After 15 yrs in cellar this was disappointing. Intensity and acid was not really enjoyable. Not bad - just not nearly what it should be. Left a bit in bottle and tried next night, no improvement. One dimensional.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Don’t think this ever got to a great place. Still drinkable, but fruit faded before balancing with the structure. Actually best third night under pump, but even then a bit harsh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'll update this review when i have my next bottle. I';ve4 moved platforms and have not had this wine in almost 18 months.
But in general, here goes:
Pretty classic St. Emillion, with Dark fruit, maybe some cocoa/coffee notes, much earth. But i'll leave it there from multi-year memory.
Yet this wine, in 2005, is, ahem, structured. Or bulletproof.
I was lucky to buy two cases as futures way back int eh day and have been trying it every few years since. Early on it was a waste to open. The first one that seemed close to ready was my last bottle, in 2022 (I believe). It still requires quite a long decant or other method of opening it up and getting it air. I'm pleased to see many mention that below.
OTOH i cannot believe that the official calculated CT drinking window is "2012-2021". That is just stupidity. Have patience people. I bet that low scores correlate to a combination of short decant (maybe none) and unrealistic expectations. My goal is start in maybe 2025 and drink over the next decade, +. This, of course, assumes a capable cellar. Mien is NOT temperature controlled, but it changes temp at the speed of a glacier. (its real northeast, in the dirt, unfinished, unheated, oncrete cellar)
OK, rant off. :-)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Best after a 5 hr. decant. Just delicious with beef stew, but also great by itself. Very balanced, with nice structure, fruit, and chocolate. Lovely finish, too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
13/20 Marron bien évolué. Le nez est bien avec cette nette évolution vers le tertiaire. Ne pas chercher le fruit, il a disparu….. En bouche, tanins astringents. Notes de pruneaux. Unidimensionnel. Heureusement, la cave s’est maintenant libérée de ces StÉmilion….
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needs a good 3 hours in the decanter. Beets. tomatoes, black and tart cherries, plums, and a little baking spice. Some creaminess on the finish. Mouth-watering acidity and noticeable tannins still. This sure seems like it can hold up for another 10-15 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nothing wrong with this at all, and even has a little character. Good balance, depth and flavors. Forgot what I paid, but may have been around $25 or so at the time. Good deal. Probably not getting any better, but no rush to finish the last bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well made and all but lacking interesting characteristics. *3rd night open, volatiles lifting aggressively. Somewhat opening up finally, that means drinking better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dense, purplish red color with good legs. Nose: cedar and raspberries. Palate: cedar, smoked meat; silky, moderate tannins, good acidity. No sign of fading. Should be good for a few more years. Drank second half of bottle 1 day later: some funkiness on the nose; less fruit on the palate.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Modest black fruit bouquet. Medium-bodied, the fruit is beginning to dry out, but still enough there to make the wine enjoyable. Obviously soft and drinkable now, it has a rather narrow, shortish aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Structurally fine, lighter style than my preference. Mellow nose of dark fruits, very pleasant. On the palette this does deliver black fruit - blackberry, plum, and a hint of strawberry. Finish a little short but tasty.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened as a second bottle, P & P: thinner following a well-decanted lush red Rhône blend, and less flavorful, but not fair to compare the two. Certainly far less tannin than my previous bottle. To be continued. after VV & refrigeration, then down to room temp, this did not show well. Dead-tasting, and, at best, meh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
15,5/20 Il tire maintenant vers Le Brun, marron..... Beau nez évolué avec des notes de prunes. La bouche révèle un certaine fatigue.... Ne pas attendre.... il est entrain de s'éteindre sans trop d'apothéose.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lives up to what I expected; good balance and complex flavors, serious texture and good aged characteristics, all for around $25/btl (although almost 15 years ago). Doing fine, but no reason to wait.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last bottle from cellar ($25 as futures purchase in 2008). Similar to earlier notes. Mid-brick, amber edges; cocoa, leather, smokey, earthy nose; mid-body; balanced; softened tannins; semi-long smooth red fruit finish. 16 UC Davis scale, 90 other scales.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow Oed this for 2 hours. Sieved it into our glasses and drank over the nex several hours. Got better as the night went on. Mod sediment. No bricking. Typical Bordeaux nose with some earthy secondaries. Nice mouthfeel. Good length and weight on palate. No surprises but solid Bordeaux. Aging well with time ahead.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 05 Pipeau is a bottle that I’ve looked at in my EuroCave for awhile & have passed on it for bigger name producers. But, not tonight w/o disappointment. Especially, for $25 a bottle upon release.
It took a small glass & a few sips to get there.
Ruby, Claret in a classic style.
Showing the beauty of the age & vintage. Ruby, inky, ripe, slightly candied; blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, raspberries, dried strawberries & notes of dry cranberries. Dry top soils, dark, rich, forest floor, river stones, dry tobacco, graphite, dark, grey volcanics, limestone/sandstone, anise to black licorice, dark, sweet tarriness, dry, dark dates, steeped tea with dark, withering florals that are also, red, purple and red. The acidity is mountain, cool, stream like and elegant finish that set nicely wire to wire with persistence.
Good first look and will drink well for another 15 years with proper storage.
Paired with the Allen Brothers Wagyu Ribcap...a 100!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby to purple with no signs of age. Nose of blackberry, some cassis, some pencil and mineral. Similar on the palate with good intensity of fruit. Great balance and structure. Still tannic out of the bottle, it opened up with decanting. I really like this wine and feel it still has many years of life.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My last of a case that I bought as a future what seems like a long time ago. This went through an awkward phase from about 2014 to 2018, then truly blossomed. I wish I had held off on the entire case until now. Bravo to the 2005 St Emilion vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Incredible color and aroma. PnP, lots of cherry and red fruits, amazing after 14 years in the bottle, some tannins but well integrated. one of the best examples of aged Bordeaux available at a rationale price.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First bottle of 12 purchased en premeur. Glad that I waited. Very sweet fruit palate after an hour in the decanter. More secondary flavors appear after two hours. Best with food, but also nice by itself. Just hitting its drinking window, so this wine probably has at least another 10 years of life.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Thanks to our server at Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, WA. The wine was opened and decanted wonderfully for about 1.5 hours before we drank it.
I purchased the wine in 2008 as it was released. The cork was in great shape with little or no ullage. The color was dark, ruby red with no browning. The nose was dark, mature currants and earth with a hint of tobacco. On the palate the wine has wonderful flavors and finishes with a smooth medium length. The flavor profile is not complex -- but still wonderfully delightful.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not much changed from notes 6 months earlier. Still pretty tannic and once in a while I get a nice fruit note underneath. Substantial, but never quite broke out over 3 nights under pump
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow O'd for an hour, decanted. Very good, but the most tannic St. Emiliion I've ever experienced. Went well with ribeye, but even then the tannins continued to be prominent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice weeknight wine, may still get better. Best second night under pump, but good fruit undercurrent. Still quite tannic, so may get better for a couple years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Note: I use a scale on which 85 represents a very good wine.
Drank this bottle some time ago and forgot to post the TN,
A bit disappointing considering the vintage. Decent, but not all that flavorful. Drank from a magnum. Let it breathe for while (2 hrs). Did not change much through the bottle.
