/purple color in addition to that exceptional Lafite perfume of graphite, spring flowers, crushed rocks, and sweet black cherry and black currant fruit that exudes class and nobility. The wine is medium-bodied with extremely high levels of tannin in addition to sensational purity, length, and overall harmony. However, it is exceptionally backward, and even more tannic than either the 1995 or 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050+ |
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| Ch. Lafleur |
2005 |
Pomerol ETA 90-120 Days (6x750ML) |
$12,363.99 |
2 |
|
| |
WS 100 (3/2008): Exhibits a complex nose of crushed blackberry, dried flowers and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, with a rich, powerful palate. Tannic and muscular, with great length. Superracy. Builds and goes and goes. So fine and beautiful. Mythic. Best after 2017.
JS 100 (4/2011): The nose on this wine is classic. Floral notes of lilacs and violets, citrus fruits, raspberries, and blackberries. On the palate this is full bodied, with incredible power and density. A very impressive silky texture underneath the intense fruit flavors that gives way to an excitingly long, long finish. It’s hard to believe the classic structure in this. Impeccable balance. Don’t touch this for 10 years. Find the wine.
NM 98 (7/2012): Tasted at John Armit’s Lafleur seminar in London, the 2005 is a legendary wine in the making. It has a boisterous, ebullient, ravishing bouquet of succulent black, truffle infused fruit with hints of crushed stone, the bell pepper element less evident on this occasion. The palate is medium-bodied and tightly wound, perhaps less expressive than other bottles that I have encountered. You could argue that it has an almost understated entry, but then you realize that there is a core of extraordinarily concentrated dark black fruit that is waiting for you. It has wonderful minerality towards the finish and extremely fine focus and persistency. At the moment, a Lafleur of dimension and ambition rather than pleasure, which will come. Drink 2018-2035+.
WA 95+ (4/2008): The 2005 Lafleur is tight and austere at present, but unquestionably enormously endowed. It displays a dense ruby/purple hue as well as a beautiful bouquet that only emerges with coaxing. Aeration is essential in order to release the subtle, restrained scents of licorice, kirsch liqueur, black truffles, and flowers. In the mouth, there is compelling richness, depth, and intensity, but the wine’s power, full body, forbiddingly backward style, and high tannins suggest significant cellaring will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050.
VM 95 (6/2008): Saturated, bright ruby-red. Brooding, liqueur-like aromas of blackberry, cassis, smoked meat, licorice and menthol. Compellingly dense, sweet and concentrated, with silky fruit that saturates the entire palate without any excess weight. A very backward, firmly structured wine that offers an uncanny combination of early sweetness and firm but harmonious acidity. The wine's dark fruit and licorice flavors spread out impressively on the back end, which features huge but smooth tannins and terrific length and verve. Wow! This will be long-lived. |
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| Ch. Lanessan |
2005 |
Haut Medoc ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$441.99 |
4 |
|
| |
WA 90 (4/2008): Shrewd Bordeaux buyers have long followed this excellent Medoc estate, whose wine can easily be confused with a St.-Julien or Pauillac. The 2005 is an undeniable sleeper of the vintage. Dark plum/purple-tinged with a beautiful nose of new saddle leather, spice box, black currants, and a hint of unsmoked cigar tobacco, it offers medium body, admirable richness, decent acidity, and ripe tannin. Although it will be drinkable in 4-5 years, these wines have an excellent track record of evolving for two decades or more.
WS 86 (3/2008): Delicate, with blackberry and plum aromas. Medium-bodied, with medium tannins and a medium finish. Lacks a bit in the midpalate, but offers good quality. Best after 2009. 16,665 cases made. |
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| Ch. Leoville Barton |
2005 |
St. Julien ex-Negociant |
$134.89 |
7 |
|
| |
WS 96 (3/2008): Delivers breathtaking aromas of blackberry, currant, licorice and flowers. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and supersilky tannins. Dark chocolate, currant, berry and licorice follow through. This is racy and beautiful. Best after 2015. 20,375 cases made.
