April 2, 2024 - Eric brought this in his BD dinner in Neighbourhood Restaurant in HK, among other big BDXs.
January 18, 2024 - Decanted 90 minutes. Deep & intense with little signs of age on rim. Complex, slightly tight nose - deep intense black fruits, black cherries, fresh herbs/thyme, aniseed with a dark chocolate depth. Palate is massive - tons of deep intense rich blackcurrants, plenty of integrated tannins and fresh acidity - well balanced. Lots of aniseed, herbs - a real grip and persistence on the palate. Sensational wine. Decades of life left ahead. Drink 2028-45+.
December 26, 2023 - A disappointment, and I hope it’s just this bottle or that it needs more age.
Day 1: Little to no nose upon opening. Very dark fruit almost too austere, but overall quite smooth. It had a decent tannic structure and a little drying yet not so profound that gives you confidence that it would have decades to go.
Day 2: Slightly opened up but still the nose was reticent. While it exuded a little more elegance the finish is a short and became a bit tart with air.
Would give it around 88
November 27, 2023 - Second time trying this within the span of a few months. What an absolute monster of a wine. Same impressions as last time. This wine needs at least 8-10 more years. Already showing beautifully now but there is so much more for the patient one.
November 8, 2023 - Well this was a 92-100 experience. Started life at the lower end as the last bottle in 2022 didn’t need much air so it was only a 30 min decant, tasted good but not offering much, not even a look under the hood.
Progressively improved until an absolute 100 point peak at the 2 hour mark when it became liquid silk, thick wild delicious, that moment of perfect balance when you get lost in the stars.
July 17, 2023 - This was damn good. Dark fruits, leather, earth, cedar, etc. etc.
It opened up nicely in the bottle over the course of 4-5 hours. I would say that it is very approachable now but with big upside.
Thank you to Diego for sharing this bottle.
June 11, 2023 - Drunk at Hermitage Hill at wine trip. Decanted 3-4 hours in advance. Nose was open - fully fragrant - seductive and some sweet notes / liquorice. Very complex and Margaux. Medium to full bodied with immense structure still. Tannins are integrated but still very prominent. This wine is a long life ahead. A monumental wine - better in 10 years?
June 8, 2023 - Medium ruby. Very classy and certainly archetypal Bordeaux - at least in a post 1990 sense - but this is still clenched and perhaps five to seven years away from approachability; full maturity might require a decade or two. On the nose this offers classic aromas of black and red cherries, blackcurrant, tobacco, leather, grilled rosemary, loamy earth, black walnut and oak spice. On the palate it is medium to full bodied with a high level of fine, but quite assertive tannins that still shade some of the black fruit, leather and cigar box flavors. This is unquestionably a regal wine, but there are surely many other vintages that are currently drinking better. Time will tell here.
June 8, 2023 - Wine Workshop: Chateau Margaux (Gabriel Kreuther): 2005 seems to be a truly mixed bag for me. At times I like it quite a bit more than the 2000 and the 2010 and at other times I feel like critics were just looking for another great vintage to herald during those times. For the Margaux though it is actually quite well done. Classic and potpourri and bright and drinking well. Again it’s way too young (we’re just at that stage of the evening) but is a nice wine with a pretty future ahead (maybe the future ‘53?)
June 2, 2023 - Was surprisingly boring