I have some 750s in my major cellar -- will drink soon.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a tad past peak, in my opinion. Two or three years ago, it had a perfect blend of fruit and tannins. It's still a good bottle of wine, just could use a little more fruit.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still closed without much fruit showing after two hour decanting. Better by the end of meal another hour and a half later. I have another two bottles and will keep minimum three years before opening another.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
And five years later... only a couple bottles left from the owc and still the best $19 bottle of bordeaux ever. More integrated and very pretty. More full bodied than I recall nice mid palate... great!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank from a magnum. Double decanted and let it breathe for two hours. Agree that it had a hollow mid-palate initially, but it rounded out with time. Was quite enjoyable and great QPR.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Second Sunday Group: 2005 Bordeaux (R&D's): Double blind. Aromas of currant, spice cake and fig. High-toned, with a background note that I could only describe as moldy clay- not necessarily a bad thing, just different. Develops a riper profile the longer it sits, and develops a meaty/spicy Slim Jim aroma. Tannic, with flavors of dark fruit- quite ripe- with a hollowness on the midpalate and shortish finish.
My #7, Domino's #6 Group #6, 65 pts
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially, quite a bit of damp mushroom, which lessened after breathing, along with spice and floral scent. The mid-weight palate shows earth and anise flavor with ample fine tannins.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is too dry and tannic. I opened this specimen yesterday and was not pleased though I used some to add to lamb ragu. Day 2 it was barely drinkable. Smells like cedar on the nose, very dry on the palate with hints of cherry. Still too tannic.
At this point I haven’t been too impressed with this “vintage of the century” as some critics called it. Some have been ok to good after a lot of patience. But some decent labels have been dogs.
At this point I’ll leave the remaining bottles of Pipeau in storage til 2019 or 20 and see if it improves as some, though not all, of my other 05s have done. But I’m not optimistic.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Our bottle was pretty much "gone", well past prime. Probably a mistake, but we decanted it (with a stopper) for 24 hours. It wasn't bad, just thin, not much too it, probably a shadow of its former self. Saved several ounces for a second night and it was port-like prune juice. Think this is well past prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Coravined a glass. Hope more time will improve it. A little underwhelming Coravined again...11-06. Still underwhelming. Could be a bad bottle or just sleeping
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is getting better! Still very 2005, with the fruit in abeyance and mineral and earth dominating - but was much smoother and nicer to drink than I remembered.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
-- decanted 30 minutes before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 2 – 3 hours --
NOSE: light oak; Moroccan spices; faint/tight red fruits; light caramel note; smoky dark prune fruit leather; somewhat reserved.
BODY: lots of sediment present; garnet-violet color of medium-deep to deep depth with bricking throughout. {forgot to note wine's weight}
TASTE: tannins are very drying; tertiary flavors – a bit muddled – are present; more purple-fruited than red-fruited; hints of mineral and alcohol on the front and mid palates; medium-low to medium acidity; hint of tobacco; Drink Now, as I don't see the fruit winning out over the tannins (and possibly alc., too --- labelled at 13%). Ashley gut impression score: 88
My score: 50, 5, 11, 14, 7 = 87
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was throwing a ton of sediment and really needed to be decanted off the solids or you're looking at a crunchy wine. Showing a bit of age with a deep garnet color. The flavor profile is pretty textbook Merlot, driven by black cherries, dark chocolate and coffee notes. There are some early tertiary notes, with a bit of tobacco and the oak notes have much more of an old cedar and clove notes. There is still a good degree of tannin, which is expected for an '05, but they are well integrated and just pick up on the finish. There is good structure to the wine, so I would put this in the drink/hold category depending on your preference for fruitier or more tertiary notes. This is a pretty four-square, modern styled, St. Emilion and, while its not the most complex wine in the world, it is a pretty good value, relative to Bordeaux.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep dark center, red rim with some signs of age. Ripe, plummy, iron, rubbed herbs, cherry jam. Smooth, plasticine, tart cherries, toasted rosemary, a little sweet, integrated oak, savory, supporting tannins and acidity, a little weak on the finish, comes back with some mature red fruit and oak. Has matured well, drinking well now. Might be better in a year or two.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
We had this 2005 Pipeau wine with Deer on our family Christmas party. I had decanted it for about 1,5 hours and it was still a little harsh in the beginning, but after a further 30 to 60 minutes in the glass. It just became delicious!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just a few months ago, the bottle I had of this seemed to be at peak. This one seemed to be fading, with much less fruit. Still a complex wine with many layers, but i would drink up if you're cellaring.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Classic merlot nose of plum, black cherry, and mocha. On the palate lush with plum, black cherry, red currant. Well integrated at this point. I would be drinking these over the next couple of years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Forward, fruity, easy to drink, medium bodied, fresh, spicy, red cherry, earth and licorice filled, soft textured, delicious wine that is ready to drink today. Who knows, a few more years could add even a bit more depth, but I think this is just about in the sweet spot.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured - tight and closed. Improved after breathing. Baking spice scent. Tobacco, stone and dark fruit flavor. Tension from mid-palate building through the long somewhat astingent finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mid-dark garnet, brick edges; herbaceous, mint, cocoa nose; mid-body; round, ripe; good fruit; a little one dimensional; good tannins; a little one dimensional. w/beef.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Voluptuous black and blue fruit with lots of herbs, cedar, incense, and licorice and hints of vanilla. Long finish with concentrated fruit and firm, but fine and approachable, tannins. Yum.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was closed upon opening so I poured it into a decanter. Over the next 3 hours it blossomed into a very nice right bank Bordeaux. I found the fruit quite subdued and the tannins present leading to a nice finish. Not the most complex St. Emilion but very enjoyable with filet mignon on the BBQ.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
1 hr decant. Excellent Bordeaux drinking very well right now. Intense perfumed nose. Red fruits with notes of earth, leather. Mellow tannins. Nice long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
19th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Chez Lyon in Eugene, OR): I was pleasantly surprised when the bag was pulled off this bottle. A great "go-to" Bordeaux annually, you're never sure how it will do blind. Lots of black plum, earth, and cocoa notes made me think Right Bank. Tannins are still huge for a Merlot based wine, it needed all of the long decant. 92 on day 2. Would still wait: 2017-2025
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bought a case of this as a future and just opened the first one. Wonderful Bordeaux nose, great soft velvet fruit on the palate. And a finish that lasts for 30-40 seconds. 80% Merlot, 10% each Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon. Great value from a great vintage in St Emilion.
Very typical Bordeaux. Full bodied and quite tannic. Loads of terroir, oak, earth, mushroom, pepper, and berry. I held onto this for a good 8 years and time has served it well, as it is ready to be enjoyed now, though it can definitely last at least another 5+ years. Popped and poured.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
L.A.W. Tasting: Brunello, Barolo, Super Tuscan, and Bordeaux (LA Hutchinson Cocktail and Grill): A powerful and big and simple wine that attempts to overcome it's lacking in nuance. Rich dark fruit with at least some gravel. Modest finish. Not a total fruit bomb (though heading that way), but not terribly delineated or pure either. Tannin still has some time to go, but this will never be a great wine. Frankly a cliff may be in the near future...