JS 96 (12/2010): This offers aromas of spices, dried dark fruits, meat and berries. Full and muscular on the palate, with strong tannins and a long, long finish. This is very powerful and chewy, but a little bit tight. This is a wine for the cellar. Don't touch this until 2018.
NM 95 (7/2009): Tasted single blind at Southwold. Again, this is showing a lot of extraction and unresolved new oak on the nose with cassis, blackcurrant, liquorice and a touch of fig. Very ripe supple black fruits, lush and generous, exotic almost with a lithe, toasty finish. Very seductive, but they a wall of tannins hits the back palate, then honeyed tones lingering on the aftertaste. Magnificent - I would love to contrast this against the 2003. Drink 2015-2035. Tasted January 2009.
VM 94 (6/2008): Deep ruby. Wonderfully perfumed nose offers cassis, minerals, tobacco, flowers, mocha and truffle. Bright, mineral-driven and concentrated, with terrific underlying backbone giving energy and definition to the dark berry, mineral and chocolate flavors. There's a floral lift here that's exhilarating to find in the very ripe 2005 vintage. Finishes very long and classy, with a firm tannic spine. An outstanding vintage for this wine. Stephen Tanzer.
WA 92 (6/2015): Léoville Barton’s 2005 has an inky ruby/purple color and shows fairly high tannin levels, but the balance is slightly better that the Langoa Barton, which is very hard. This is probably a 30-year wine and needs at least another 20 years of cellaring, and while the tannins are high, they are balanced more thoroughly and competently. With deep cassis and red currant fruit, the wine is earthy, spicy, medium to full-bodied, and needs at least another decade. Drink it between 2025 and 2050. |
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| Ch. Leoville Poyferre |
2005 |
St. Julien ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$1,612.99 |
2 |
|
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WA 93 (4/2008): Although I still prefer the 2003, the 2005 Leoville Poyferre is a gorgeously opulent, approachable wine that is far less massive and austere than its two siblings. The most seductive, approachable, and charming of the three Leovilles, it exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet bouquet of mocha, black chocolate, creme de cassis, licorice, and toasty oak. Full-bodied with gorgeous upfront fruit in addition to impressive levels of melted, well-integrated tannin, it should be at its finest between 2015-2035.
VM 93 (6/2008): Saturated ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of black cherry, currant and coffee. Sweet, silky and full, but with lovely ripe acidity to frame the dense black fruit, mocha and mineral flavors. Showing a glossy aspect to its fruit that is exhilarating, even if this deep, fairly tannic wine is a bit sullen at present, despite showing excellent back-end breadth. This is a full 13.5% alcohol; the petit verdot component reached 14.5% potential alcohol in 2005, said Cuvelier, who describes 2005 as "a year of sun but not surmaturite.
WS 92 (3/2008): Dark ruby red in color, with aromas of currant, blackberry, toasty oak and light cappuccino. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a beautiful, caressing aftertaste. Touches every part of the palate. Outstanding, but slightly disappointing after such a great showing from barrel. Best after 2009. 18,915 cases made. |
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| Ch. Lynch Bages |
2005 |
Pauillac (375 ML) ex-Chateau |
$100 |
12 |
|
| |
JS 96 (5/2013): This is very dense and tight right now with firm tannins. Currants with cassis, plums and peach. Full and dense, not giving that much. Powerful and intense and structured. It needs at least another five years.
WA 92 (6/2016): As for the 2005 Lynch-Bages, it is a sexy, surprisingly soft and accessible style of wine, with a deep ruby/purple color, loads of crème de cassis, cedar wood and forest floor notes, medium to full body, ripe tannin and a long, fleshy finish. Drink it over the next 15+ years.
