| | The much anticipated 2005 tasting. Overall the wines showed very high quality but as expected mostly pretty tight. Tough in some ways to really capture the character and quality at this young age. Also didn't have a lot of time to evaluate each wine as this year was limited to 2 hour windows.
Post tasting dinner at Primehouse was good fun with Chef Gresh... The Whites - 2005 Château Carbonnieux Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Pale reticent nose of white fruit. Angular tight and acidic on the palate. Tough. Perhaps an off bottle? (86 pts.)
- 2005 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Rich nose of lemon mineral oil. Big spicy tight white fruit palate with a long citrus finish. 91-92 pts. (91 pts.)
- 2005 Château Latour-Martillac Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Nice rich round ripe nose. White and yellow fruit on the palate with lots of stuffing. 92+ pts. (92 pts.)
- 2005 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
MEdium nose of chalky mineral and yellow fruit. Big rich prickly yellow fruit on the palate. Long concentrated finish. (93 pts.)
The Reds - 2005 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Full plush purple red color. Lovely rich plush plum red fruit nose. Big bold relatively tight chocolate black fruit on the palate with a firm tannic backbone. Young, but great stuffing. 93-94+ pts. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Smith Haut Lafitte - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Full deep red/purple color. Big red fruit perfume nose. Medium bodied tight black fruit and coffee notes. Very tight right now, could be better with time. (92 pts.)
- 2005 Château Angélus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Full depp red/purple color. Huge forward cassis liaquer nose of ripe black fruit. nice big rich black fruit and coffee with a long graphite finish. Structured, but reasonably approachable. 94+ pts. (94 pts.)
- 2005 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Round soft purple color. Lovely lithe red/black fruit with a nice perfume note. Nice structure red and black fruit but a bit more round and fruit-forward than many others. Nice. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Clean black red color. big very ripe red/black fruit nose with cassis hints. Mmmn, nice round rich black fruit with just a hint of green complexity. Very nice. 94+ pts. (94 pts.)
- 2005 Clos Fourtet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Full soft opaque purple color. Medium nose of smoky cassis. Tight blcak fruit with coffee notes. Tight but good stuffing. (92 pts.)
- 2005 Château Larcis Ducasse - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
For me this was the wine of the tasting (surprisingly a wine a don't know well at all). Full deep red color. Towering aroma of perfumed black/red fruit and spice. Mmmmn, lovely rich chocolate black fruit with some spice and lots of pencil lead on the long structured finish. Great stuffing, but actuall enjoyable now too... 95-96 pts. (95 pts.)
- 2005 Château Larmande - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Soft medium red color. Medium forward nose of coffee and ared fruit. Medium bodied red fruit wiht a touch of green. Decent, but lacking the stuffing of others. (90 pts.)
- 2005 Château Pavie Macquin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Full soft purple red color. Lovely ripe round red fruit nose. Nice light medium bodied red friut with good balanced strcuture underneath. Lithe in 05??! (94 pts.)
- 2005 Château Clinet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Full soft red color. Tight clean nose of bright red fruit with chocolate hints. Nice medium bodied but good structure with graphite and pencil notes. 93-94 pts. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Gazin Pomerol - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Medium opaque purple color. Nice red fruit on the palate with some sage herbal notes. Nice ripe fruit with firm but balanced structure. 92-93 pts. (92 pts.)
- 2005 Château La Conseillante - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Medium bright red color. Bright lifted floral red fruit nose. Nice brigth acidic medium red fruit on the palate. Easy but nice. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Cantemerle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Bright medium red color. Medium nose of spicy red fruit. Nice enough round red fruit , but a bit simple. I was hoping to find a sleeper here in 05, but no luck... (90 pts.)
- 2005 Château Brane-Cantenac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Full red purple color. Big bright red fruit and spice. Lovely rich ripe red fruit wiht some floral and spice notes. Lovely Margaux... 94+? (94 pts.)
- 2005 Château Cantenac Brown - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Medium oqaque purple color. Forward black fruit nose with licorice hitns . Nice ripe black fruit on the palate. (92 pts.)
- 2005 Château Giscours - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Full soft purple color. Big blakc fruit nose with just a hint of heat. Nice big sweet black/red fruit with plenty of tannins, but they don't show up until the finish. 93-94 pts. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Kirwan - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Full deep soft red color. Odd nose of smoky black fruit with a hint of heat and the sense of acidity. Big round black fruit with firm tannin. Nice, but nothing really special. (91 pts.)
- 2005 Château Lascombes - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Medium soft red color. Clean slightly sweet medium nose of red fruit. Nice sweet rich red fruit on the palate. Lighter but good friut and I though the oak was pretty well integrated. 93-94 pts. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Beychevelle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Medium red color. Nice round red/black fruit with some spice and a coffee hint. Big clean black fruit with a cassis note in the finish (and some sourness). (92 pts.)
- 2005 Château Branaire-Ducru - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Full deep coffee red color. Big nose of spicy red/blak fruit. Nice slightly candied red fruit with good round structure. Nice. 93+ pts. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Full deep red color. Medium spicy red friut nose with black spice, leather, and a green note. Good black fruit with coffee note and a green streak. (91 pts.)
- 2005 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Full soft red color. Medium bright black fruit nose with a hint of heat. Nice rich chocolate covered blackberry with stiff tannins. Long finish. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Bright ruby purple color. Medium nose of spicy black fruit. Big concentrated black fruit with some dusty black spice and briar. Very tight, but great potential. 93-94 pts. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Medium coffee red color. Slightly candied black fruit nose with some spice and perhaps just a hint of reduction. Big black friut palate with good stuffing and potential. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Haut-Bages Libéral - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Full ruby purple color. Monolithic black fruit nose with some spice. Tight angular black fruit on the palate. (88 pts.)
The Sweeties - 2005 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Lovely nose. Rich ripe sweet fruit. Great balance acidity and complexity. Easy wine of the sweeties for me. 95-96 pts. (95 pts.)
- 2005 Château Doisy-Daëne - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Tighter lemon nose. Round sweet, but a bit simpler. (93 pts.)
- 2005 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Pale tight nose. Nice fruit with lots of botrytis character. (94 pts.)
- 2005 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Medium complex nose of sweet white yellow fruit. Lovey rich yellow fruit on the palate with a caramel note. 94-95 pts. (94 pts.)
- 2005 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Nice medium botrytis nose with some toasty yellow fruit. Tight serious sweet yellow fruit with nice complexity. 94-95 pts. (94 pts.)
With Dinner - 1989 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Reserve Speciale - France, Champagne
Really lovely mature bubbly with great mineral and some toast, along with a nice caramel note. Drinking right in its prime now I think. (94 pts.)
- 1999 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
From Mag. Nice enough, but I think this is in that tweener stage where some of the youthful ripe fruit has faded, but it hasn't yet reached a nice mature age that shows enough interesting secondary nuance. (92 pts.)
- 2005 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Ten - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
For its style, this was a really nice rich ripe fruit driven Cali pinot. Not quite in the Kistler special cuvee / Marcassin / Aubert leauge, but similar in style. May evolve nicely from here. (93 pts.)
- 1999 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
Easily the best Kiwi pinot I've tried so far. On the nose, this is a dead ringer for a fine burg. On the palate, a bit more round ripeness comes through, but still a lovely beguilling wine. 93-94 pts. (93 pts.)
- 1999 Araujo Estate Syrah Eisele Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
A really nice rich syrah that has good complexity, but not over the top ripeness of so many cali syrah. Sleek and sophisticated, and great with food. (94 pts.)
- 1995 Château Clinet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
My one and only bottle of this... Corked! (FLAWED)
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