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Took to Ruth's Chris Quick 30 min decant and ran through the vinturi A bit tannic, nice fruit but surprisingly way too young. Will revisit in 7-10 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I had this wine after drinking some nice aged Washington wines the previous week. In comparison, this wine felt, well, austere. I am sure I am the first to call a Pipeau austere, but - there it is. It lacks the bright fruit, lift, and freshness of an excellent wine. Drying tannins dominated again.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mid-garnet, brick edges; closed nose; opens with time; Merlot, hints of Cabernet, oak, cassis, cocoa; mid-body; balanced; semi-tight tannins; mid-body; decent flavor; a little short on the finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Un nez de cassonade, de chocolat, de cuir. Un vin rond et plein, assez agréable. Il montre cependant une structure tannique puissante, encore bien présente, je me méfie de la sécheresse de la finale assez abrupte. Pas mauvais, mais il ne justifie pas les bonnes critiques qu’il avait reçues. Il faudrait l’attendre 3 ans pour que ces tanins s’arrondissent, mais je doute qu’il lui reste du fruit. 85 (+?)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
More austere and reserved then my last bottle with some black fruit and cherry-pit bitterness on the finish. Started to come around the following day with more fruit aromas and more fruit on the palate.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over three days. Best on day one. Cedar. Dark cherry. Chocolate. Vanilla. Still surprisingly tannic. 2005 bdx just won't calm down. I would have guessed this was a napa cab except without the heat.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful aromatics on opening, and then it devolved into the wine I remembered. Some red fruits especially cassis, but becomes muddled with noticeable tannins as it opened. As said before, not sure the fruit will outlast the tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted a little over an hour. The nose is the best part of this. Cedar, dark cherry & tobacco. The palate shows blackberry & red plums, but the cedar/woody notes overwhelm the fruit. This becomes massively tannic, mid palate & finish are both abbreviated. Good quality here, just a bit disjointed.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last tasted 2008. This has evolved considerably. Tannins still present but not overpowering. Fruit is there but mild with sl casiss. Very pleasant mild drink. Pairs well with even lighter fair
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Nose of plum, cherry, bell pepper with hints of spicy oak. On the palate, plum, currant, hints of tobacco. Lots of tannic grip on the finish. I would be drinking these over the next few years. Looks like the tannins will outlast the fruit at this point.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dry. Aromas of dried cherry, dried flowers, dried herbs, dried meat and dusty road. Very Nebbiolo. Medium bodied with dry, dry drying tannin, good acid, a good freshness and a clean finish. This may improve with more time in bottle given its aromatics and acidity. The tannin gave me a bit of a belly-ache. 2005 is sure taking its sweet time!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From my passive, yet Wisconsin cellar. Pristine cork. Throwing a scarf of sediment around the neck. Opened four hours and serially checked. I had sworn off red wine from 2005 from the sacred lands of France for two years, but I'm eager to learn. Here is a ready teacher. Deep primary color. This exhibits aromas of effusive creme de cassis and allspice. Deep entry. Full to medium body. A deep well of black fruit at the core, so promising. This is still tannic and seems 3-5 years from it's early prime drinking window. Slightly dry and shortish finish. This needs time. Very good to excellent. 88
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Put into a bulb decanter and immediately poured into a large Riedel glass. What a difference 3-1/2 years can make in the world of Bordeaux! Big aromatic nose of perfumed violets, dark cherries, red currants, coffee, leather, and some earthiness. Still noticeable tannins, but the grip has really loosened since 2010. This should start to drink well now and for another 8-10 years. Decant as it will help it open and separate the sediment.
This appears to be a great sign for the 2005 Bordeaux vintage as so many of them up until now have seemed to be closed, tannikc, and unapproachable.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
When I bought this 5 years ago I thought by now its tannins would be tamed, and the fruit would come forward. However, even after two hours of breathing, it was still rather harsh. It took some good cheese tame it. I guess I didn't wait long enough.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatic and reserved. Cherry, leather, blackberries with still young tannins, but starting to come together really nicely. Improved with time in the glass, its reaching drinking stage, but I think still has a long life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is drinking well at this time but I am hoping that it will continue to improve in the cellar. Fruit, graphite and some dusty tannin. I bought a case of this as a qpr and so far have been okay with the purchase.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Somewhat reserved and austere upon opening with subtle scents of cherry, leather and earth. Over time, black and red fruit emerge. Pretty classic and classy Bordeaux. With some air, ready to drink, but should last for years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep purple color. Blackberries on the nose, chewy but integrated tannins. Berries on the palate. A nice finish. Better with food (steak in a mushroom sauce), than without. A nice, affordable Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This went over well at our holiday party, but was just a bit behind the 05 Jean-Faure. Folks who preferred this cited the plums on the nose and palate, and the slightly fuller flavor. Bottom line: both wines were well received by our guests, a general wine-drinking crowd.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A little thin in the middle and tight on the finish this time, but still quite enjoyable with food. Perhaps it should have been allowed to breath longer before drinking.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I love cab franc and the 10% in this wine adds nicely to the Merlot. Now it was obviously a very good vintage but the '05 Pipeau is excellent. Right out of the bottle it delivers a great aroma that makes you want to just keep swirling it in the glass. The tannins are heavy so I'm going to leave the last two for a few years but even so, they are well integrated. Give it about an hour decant and the fruit starts to come out. Just a great bottle from when you could still buy good Bordeaux for a song.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great red fruit nose upon opening, but decanted 2 hours and the nose closed down a bit and became more lead and oak notes. Silky and smooth on entry, but a bit short and bitter on the finish...where did the fruit go? Went well with a herb-crusted NY strip with blue cheese butter, but certainly not a standout. I'm concerned that the tannins need another 5 years to mellow, but the fruit has already left the building; unfortunate, as I still have another 9 bottles in the cellar (bought a case en premiere and cellared at 57 C since). Don't expect this to improve with more age.
It's taken much longer than I thought it would, but this wine is finally in its drinking window with a little air. Nice dark purple. Still developing nose, with cassis, a little leather, some dark plums and blackberries. Could still benefit from another year or so, but starting to be the wine I hoped it would be.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a good wine, enjoyable to drink, but it hasn't developed the way I expected. D'Aiguilhe 2005, for example, became a lush, smooth, delightful wine, while this still seems a bit too tannic. A Parker declared "fruit bomb," this still seems a bit too dominated by wood tannins.
Decanted just before dinner, this now has an enjoyable, somewhat complex nose. It drinks fine, but not as smooth as I would have expected by now.
So overall, this is a good wine at a fair price, a decent tipple, but not much more.
Perhaps time will improve it, but I'm not especially hopeful that it will.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a 375. Medium ruby color; nose has good concentration of ripe (a bit overripe) red fruits and dusty old world character, a bit hot (but most of that dissipates); palate is medium bodied, quite tannic throughout the palate that doesn't moderate until the finish, midpalate full of heat and over-ripe cherry and plum fruit; finish is juicy and short-medium length. This is a few years too young and more than a few steps too modern. It will probably get better, but it will probably never be balanced, even if drunk on a colder day than the 80 degrees that it is today. I have never been a fan of Pipeau (tasted 03, 04, 05 to date). 85
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and drank 1 glass first night, rest the 2nd night. Not as good as previous ones and tannins too overpowering evening with sitting there overnight. Last 2 need to wait a few years more. Dark fruits and nice structure. Solid Bordeaux and great QPR.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Getting better- lavendar, black fruit and some plum, nice minerality (graphite), sweet tannins, still a baby though... And still the best bottle of $19 I've ever had...p.s. putting on lots of weight after 3+ hours...