NM 94 (2/2015): The Château Lynch Bages 2005 has an enthralling graphite and cedar scented bouquet, like a young cousin of the Grand Puy Lacoste. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, one of the most feminine and elegant Lynch Bages in recent years with a lightness of touch on the finish. That is not to say it lacks fruit intensity, but the balance is so assured that is just seems to glide over the mouth. Stylish, assured and meticulous winemaking here.
VM 93+ (1/2012): (72% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, 12% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot; 3.67 pH; 70 IPT; 13.4% alcohol): Deep ruby. Delicate aromas of blackcurrant, mocha and graphite are lifted by minerals and violet. Enters pure, dense and round, then shows lively, precise flavors of black fruits, dried nuts, ink and minerals. This has greater volume and flesh than the 2006, along with a brooding, sneaky concentration and a very long, supple finish. The best Lynch-Bages in years, this should prove to be a great wine in time, and a huge success for this estate. Ian d'Agata.
WS 93 (3/2008): Displays very beautiful aromas of crushed blackberry and dark chocolate, with a hint of coffee. Full-bodied, with a tightly wound palate of ripe tannins. Long and caressing. Best after 2015. 35,000 cases made. |
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| Ch. Margaux |
2005 |
Margaux ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$10,685.99 |
1 |
|
| |
WS 100 (3/2008): Black in color, delivering extraordinary aromas of blackberry, raisin, spices and fresh mushroom. Full-bodied, with an amazing core of ripe fruit, yet ultrabalanced and finely textured. Touches every taste bud. This incredible young red spent two years in new wood, but you can't tell. It's all glorious fruit. A legendary wine. Best after 2017.
JS 100 (11/2010): The nose on this seems more concentrated than the 2000, and the purity of fruit is stunning, with blueberries, raspberries, fresh flowers, and hints of licorice. This is perfect and complete. Full bodied, with notes of forest berries and wild raspberries, this is thick and velvety with perfectly polished tannins. You can really feel the density on this, more than the tannic structure. This is a sleeping beauty that will be utterly captivating when it awakes. Don't touch this until after 2015.
VM 99 (11/2015): From the moment it is opened, the 2005 Margaux takes things to another level. The bouquet alone is breathtaking in its beauty. Bright, delineated but also explosive, the 2005 takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. The flavors are vibrant and focused, with gorgeous lift and precision. The 2005 is a riveting, aristocratic Margaux that will drink well for several decades. Today the flavors are still remarkably youthful. The wine drinks well because of its magnificent balance, but readers who prefer more aromatic and flavor complexity will want to wait for at least another five years. No matter how you look at it, the 2005 Margaux is pure magic. Antonio Galloni.
NM 99 (2/2015): The Château Margaux 2005 has a nigh perfect bouquet with brilliant precision and amazing focus: mainly black, mineral-soaked fruit that just gets more and more intense in the glass. That graphite element become more intense with aeration and renders it almost Pauillac in style. The palate is effortless with sumptuous ripe tannin, perfect acidity, layers of sensual ripe red fruit with a precise mineral finish. This is sheer class, a crystalline beauty and the persistence is simply breathtaking.
WA 98+ (6/2015): The first-growth 2005 Château Margaux (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot), a lavish fragrance of blackcurrants, velvety new saddle leather, spring flowers and spice soars from the glass. The wood is already totally concealed beneath the cascade of fruit in this medium to full-bodied, pure and majestic wine. This concentrated, dense, but nevertheless strikingly elegant, multi-layered wine has a finish of 45+ seconds. It builds incrementally to a crescendo and finale. This is a stunner that can be approached already, but promises to be better in another 5-10 years and last at least 25 or more years.
