NSMFOW August '09: Sleepers of the 2005 Bordeaux Vintage

The Grapevine, Salem, MA
Tasted Thursday, August 20, 2009 by cgrimes with 1,163 views

Introduction

Our group met on a hot night to try some sleeper '05 Bordeaux and the alternative title could well have been "'2005 Bordeaux: Infanticide on a Grand Scale." Perhaps my head was just not in the mood for these beasts on this hot, sticky night, but most were just clearly not ready to drink. I'm not great at predicting which will blossom into the wines we all know and love, so while educational, it was a bit of an exercise in futility.

Flight 1 - White Flight (Aperitif) (2 Notes)

  • 2005 Château Mémoires 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers, Cadillac

    Similar to my previous note: Golden color. Nice nose of peaches, apples, marmalade. Simple. Good acidity. A decent everyday dessert wine--if there ever was one.

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  • 2005 Château Carbonnieux Blanc 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Similar to my previous notes. Nose of white fruits, flowers with some melon. Palate of tart apple, some pear, some melon, anise. Good minerality, acidity. Nice finish. Great wine.

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Flight 2 - Red Flight 1 (3 Notes)

Paired with a shrimp pesto papardelle.

  • 2005 Château Les Grands Chênes 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc

    Dark ruby color. Nose of briary fruit with a herbaceousness which was slightly off-putting. Palate of blackberries, some cassis followed by a wall of mouth-coating tannins. Hopefully bottle age will mellow the tannins and reveal some more complexity. I would not not be in a hurry to drink this one.

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  • 2005 Château Talbot 86 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Ruby color. Muted nose of mostly cassis, vanilla. Similar on the palate. Lacks complexity and a bit thin on the midpalate. Medium tannins. Not sure how this is going to develop.

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  • 2005 Château La Vieille Cure 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac

    Dark ruby color. Nose of blackberry, raspberry, cassis, smoke. Similar palate with some tar. Great density of fruit with big but balanced tannins. This is a good one and should only continue to improve.

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Flight 3 - Red Flight 2 (3 Notes)

Paired with crostini with sauteed, arugala, garlic and parmesan shavings.

  • 2005 Château Brane-Cantenac 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Ruby color. Nose of blackberries, cassis, some smoke. Similar palate with some vanilla, tar. Big tannins. Will be very nice as it ages but not ready.

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  • 2005 Château Duhart-Milon 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Ruby color. Nose of briary dark fruits, some oak, smoke, vanilla. Similar palate. Balanced, integrated tannins. The most silky and drinkable of the wines tonight but would still hold off.

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  • 2005 Clos de l'Oratoire 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Dark ruby color. Nose of dark fruits, cedar, smoke. Palate of black/raspberry, some cassis, meat, some dark chocolate. Big tannins. Score should be higher with proper ageing.

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Flight 4 - Fed Flight 3 (3 Notes)

Paired with shaved, rubbed beef on bed of sauteed greens.

Closing

Dessert: key lime pie with fresh berries.
Take home message: Put these babys away and forget about them for awhile--a long while.

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