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine has a ripe dark fruit, spice, cedar forest and light ash scent. The palate has cherry, cranberry, coffee, light mint and mineral flavor followed by ample fine tanins and a long, rich finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big backbone covering ripe dark and red fruit. A line of acidity flows through the moderately long finish. Pretty good for the table after a lot of air.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
We decanted the wine for 30 minutes, followed its development for another two hours, poured the leftover back into the bottle and re-tasted it two days later. The wine offered black currant, plum, dark chocolate and lots of oak on the tight nose. On the palate it showed plum, black cherry and coffee, paired with firm, dusty tannin, and coconut and intense oak flavours on the aftertaste. The unpleasantly over-oaked wine was barely drinkable to me. It needs time, but even with time I doubt that it will ever manage a turnaround.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tannic and unyielding for two days. The wine finally started to soften after 48 hours showing classical Bordeaux flavors of black current, cassis, and cedar. Hold for 2-5 more years. Great value but bad timing for this bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black cherry and oak on the nose, some sour cherry on the palate, but mostly non-fruit flavors like must and earth. Tannins behaved after about one hour. Enjoyable now as a petit wine, but doesn't really live up to its price bracket. Can probably stomach a few more years in the cellar, but I doubt this will be a runaway hit ever.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic earthen Bordeau, barely changed in two hours. The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like and Mineral. It tastes like and Mineral. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Linear texture. The wine finishes Medium.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank three glasses over four nights under pump. Still tannic as hell, but each night more fruit appeared. Needs another coupler years, but could be a great weekday wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet color. Aromas of meaty red fruit, currants and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, with red fruit, pepper and currants. Finishes well. Picked out as Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Far better showing than the last bottle. Excellent expression of its terrior with layers of earth woven into a core of red fruits. Still young and tannic, but smooth enough to enjoy. Color hints at [very] early maturity. Dry and refreshing. Wish I had more. Classic Bordeaux. I wonder about the extent to which my earlier rating was negatively affected by the Ch. Faugeres tasted along side, the Faugeres being the more powerful and modern of the two?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A nice, generic, nose of boysenberry, tobacco, yogurt and bell pepper. Medium bodied with firm, drying tannin, good acid and good focus. However there is no pleasure here. Too stemmy, weedy and dry. Not sure more time in bottle can save this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ch. Pipeau vs. Ch. Faugeres (2005) (My House): A bit stemmy and woody, but with a good, dry core of blackberries and blueberries. Many tasting notes mention the term "fruit bomb", but I don't agree. A better choice for food than the Faugeres. Lighter in color than the Faugeres. Tannins still young with a firm grip. Good focus and precision; not round at all. But remains smooth through the nice finish. Don't hesitate to keep this in your cellar for five, ten more years, but I don't predict this will evolve into anything special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted one hour. Nose of plums, mocha, leather, earth, spicy oak. On the palate, plum, espresso, leather, earth, blackberry, sour cherry, spicy oak. Finishes with good balance. Impression is that this is just starting to emerge from its slumber, hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I think this shows significant potential for a $27.00 Grand Cru. It's just completely closed for business right now. It's shut down from nose to finish. I will not be checking in on it again until Fall, 2013.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 30 minutes before dinner, and it could have used longer. Starting to come around from 750, but would clearly benefit from more time.
Even these "fruit bomb" wines are tight in the 2005 vintage, taking much more time than expected to hit their drinking window. This might eventually be something a bit more special, but for now it remains a decent drink, but not much more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ran through Vinturi and decanter 4 hours. Still some tannins but very drinkable now. Nice earth and minerality now. Red fruits balanced tannins. Not crazy memorable but very nice drink and have 4 more to go over the next 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After another year in the bottle this wine showed a bit of improvement. Fruit and tannin settled and a bit earth and mineral comes through. Still not an epic drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Interesting spices on the nose. Non-fruit woody/earthy flavours dominate. Tannins still very strong especially on the finish; run the wine through an aerator to reach drinkability. Can be enjoyed now as a big thick wine, or age considerably longer aiming to calm tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Amazing transformation with this bottle. When first opened, the nose was showing some oak and not much else. On the palate, fruit was a but muted, it was a little oaky, and the tannins were in charge. The wine remained this way an hour after being Vinturi'd and left in the glass. Nice, but I'd probably score it an 86 or 87. Then something incredible happened. I poured the last two glasses (through Vinturi) while my wife prepared Beef Bourgognone for dinner. I'm not sure if it was the extended air, the food, or both, but this wine transformed into something beautiful and powerful. The palate suddenly picked up weight and character, showing fantastic blackberry and spice. It became dense and chewy but was still well-balanced. A perfect complement to the fantastic beef dish. Disclaimer: this wine was not kept in a temp-controlled place for about a year when first purchased, which may have accelerated it aging curve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
- Garnet color with slow forming legs and aromas of violet. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of cut green grass, smokey, oak and mushroom. Leathery texture with a medium finish - Great QPR. Coming together very nice. Needs another 2-3 years in the bottle. Very enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice red color and excellent nose. Tasty merlot with good combination of fruit and spice. Medium tannins that are nicely integrated. Even better in a year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow, there's a deep, dark color here... saturated. And very ripe on the nose right out of the gate... From 375ml... This is much more tannic than the 2005 Carbonnieux... but I must say, the tannins are soft, are fleshy, by golly. Ok, this puppy is pretty damn tannic. Not hard, nor stern, but undeniably tannic...
This has softened a fair bit since I last tried it in 2008, but the espresso-unsweetened chocolate notes say "structure". There's clearly some ripe material underneath (this chateau usually has a savory, tapenade, black fruit profile that I really like), but this Rightie needs a good 5 to 10 in the cellar.
This one reminds me of many 2000 Bordeaux I tried in 2005/6, which I consider a good omen. But hold for another 5+ years...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not bad, but a little sleepy and shy. Darker flavors and aromas on day one persisted well but with no real definition, the next day the other half was consumed and it was more of the same with some extra nuance and complexity.
Color: dark core with purple-red edges
Nose: berries, some toasty oak, leather and tobacco.
Palate: Fine grained tannins finish a fruit and tobacco laced entry, some licorice as well, good acidity.
Good basic Bordeaux, nothing fancy here.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep dark fruit that really opens up with some air. At first there seemed to be no tannin but those came about with air as well. Doesnt really speak to bdx though as it lacks expected acidity and earthiness. Seems to me this might be hard to peg where its from blind, more CA leaning towards bordeaux. I had a Neal Family the other night and the fruit profile is very similar, just more tannin, structure ect.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Nose: Fragrant dark floral scents and dark fruit. Palate: Medium bodied, dark fruit up front, very thin through the mid-palate, comes back in the back-end and finishes with tart dark fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Pipeau possesses nice fruit balanced well by the oak, all hovering over a subtle streak of minerality. The fruit is precise, painting a vivid picture of blackberries. Still very straightforward without a sign of maturity. Nothing all that special about this wine but satisfyingly well made all the same. Drink by 2018.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet color with nice transparency. while not overly complex (perhaps due to its youth), this is a great every-day wine and a very nice QPR. Bit tough to pich out aromas as i am fighting a cold, but seemed a bit more red fruited ... raspberry, pomegranate, with some nice earthiness and a touch of saddle leather on the finish. Chewy tannins on the finish as well. Good wine. Probably better in about 5 years, but drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: Quite closed, needs a good swirl to reveal black berry, cassis, earth, and a hint of burnt match. Palate: Medium bodied, sour dark fruit up front, tannins make an appearance through the back-end. Finish: Medium length, dominated by tart dark fruit. This wine did not evolve at all over a 4 hour drinking period, expected a bit more from this heralded Bordeaux vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 1.5 hrs Colour:A very dark inky red-purple, orangy hue at edge Nose: This is a very aromatic wine. When first decanted it showed a lot of oak but has since dissipated. Bit of menthol on the nose. Fres red berries. Taste: A bit oaky and a bit lacklustre. Tannins are tight and hide some of the nuances of thsi wine. May improve with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A 90 now, but this will grow and evolve, a tannic monster even after a 2 hour aeration, much less evolved than the 2004 we had alongside, this will be amazing in a few years - Black, fabulous concentration with a nose of plum, blackfruit, cigar box, cedar, tobacco and vanilla, great structure, dusty tannins throughout, dry, yet silky smooth at this early stage with excellent length (90 Points).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Was a bit disappointed since this was a 2005. Light in body, color. Had with lamb at Bev's reunion party. We went to this winery and really enjoyed it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank both the '03 and '05 last night, but only had one decanter, so decanted the '05, and it benefited from the aeration. Dark plum in the glass, like the '03; and also with plum and alcohol on the nose (same as its chateau-mate); serious tannins, but balanced in a lovely way, and not off-putting at all, jammy with some tar and subdued fruit. Enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375. This keeps getting better. The tannins are stating to blend in, the nose is getting more interesting, and the fruit seems a bit richer. Plums, blackberries, strawberries. Nice, though still a while (1 - 3 years, I'd say) before it will hit its stride, especially from 750 or larger bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Have to agree with others - this is still asleep. I decanted for 4 hours and still not much penetrating - particularly on the nose. I'll let the others wait a couple more years. Could this have closed down again?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375. Slowly starting to come around. Nose is a bit more open, with red fruit and flowers. Palate is more pleasant, with tannins starting to mellow. Still needs a year or 3 to reach its peak, but each bottle has seemed better than the one before.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Score reserved. From a .375. There's nothing going on right now as this baby is sound asleep or devoid of all fruit. I assume it's a matter of the former because this was open for business at one time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375. This wine is starting to come around nicely, though it would still benefit from more time, esp. 750 or bigger formats.Nice dark purple color. Nose is still a bit restrained, but dark cherries, flowers and a little damp earth come through on a nose that seems to be gaining complexity over time as it opens. This bottle did not feel as tannic as prior ones, even the 375 tasted in April. Medium body. Pleasant but not especially long finish.