WS 97 (12/2013): Interesting, this is starting to deliver some fireworks aromatically, with singed alder, sandalwood and smoldering charcoal notes peeking out, though the core is still tightly coiled, with a wall of grip shrouding the plum, red currant and bitter cherry fruit. Iron and chalk elements drive the finish today, with a grainier edge than the '09 or '10, but no less length or cut. This shows the extra élevage (two years) as it's built more on grip, but the aromas that are starting to emerge suggest that this will be a worthy rival to the '10. Best from 2020 through 2040. |
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|
2005 |
Margaux ETA 90-120 Days (6x750ML) |
$5,350.99 |
1 |
|
| |
WS 100 (3/2008): Black in color, delivering extraordinary aromas of blackberry, raisin, spices and fresh mushroom. Full-bodied, with an amazing core of ripe fruit, yet ultrabalanced and finely textured. Touches every taste bud. This incredible young red spent two years in new wood, but you can't tell. It's all glorious fruit. A legendary wine. Best after 2017.
JS 100 (11/2010): The nose on this seems more concentrated than the 2000, and the purity of fruit is stunning, with blueberries, raspberries, fresh flowers, and hints of licorice. This is perfect and complete. Full bodied, with notes of forest berries and wild raspberries, this is thick and velvety with perfectly polished tannins. You can really feel the density on this, more than the tannic structure. This is a sleeping beauty that will be utterly captivating when it awakes. Don't touch this until after 2015.
VM 99 (11/2015): From the moment it is opened, the 2005 Margaux takes things to another level. The bouquet alone is breathtaking in its beauty. Bright, delineated but also explosive, the 2005 takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. The flavors are vibrant and focused, with gorgeous lift and precision. The 2005 is a riveting, aristocratic Margaux that will drink well for several decades. Today the flavors are still remarkably youthful. The wine drinks well because of its magnificent balance, but readers who prefer more aromatic and flavor complexity will want to wait for at least another five years. No matter how you look at it, the 2005 Margaux is pure magic. Antonio Galloni.
NM 99 (2/2015): The Château Margaux 2005 has a nigh perfect bouquet with brilliant precision and amazing focus: mainly black, mineral-soaked fruit that just gets more and more intense in the glass. That graphite element become more intense with aeration and renders it almost Pauillac in style. The palate is effortless with sumptuous ripe tannin, perfect acidity, layers of sensual ripe red fruit with a precise mineral finish. This is sheer class, a crystalline beauty and the persistence is simply breathtaking.
WA 98+ (6/2015): The first-growth 2005 Château Margaux (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot), a lavish fragrance of blackcurrants, velvety new saddle leather, spring flowers and spice soars from the glass. The wood is already totally concealed beneath the cascade of fruit in this medium to full-bodied, pure and majestic wine. This concentrated, dense, but nevertheless strikingly elegant, multi-layered wine has a finish of 45+ seconds. It builds incrementally to a crescendo and finale. This is a stunner that can be approached already, but promises to be better in another 5-10 years and last at least 25 or more years.
WS 97 (12/2013): Interesting, this is starting to deliver some fireworks aromatically, with singed alder, sandalwood and smoldering charcoal notes peeking out, though the core is still tightly coiled, with a wall of grip shrouding the plum, red currant and bitter cherry fruit. Iron and chalk elements drive the finish today, with a grainier edge than the '09 or '10, but no less length or cut. This shows the extra élevage (two years) as it's built more on grip, but the aromas that are starting to emerge suggest that this will be a worthy rival to the '10. Best from 2020 through 2040. |
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| Clos du Marquis |
2005 |
St. Julien ETA April 2018 ex-Negociant |
$83.99 |
27 |
|
| |
WS 93 (3/2008): Fabulous aromas of crushed raspberry, blackberry, mineral and licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate. This is chewy yet silky, with a long, long finish. Balanced and powerful. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made.
WA 91 (4/2008): The superb second wine, the 2005 Clos du Marquis, reflects the utter brilliance of the 2005 grand vin. It boasts an inky/ruby/purple color along with a sweet perfume of lead pencil, ripe cherries and black currants, and hints of earth and vanillin. Dense, chewy, fleshy, and full-bodied, this beauty will be drinkable in 3-4 years, and should keep for 15-20.