This wine seems to be on track (by sometime in 2010 through 2015 or so) to become what I hoped it would be. A great wine to serve at big parties with a range of guests from wine snobs to critter wine drinkers. A fine wine for simple mid-week dinners, or just to quaff. V. good QPR.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Muted nose. Not showing much. Getting some peppery berries and a touch of oak. Tannins are still pretty grippy. Not getting much fruit on the palate either. Mostly taste the oak on the peppery finish. Not too impressed with this wine. Understand it's young, but it was totally outshone by the rest of the wine on the table. And frankly, don't see that this has the fruit to balance the tannins over time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Thick and multi-layered with a spectacular nose of lavender and cherry blossoms. Enjoyed with friends and family on my 60th BD. Excellent choice for heartier beef dinners.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Bordeaux tasting (Laura and Gurtina's): Decanted for 30 minutes and poured back into bottle. Subtle dark cherry, liquorice, really expressive nose. Good body with medium tannins, high acidity. Well structured. Definitely better second time around (over an hour later). Would like to see how it develops with even more air. I plan to hold onto my other bottles for a bit. Very good QPR @ $22.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(tasted blind). Very nice nose of sweet oak and plums. After it opens a bit some mint, cedar and dark fruits show up. Some bitter dark chocolate on the palate. Nice long finish. Medium body, nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Survey of Bordeaux (Our House -- Philadelphia): Remarkable for a $31 bottle. A testament to the 05 vintage. Deep dark color. Incredible nose. Kirsch, oak, vanilla, gingerbread, cinnamon. Smooth and opulent. Brilliant fruit on the palate. Good tannins and a very good finish. This is still very young and should age very very well over the next 10-15 years. The best value of the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Wines in Colorado (Fort Collins): Another winner, this was more tannic and minerally than the 2003, with a better balance and concentration. I had one of these in 12/07, and it was hard, tannic brute, nearly undrinkable, so it has softened a lot in 1.5 yrs. Good now, better in 2-3 yrs. Pipeau is very good value, and while fruit-forward, its style is restrained and savory, avoiding too much oak and candied flavors. 90-91 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
05' Bordeaux Tasting!: super deep dark purple garnet color, almost black . hints of smoke and earthy farm notes. ripe tart, peppery fruit with firm bone dry tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I own a lot of this, so thought I'd check progress from a 375. Dark purple, nose still reticent, but already a pleasantly complex mix of red and black fruits with herbs. Still young, though it won't hurt you to try this now. This looks like it will develop into a very nice wine and a great value over the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
best $19 bottle of wine i've ever had. not faint praise either- this wine was loaded; great fruit, sweet tannins, graphite minerality and very young. excellent balance. a tasty st. emilion that will only get better with age. who says bordeaux doesn't offer value?!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pleasant nose, but muted fruit and way too young as evidenced by ovelry drying tannins, even the next day. Hope this matures well since I have a bit more. Rating is based on potential since right now this is not a great drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of currants, plums, berries, cherries and herbs du Provence. Flavors of currants, cherries and berries. Medium to bright acidity, firm tannins. medium to full body. Hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Spectator Top 100 (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had rosemary and black currant, cherry, smoke, and vanilla. The palate had black currant, smoke, spice, oak, and cherry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine was okay upon opening but definitely better on the second day. Beautiful deep garnet color. Expressive nose of fruit and spice. Flavors of pencil lead, plums, dark fruit and soft tannins. A tad of bitterness on the finish. I think this wine will continue to improve but is quite a pleasant drink now. Of the 4 QPR '05's that I purchased this is my favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Concentrated, tannic, dark fruit +++. Very nice wine. Still very young. Truly enjoyed. As good or better the next day. Great buy. First of six bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good and very young. Didn't really begin to open up for at least 2 hours. Once it did, though, it was terrific. Will wait on these for a couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Pipeau was double decanted the night before around 10:00pm. Massive nose of blueberry pie filling. A beautiful cross between an incredibly ripe Australian shiraz and a polished, sexy Napa cabernet. I couldn’t keep my nose out of the decanter. Poured back in bottle at 10:30pm and into the fridge. If the palate is half as pretty as the nose, I’ll be happy. Drank the next night. A bit austere and tannic, to be expected, at least the high level of tannins present were. Fairly concentrated with a lot of acidity and somewhat similar in profile, albeit not as powerful and palate staining, as the LaFleur (St. Emilion) and Clos Oratoire which followed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purple with a black core. Coffee, bitter chocolate, red raspberry and some burnt earth on the nose. Pain grille and black cherry are chewy and fat, but not flabby. Like all 2005 Bdx, tannins need to integrate and this was pretty austere, but this should be a great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
very earthy slightly muted fruit with very dusty dry tannins right now. Not sure how much fruit will be available when the tannins diminish. Wait 1-2 years before trying next bottle. Drank over two days, tasting notes written on day 2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tight and dry...in need of time. BUT, I love this wine for the dried black cherry, blackberry fruit....smooth and creamy, yet firm. Wonderful sweet clean dirt, vanilla/cherry spice, coffee, anise, nice florals. Dry dry finish....but tasty non the less. Wait 5 years....++pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tight, earthy nose, hard to get anything else. On the palate it has black fruit and dirt. Well structured mid palate followed by a nice finish. Needs at least 4 years to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple in color. I didn't get the barnyard others here have complained of. Nose was smoke, with hints of black fruit. Medium to full bodied. Extremely tannic, but there is still some fruit on the palate. Very long finish. I will try to wait at least 3 years, as it will really take some time to settle down. Did I mention this was tannic?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
First bottle from the case. Opened for an hour before cousumend at pinot provence. Extermely tight on the nose with hints of oak and sour fruit. On the palate, loads of blackberries with a chalkiness. Smoke with hints of extraction. Dry tannins. good wine which will be rated 2-3 points higher when ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At K&L wine tasting. Funky swampy nose that began to blow off after several minutes of swirling. Bottle had been decanted previously and according to K&L guy and was not defective. K&L said this is just how the wine is and expect the funk to go away with age. Opened up to show some berry, slight vanilla and sweet earthy tones. Hoping for a much better wine here after reading Spectator review. Not as concentrated as other 2005s from St. Emilion in the tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had the '04 several months ago, and while that one is a bit more approachable now, this is definitely the more complex of the two. Strong barnyard funk on the nose, and reading the other notes here, it makes it sound like it's a bad thing. I enjoyed that aspect and felt that, while it was strong, there was still a good bit of dark berries and cassis in there. Like I said before, this is no where near being ready to drink yet as it is super tannic, but I think the potential is there and it will likely improve with aging.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I am not sure how long this bottle was open prior to tasting but there was a definite stinky barnyard funk on the nose that was almost a bit too strong. A little disjointed but does have a lot of elements in place to possible integrate in the future. Hopefully that nose mellows out a bit as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This had a lot of barnyard on the nose, i.e. chicken manure and mushrooms. It blew off to a certain extent, but the wine left little impression. Not a great deal of fruit. Maybe it will improve with time, but I tend to think this one is overrated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Day 1 90 with potential to imporve a point or 2; Day 2 88 seemed shut down and not giving up nearly as much as on day 1, but you can tell it is a nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had this tonight with friends. Right at pop and pour, it was a wonderful experience. The nose was fruity with a hint of coffee. The front palette brings flavors of cherries and blueberries. It was one of the better right bank bourdeauxs I've had the p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375. This made a much better impression than the first bottle. Still reticent, of course, but this bottle offered both a bit more black fruit on the nose, and the tannins seemed a bit softer. I have multiple cases of this, and I'm much more confident that this will be a terrific wine than I was after the first tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just picked up my first case of '05 bought as futures. Couldn't help but pop the cork on one to check it out. Decanted for several hours. Right out of the bottle, very tight on the nose. Some black fruit on the nose, but overall very tight. On the palate, immediately got a big dose of blackberries, black licorice, some black cherry. Then the tannins took over. The color is a deep purple, but this is an all black and smoky wine. I will be resealing the case and letting the other 11 alone for 2-3 years (or as long as I can). I would say 91+ now, likely higher later.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
dark ruby. From 375, popped and poured. Probably would benefit from decanting, since it seemed a bit closed. Still, the potential seems very strong. Give it a couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/27/2024 - tsdv wrote: 80 Points
After 15 yrs in cellar this was disappointing. Intensity and acid was not really enjoyable. Not bad - just not nearly what it should be. Left a bit in bottle and tried next night, no improvement. One dimensional.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2024 - Wine Spam wrote: 90 Points
Lots of structure still, tannins fairly robust, but the mid-palate is on the weaker side. Not sure what additional aging will reveal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2024 - levinml wrote: 88 Points
Don’t think this ever got to a great place. Still drinkable, but fruit faded before balancing with the structure. Actually best third night under pump, but even then a bit harsh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2023 - dmitchell4 wrote: flawed
Past
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2023 - Ggyy007 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Best so far. Worth the wait . Still has some legs. Leather, dark fruit.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2023 - seekingbalance Likes this wine: 91 Points
I'll update this review when i have my next bottle. I';ve4 moved platforms and have not had this wine in almost 18 months.
But in general, here goes:
Pretty classic St. Emillion, with Dark fruit, maybe some cocoa/coffee notes, much earth. But i'll leave it there from multi-year memory.
Yet this wine, in 2005, is, ahem, structured. Or bulletproof.
I was lucky to buy two cases as futures way back int eh day and have been trying it every few years since. Early on it was a waste to open. The first one that seemed close to ready was my last bottle, in 2022 (I believe). It still requires quite a long decant or other method of opening it up and getting it air. I'm pleased to see many mention that below.
OTOH i cannot believe that the official calculated CT drinking window is "2012-2021". That is just stupidity. Have patience people. I bet that low scores correlate to a combination of short decant (maybe none) and unrealistic expectations. My goal is start in maybe 2025 and drink over the next decade, +. This, of course, assumes a capable cellar. Mien is NOT temperature controlled, but it changes temp at the speed of a glacier. (its real northeast, in the dirt, unfinished, unheated, oncrete cellar)
OK, rant off. :-)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2023 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Best after a 5 hr. decant. Just delicious with beef stew, but also great by itself. Very balanced, with nice structure, fruit, and chocolate. Lovely finish, too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2022 - BoireBio Does not like this wine:
13/20 Marron bien évolué. Le nez est bien avec cette nette évolution vers le tertiaire. Ne pas chercher le fruit, il a disparu…..
En bouche, tanins astringents. Notes de pruneaux. Unidimensionnel.
Heureusement, la cave s’est maintenant libérée de ces StÉmilion….
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2022 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Needs a good 3 hours in the decanter. Beets. tomatoes, black and tart cherries, plums, and a little baking spice. Some creaminess on the finish. Mouth-watering acidity and noticeable tannins still. This sure seems like it can hold up for another 10-15 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2022 - levinml wrote: 91 Points
Nothing wrong with this at all, and even has a little character. Good balance, depth and flavors. Forgot what I paid, but may have been around $25 or so at the time. Good deal. Probably not getting any better, but no rush to finish the last bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/4/2022 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 87 Points
Not much improved. Pretty woody with little fruit. finished this bottle two days later an it was better than day one.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2021 - 559Cheers wrote: 91 Points
Well made and all but lacking interesting characteristics.
*3rd night open, volatiles lifting aggressively. Somewhat opening up finally, that means drinking better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2021 - WAAM Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dense, purplish red color with good legs. Nose: cedar and raspberries. Palate: cedar, smoked meat; silky, moderate tannins, good acidity. No sign of fading. Should be good for a few more years. Drank second half of bottle 1 day later: some funkiness on the nose; less fruit on the palate.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2021 - VinhoVerde wrote: 84 Points
Modest black fruit bouquet. Medium-bodied, the fruit is beginning to dry out, but still enough there to make the wine enjoyable. Obviously soft and drinkable now, it has a rather narrow, shortish aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2021 - dke wrote:
Good, dark tasting bdx., better after opened for some time, but nothing special; was better in its youth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2021 - Thomas B wrote: 89 Points
Structurally fine, lighter style than my preference.
Mellow nose of dark fruits, very pleasant.
On the palette this does deliver black fruit - blackberry, plum, and a hint of strawberry.
Finish a little short but tasty.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2021 - prism wrote: 88 Points
Opened as a second bottle, P & P: thinner following a well-decanted lush red Rhône blend, and less flavorful, but not fair to compare the two. Certainly far less tannin than my previous bottle. To be continued.
after VV & refrigeration, then down to room temp, this did not show well. Dead-tasting, and, at best, meh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2021 - SacramentoCharlie wrote: 90 Points
Decent with good mouth feel and dark red fruit with some plum. not overly complex but nice texture and finish
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2021 - BoireBio Likes this wine:
15,5/20 Il tire maintenant vers Le Brun, marron..... Beau nez évolué avec des notes de prunes. La bouche révèle un certaine fatigue.... Ne pas attendre.... il est entrain de s'éteindre sans trop d'apothéose.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2021 - MLipton wrote:
Nice enough bottle of everyday claret. Not terribly complex but decently balanced and very good with grilled ribeyes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2021 - levinml wrote: 90 Points
Lives up to what I expected; good balance and complex flavors, serious texture and good aged characteristics, all for around $25/btl (although almost 15 years ago). Doing fine, but no reason to wait.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2021 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Last bottle from cellar ($25 as futures purchase in 2008). Similar to earlier notes. Mid-brick, amber edges; cocoa, leather, smokey, earthy nose; mid-body; balanced; softened tannins; semi-long smooth red fruit finish. 16 UC Davis scale, 90 other scales.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2021 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Slow Oed this for 2 hours. Sieved it into our glasses and drank over the nex several hours. Got better as the night went on. Mod sediment. No bricking. Typical Bordeaux nose with some earthy secondaries. Nice mouthfeel. Good length and weight on palate. No surprises but solid Bordeaux. Aging well with time ahead.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2020 - rickswan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Took a while to open up but once it did ... wow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2020 - Somm David T wrote: 92 Points
2005 such an amazing vintage.