VM 90 (6/2008): Good full red-ruby. Superripe aromas of plum, mocha, coffee and spicy oak. Big, dry, broad and rich, with a chewy quality and noteworthy sweetness to the plummy flavor. This has more baby fat than the young 2006 but not quite as much detail or verve. Finishes quite broad, with major ripe tannins and lingering sweet fruit. |
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| Ch. Maucaillou |
2005 |
Moulis ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$596.99 |
2 |
|
| |
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| Ch. La Mondotte |
2005 |
St. Emilion ETA 90-120 Days (6x750ML) |
$2,329.99 |
2 |
|
| |
|
| Ch. Pavie |
2005 |
St. Emilion |
$350 |
3 |
|
| |
WS 100 (6/2008): I love the purity of fruit in this wine, with perfectly ripe blackberry, blueberry and raspberry on the nose. Complex and full-bodied, with hints of new oak and wonderfully polished tannins that caress the palate. Long, long finish. This is not the blockbuster it was from barrel, but rather a complete, balanced and gorgeous red. Best after 2015. 7,100 cases made.
WA 98+ (4/2008): Now that the 2005 Pavie is in the bottle, I would place it, qualitatively, a notch below the prodigious 2000, and a few notches above the blockbuster 2003. There are 7,000 cases of this 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Disregarding the blatant jealousy of his success as well as his “outsider" status, proprietor Gerard Perse has pushed the envelope of quality, fashioning first-growth quality wines from one of Bordeaux’s finest terroirs. In St.-Emilion, only Ausone can be considered to have greater potential in terms of micro-climate and terroir. Pavie’s 2005 exhibits a thick-looking purple color to the rim as well as an exquisite perfume of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, unsmoked cigar tobacco, crushed rocks, damp earth, and hints of truffles and incense. The vineyard’s limestone soils have provided massive concentration, a laser-like precision, fresh, zesty acidity, and massive tannin. Despite the wine’s enormous concentration and intensity, there is a lightness to its style. As Perse has made clear, he is trying to produce modern day versions of such great vintages as 1921, 1929, 1945, and 1947, wines that lasted 50 or more years. I do not understand why Perse receives so much criticism. In the blind tastings of each new vintage conducted by the Grand Jury European, Pavie usually wins against 100 or so other great Bordeaux. As they say, the truth is irrefutable - this is one of the world’s most outstanding wines, and the 2005 Pavie should take its place among the greatest achievements of Bordeaux in the last 50 years. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060.
VM 96 (6/2008): Saturated, deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines blackberry, minerals, crushed rock, truffle, vanillin oak and flowers; showing none of the porty quality of the sample I tried last year. A hugely concentrated essence of a wine, offering an incredible combination of sweetness, vibrancy and precision of fruit, thanks to strong acidity and powerful underlying minerality. The chewy tannins are totally buffered by the wine's material on the explosive back end. This wine has it all! Compared to the Pavie-Decesse, which essentially comes from a single block of old vines on limestone, this wine has clearly benefited by being an assemblage of soil types, with fruit from the foot of the slope contributing texture and richness. The 2005 Pavie should easily last for three or four decades. |
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| Ch. Peby Faugeres |
2005 |
St. Emilion ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$6,275.99 |
2 |
|
| |
|
| Ch. Pichon-Longueville Baron |
2005 |
Pauillac ETA June 2018 (1.5 L) ex-Negociant |
$359.99 |
9 |
|
| |
JD 96 (12/2017): The 2005 Pichon-Longueville Baron is another concentrated, full-bodied 2005 that’s starting to drink well. Cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar and classic Pauillac lead-pencil characteristics all emerge from this ripe, sexy, surprisingly rounded effort that has a stacked mid-palate and sweet, polished tannin. It’s impressive today but is going to cruise for another two to three decades.