The 05 Pipeau is a bottle that I’ve looked at in my EuroCave for awhile & have passed on it for bigger name producers. But, not tonight w/o disappointment. Especially, for $25 a bottle upon release.
It took a small glass & a few sips to get there.
Ruby, Claret in a classic style.
Showing the beauty of the age & vintage. Ruby, inky, ripe, slightly candied; blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, raspberries, dried strawberries & notes of dry cranberries. Dry top soils, dark, rich, forest floor, river stones, dry tobacco, graphite, dark, grey volcanics, limestone/sandstone, anise to black licorice, dark, sweet tarriness, dry, dark dates, steeped tea with dark, withering florals that are also, red, purple and red. The acidity is mountain, cool, stream like and elegant finish that set nicely wire to wire with persistence.
Good first look and will drink well for another 15 years with proper storage.
Paired with the Allen Brothers Wagyu Ribcap...a 100!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2020 - levinml wrote: 90 Points
Good weeknight wine, drinking well now. Nice balance and complexity. Drink anytime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2020 - cgrimes Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby to purple with no signs of age. Nose of blackberry, some cassis, some pencil and mineral. Similar on the palate with good intensity of fruit. Great balance and structure. Still tannic out of the bottle, it opened up with decanting. I really like this wine and feel it still has many years of life.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2020 - dmitchell4 wrote: 89 Points
Waiting to see if it softens more
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2020 - cburgner wrote: 87 Points
Never materialized to anything special. Tannins never relaxed and depth was just OK.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
7/14/2020 - BoulderWine wrote: 90 Points
On the darker, meaty side.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2020 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 89 Points
Loads of earth and graphite. With a bit more fruit this would be killer.
drank with grilled tenderloin steak. drink or hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2020 - ClaytonDave Likes this wine: 91 Points
A good QPR. Still fruit forward with black cherry on the palate. Short decant recommended, but is ready now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2020 - Pour Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
My last of a case that I bought as a future what seems like a long time ago. This went through an awkward phase from about 2014 to 2018, then truly blossomed. I wish I had held off on the entire case until now. Bravo to the 2005 St Emilion vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2019 - Chris Likes this wine: 97 Points
Incredible color and aroma. PnP, lots of cherry and red fruits, amazing after 14 years in the bottle, some tannins but well integrated. one of the best examples of aged Bordeaux available at a rationale price.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2019 - cburgner wrote: 87 Points
Nothing special with heavy tannins
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
6/9/2019 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 90 Points
First bottle of 12 purchased en premeur. Glad that I waited. Very sweet fruit palate after an hour in the decanter. More secondary flavors appear after two hours. Best with food, but also nice by itself. Just hitting its drinking window, so this wine probably has at least another 10 years of life.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2019 - schway wrote: 91 Points
Nice
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2019 - KimberlyDo wrote: 91 Points
Thanks to our server at Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, WA. The wine was opened and decanted wonderfully for about 1.5 hours before we drank it.
I purchased the wine in 2008 as it was released. The cork was in great shape with little or no ullage. The color was dark, ruby red with no browning. The nose was dark, mature currants and earth with a hint of tobacco. On the palate the wine has wonderful flavors and finishes with a smooth medium length. The flavor profile is not complex -- but still wonderfully delightful.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2019 - dougie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Hitting its stride. Juicy and balanced.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2019 - grape man wrote: 90 Points
Still time ,getting better by the year
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2019 - signotim wrote: flawed
corked
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2018 - suburbanfrog Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine had plenty of stuffing left for the long haul.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2018 - jlouderb wrote:
Very tannic - coravin pop and drink. Going to let it sit a while
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2018 - levinml wrote: 88 Points
Not much changed from notes 6 months earlier. Still pretty tannic and once in a while I get a nice fruit note underneath. Substantial, but never quite broke out over 3 nights under pump
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2018 - dougie Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2018 - prism wrote: 90 Points
Slow O'd for an hour, decanted. Very good, but the most tannic St. Emiliion I've ever experienced. Went well with ribeye, but even then the tannins continued to be prominent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2018 - levinml wrote: 89 Points
Nice weeknight wine, may still get better. Best second night under pump, but good fruit undercurrent. Still quite tannic, so may get better for a couple years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2018 - John Nezlek wrote: 85 Points
Note: I use a scale on which 85 represents a very good wine.
Drank this bottle some time ago and forgot to post the TN,
A bit disappointing considering the vintage. Decent, but not all that flavorful.
Drank from a magnum. Let it breathe for while (2 hrs).
Did not change much through the bottle.
I have some 750s in my major cellar -- will drink soon.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2018 - Pour Boy wrote: 90 Points
This is a tad past peak, in my opinion. Two or three years ago, it had a perfect blend of fruit and tannins. It's still a good bottle of wine, just could use a little more fruit.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2018 - Growler69 wrote:
Drinking beautifully now. Very tight upon opening, but tannins mostly resolved after a few hours in bottle.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2018 - SandmanRT wrote: 88 Points
Still closed without much fruit showing after two hour decanting. Better by the end of meal another hour and a half later. I have another two bottles and will keep minimum three years before opening another.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2018 - jonnyoro wrote: 94 Points
And five years later... only a couple bottles left from the owc and still the best $19 bottle of bordeaux ever. More integrated and very pretty. More full bodied than I recall nice mid palate... great!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2018 - nm10 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank from a magnum. Double decanted and let it breathe for two hours. Agree that it had a hollow mid-palate initially, but it rounded out with time. Was quite enjoyable and great QPR.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2018 - AllRed wrote: 85 Points
Second Sunday Group: 2005 Bordeaux (R&D's): Double blind. Aromas of currant, spice cake and fig. High-toned, with a background note that I could only describe as moldy clay- not necessarily a bad thing, just different. Develops a riper profile the longer it sits, and develops a meaty/spicy Slim Jim aroma. Tannic, with flavors of dark fruit- quite ripe- with a hollowness on the midpalate and shortish finish.
My #7, Domino's #6
Group #6, 65 pts
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2018 - Janstan Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tobacco, leather and cherry. Went well with brisket
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2018 - skifree wrote: 89 Points
Good fruit, some herb from the cab sauv, but just a bit hollow in the middle to be outstanding. This appears to be maturing nicely though.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2018 - bin905 wrote: 89 Points
Initially, quite a bit of damp mushroom, which lessened after breathing, along with spice and floral scent. The mid-weight palate shows earth and anise flavor with ample fine tannins.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2018 - Mtz Tom Does not like this wine: 75 Points
This is too dry and tannic. I opened this specimen yesterday and was not pleased though I used some to add to lamb ragu. Day 2 it was barely drinkable. Smells like cedar on the nose, very dry on the palate with hints of cherry. Still too tannic.
At this point I haven’t been too impressed with this “vintage of the century” as some critics called it. Some have been ok to good after a lot of patience. But some decent labels have been dogs.