VM 94+ (6/2008): Dark red-ruby. Multidimensional nose offers deep aromas of currant, cedar, coffee, tobacco and minerals. The palate offers a rare combination of sweetness, energy and depth, with superb grip and a layered texture to the flavors of plum, cedar, tobacco and minerals. The finish features sweet, noble tannins and outstanding length. I find this more complete and ultimately more exciting than the 2003, but this will need at least a decade of cellaring.
Stephen Tanzer.
WS 94 (3/2008): Offers crushed currant and blackberry on the nose, turning to tar and licorice. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and seamless tannins. Goes on and on. Very, very beautiful. A cross between the 2000 and fabulous 2003. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made.
NM 94 (2/2015): The Château Pichon-Baron 2005 has a not dissimilar bouquet to the Pichon-Lalande with bright red and black fruit infused with cedar and violets, almost Margaux-like in character. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin: more masculine than Pichon-Lalande, you could almost say more rustic. Yet there is immense length and persistence here, real depth and vigour on the muscular finish. Yet I might just prefer the property over the road in this vintage.
WA 93 (6/2015): The 2005 Pichon Baron has a dense ruby/purple color, sweet crème de cassis fruit, lots of cedar wood and forest floor, medium to full body, ripe tannin, and a long finish of a good 30+ seconds. This is a beauty and one of the most successful Pauillacs of this vintage. Drink it now through 2035. |
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|
2005 |
Pauillac ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$2,141.99 |
2 |
|
| |
JD 96 (12/2017): The 2005 Pichon-Longueville Baron is another concentrated, full-bodied 2005 that’s starting to drink well. Cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar and classic Pauillac lead-pencil characteristics all emerge from this ripe, sexy, surprisingly rounded effort that has a stacked mid-palate and sweet, polished tannin. It’s impressive today but is going to cruise for another two to three decades.
VM 94+ (6/2008): Dark red-ruby. Multidimensional nose offers deep aromas of currant, cedar, coffee, tobacco and minerals. The palate offers a rare combination of sweetness, energy and depth, with superb grip and a layered texture to the flavors of plum, cedar, tobacco and minerals. The finish features sweet, noble tannins and outstanding length. I find this more complete and ultimately more exciting than the 2003, but this will need at least a decade of cellaring.
Stephen Tanzer.
WS 94 (3/2008): Offers crushed currant and blackberry on the nose, turning to tar and licorice. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and seamless tannins. Goes on and on. Very, very beautiful. A cross between the 2000 and fabulous 2003. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made.
NM 94 (2/2015): The Château Pichon-Baron 2005 has a not dissimilar bouquet to the Pichon-Lalande with bright red and black fruit infused with cedar and violets, almost Margaux-like in character. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin: more masculine than Pichon-Lalande, you could almost say more rustic. Yet there is immense length and persistence here, real depth and vigour on the muscular finish. Yet I might just prefer the property over the road in this vintage.
WA 93 (6/2015): The 2005 Pichon Baron has a dense ruby/purple color, sweet crème de cassis fruit, lots of cedar wood and forest floor, medium to full body, ripe tannin, and a long finish of a good 30+ seconds. This is a beauty and one of the most successful Pauillacs of this vintage. Drink it now through 2035. |
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|
2005 |
Pauillac ETA 90-120 Days (6x750ML) |
$1,083.99 |
2 |
|
| |
JD 96 (12/2017): The 2005 Pichon-Longueville Baron is another concentrated, full-bodied 2005 that’s starting to drink well. Cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, cedar and classic Pauillac lead-pencil characteristics all emerge from this ripe, sexy, surprisingly rounded effort that has a stacked mid-palate and sweet, polished tannin. It’s impressive today but is going to cruise for another two to three decades.
VM 94+ (6/2008): Dark red-ruby. Multidimensional nose offers deep aromas of currant, cedar, coffee, tobacco and minerals. The palate offers a rare combination of sweetness, energy and depth, with superb grip and a layered texture to the flavors of plum, cedar, tobacco and minerals. The finish features sweet, noble tannins and outstanding length. I find this more complete and ultimately more exciting than the 2003, but this will need at least a decade of cellaring.
Stephen Tanzer.
WS 94 (3/2008): Offers crushed currant and blackberry on the nose, turning to tar and licorice. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and seamless tannins. Goes on and on. Very, very beautiful. A cross between the 2000 and fabulous 2003. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made.
NM 94 (2/2015): The Château Pichon-Baron 2005 has a not dissimilar bouquet to the Pichon-Lalande with bright red and black fruit infused with cedar and violets, almost Margaux-like in character. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin: more masculine than Pichon-Lalande, you could almost say more rustic. Yet there is immense length and persistence here, real depth and vigour on the muscular finish. Yet I might just prefer the property over the road in this vintage.
WA 93 (6/2015): The 2005 Pichon Baron has a dense ruby/purple color, sweet crème de cassis fruit, lots of cedar wood and forest floor, medium to full body, ripe tannin, and a long finish of a good 30+ seconds. This is a beauty and one of the most successful Pauillacs of this vintage. Drink it now through 2035. |
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| Ch. Pontet Canet |
2005 |
Pauillac ETA 90-120 Days (12x750ML) |
$1,913.99 |
2 |
|
| |
WA 96 (2/2010): The first-growth quality 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is pure creme de cassis, cedarwood, and blueberry fruit intermixed with notions of roasted coffee and high quality French oak. Deep, full-bodied, and backward with velvety tannin as well as an expansive, substantial mouthfeel as well as length, this Cabernet should easily age for 20+ years.
WS 96 (3/2008): Black in color, with aromas of blackberry, black licorice, tar, mineral and fresh flowers. Full-bodied and powerful, with ultrafine tannins that last for minutes on the palate. A polished, thought-provoking wine. Shows wonderful purity of Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2014. 20,830 cases made.
VM 95 (6/2008): Good full ruby-red. Complex, enticing aromas of black raspberry, licorice, minerals, bitter chocolate, lead pencil and pungent cedar; just this side of exotic. Wonderfully silky, sweet and thick, with a powerful minerality framing the currant, graphite and spice flavors. This boasts superb inner-mouth energy and great length, with the full, ripe tannins totally enrobed by the wine's mid-palate richness. (My sample of the 2006 was old and tired, so I'll wait until next year to report on the finished wine; this was a star in the early going.) |
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| Ch. Poujeaux |
2005 |
Moulis |
$43.99 |
11 |
|
| |
NM 90 (7/2011): Tasted at BBR’s 2005/2009 tasting in London. The Poujeaux ’05 has a classic bouquet with graphite and tobacco with good precision and mineralite, growing in intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a tertiary entry, quite powdery in texture with fine, grippy tannins leading to a foursquare, robust finish. Come back in five or six years.
WA 89 (4/2008): This deep ruby/purple-tinged sleeper of the vintage exhibits fresh, lively minerality intermixed with delicate background wood, sweet raspberry fruit, medium to full body, zesty acidity, and ripe tannin. Usually the top wine from Moulis, Poujeaux’s 2005 is again a fairly priced, impressive effort. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025. |
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| Ch. La Vieille Cure |
2005 |
Fronsac |
$40 |
5 |
|
| |
| WA 93 (8/2008): La Vieille Cure’s amazing 2005 is even better than their terrific 2003 and 2000. The 2005 boasts an inky/ruby color as well as a gorgeously sweet perfume of charcoal, black cherries, black currants, and spring flowers as well as an underlying mineral component. Superb concentration, full-bodied power, wonderful symmetry, purity, and texture, and a multidimensional mouthfeel are all found in this fabulous sleeper of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020+ VM 87-89 (6/2006): Full ruby. Kirsch and licorice on the nose. Fat, dense and sweet, if a bit youthfully monolithic. At once plump and primary, with lively flavors of black fruits and bitter chocolate. Finishes with nicely buffered tannins and a rich chocolatey nuance. |
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