At this point I’ll leave the remaining bottles of Pipeau in storage til 2019 or 20 and see if it improves as some, though not all, of my other 05s have done. But I’m not optimistic.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2018 - Z1nnfull wrote: 85 Points
Our bottle was pretty much "gone", well past prime. Probably a mistake, but we decanted it (with a stopper) for 24 hours. It wasn't bad, just thin, not much too it, probably a shadow of its former self. Saved several ounces for a second night and it was port-like prune juice. Think this is well past prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2017 - mats13 wrote: 91 Points
A little more straightforward. Winophile nails it below.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2017 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mid-dark garnet; smoky, tobacco, cocoa, pepper nose; mid-body, balanced, good fruit and flavor; semi-granular; a little short. 16
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2017 - tbell wrote: 85 Points
Coravined a glass. Hope more time will improve it. A little underwhelming
Coravined again...11-06. Still underwhelming. Could be a bad bottle or just sleeping
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2017 - skifree wrote: 90 Points
This wine is getting better! Still very 2005, with the fruit in abeyance and mineral and earth dominating - but was much smoother and nicer to drink than I remembered.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2017 - bluedog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dusty graphite on the nose, roof of the mouth, tongue coating tannins. Smooth, dry, and pleasant. Will age well for another three years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2017 - grafstrb wrote: 87 Points
-- decanted 30 minutes before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 – 3 hours --
NOSE: light oak; Moroccan spices; faint/tight red fruits; light caramel note; smoky dark prune fruit leather; somewhat reserved.
BODY: lots of sediment present; garnet-violet color of medium-deep to deep depth with bricking throughout. {forgot to note wine's weight}
TASTE: tannins are very drying; tertiary flavors – a bit muddled – are present; more purple-fruited than red-fruited; hints of mineral and alcohol on the front and mid palates; medium-low to medium acidity; hint of tobacco; Drink Now, as I don't see the fruit winning out over the tannins (and possibly alc., too --- labelled at 13%). Ashley gut impression score: 88
My score: 50, 5, 11, 14, 7 = 87
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/20/2017 - Seafoam Manor wrote: 89 Points
This was throwing a ton of sediment and really needed to be decanted off the solids or you're looking at a crunchy wine. Showing a bit of age with a deep garnet color. The flavor profile is pretty textbook Merlot, driven by black cherries, dark chocolate and coffee notes. There are some early tertiary notes, with a bit of tobacco and the oak notes have much more of an old cedar and clove notes. There is still a good degree of tannin, which is expected for an '05, but they are well integrated and just pick up on the finish. There is good structure to the wine, so I would put this in the drink/hold category depending on your preference for fruitier or more tertiary notes. This is a pretty four-square, modern styled, St. Emilion and, while its not the most complex wine in the world, it is a pretty good value, relative to Bordeaux.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2017 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep dark center, red rim with some signs of age.
Ripe, plummy, iron, rubbed herbs, cherry jam.
Smooth, plasticine, tart cherries, toasted rosemary, a little sweet, integrated oak, savory, supporting tannins and acidity, a little weak on the finish, comes back with some mature red fruit and oak.
Has matured well, drinking well now. Might be better in a year or two.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2017 - Chris Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle hit a home run for me. Nicely aged with good fruit. Gorgeous color. Excellent, especially at QPR.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2016 - Mtz Tom Likes this wine: 88 Points
We enjoyed this. We opened it 3 hours before tasting then poured with an aerator. Fairly dry and not too big. Still has some legs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/27/2016 - bin905 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice food wine. A bit lean in the middle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2016 - Nealefisher wrote: 89 Points
Christmas Dinner - Decanted for about 2 hours. Charcoal and coffee, not much fruit. Might have some room to improve if some of the fruit can get out.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2016 - dmitchell4 wrote:
Hostess present String Street
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2016 - Christoph4204 wrote: 91 Points
We had this 2005 Pipeau wine with Deer on our family Christmas party. I had decanted it for about 1,5 hours and it was still a little harsh in the beginning, but after a further 30 to 60 minutes in the glass. It just became delicious!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2016 - Pour Boy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Just a few months ago, the bottle I had of this seemed to be at peak. This one seemed to be fading, with much less fruit. Still a complex wine with many layers, but i would drink up if you're cellaring.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2016 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice balance, barnyard, leather, succulent mature dark fruit
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2016 - GARDEN wrote: flawed
Appears to have been defective. My wife refused to drink this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2016 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Classic merlot nose of plum, black cherry, and mocha. On the palate lush with plum, black cherry, red currant. Well integrated at this point. I would be drinking these over the next couple of years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2016 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with earlier notes. Mid-dark garnet, brick edges; cocoa, leather, earth nose; mid-body; balanced; very drinkable now; long fruity finish. w/mushroom risotto.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Forward, fruity, easy to drink, medium bodied, fresh, spicy, red cherry, earth and licorice filled, soft textured, delicious wine that is ready to drink today. Who knows, a few more years could add even a bit more depth, but I think this is just about in the sweet spot.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2016 - bin905 wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured - tight and closed. Improved after breathing. Baking spice scent. Tobacco, stone and dark fruit flavor. Tension from mid-palate building through the long somewhat astingent finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2016 - Christoph4204 wrote: 89 Points
a little disappointing, still closed
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2016 - skoppel Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very balanced with some nice violet tones. Not a blockbuster, but solid.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2016 - jcasey555 wrote: 89 Points
- Aromas of bell pepper and has flavours of dusty.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/16/2016 - HousePour wrote: 87 Points
Overall a bit disappointing. Showed some evidence of decline as it was a bit pruney and not very complex. Still had a richness though.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2016 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mid-dark garnet, brick edges; herbaceous, mint, cocoa nose; mid-body; round, ripe; good fruit; a little one dimensional; good tannins; a little one dimensional. w/beef.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2016 - d'Artagnan wrote: 82 Points
Un vin chaud, épicé, rond rustique et alcoleux. Pas agréable, les critiques sont une honte. 82 pts
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Voluptuous black and blue fruit with lots of herbs, cedar, incense, and licorice and hints of vanilla. Long finish with concentrated fruit and firm, but fine and approachable, tannins. Yum.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2016 - petenich Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking well
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2016 - megropolis wrote: 86 Points
Slightly disappointing but that could be a product of expectation.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2016 - Uncle John wrote: 91 Points
This was closed upon opening so I poured it into a decanter. Over the next 3 hours it blossomed into a very nice right bank Bordeaux. I found the fruit quite subdued and the tannins present leading to a nice finish. Not the most complex St. Emilion but very enjoyable with filet mignon on the BBQ.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2016 - Foster wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit and chocolate with long finish. Showed very well at this stage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2016 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Second Sunday Group: 1996 Bordeaux (high end) (Marty's): Dark fruit, herbs and incense. Black fruit, incense, licorice and earth with a medium+ finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2015 - bin905 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Elegant, well-balanced, smooth and refined.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2015 - ccarter5181 wrote: 91 Points
1 hr decant. Excellent Bordeaux drinking very well right now. Intense perfumed nose. Red fruits with notes of earth, leather. Mellow tannins. Nice long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2015 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 89 Points
Odd but not unpleasant floral/vegetal aroma (violets?). Other than that, a rather rugged and tannic bottle, with hints of saddle leather and earth.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2015 - Pour Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle is living proof of the caliber of the 2005 vintage in St Emilion.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2015 - Grinner wrote: 92 Points
19th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Chez Lyon in Eugene, OR): I was pleasantly surprised when the bag was pulled off this bottle. A great "go-to" Bordeaux annually, you're never sure how it will do blind. Lots of black plum, earth, and cocoa notes made me think Right Bank. Tannins are still huge for a Merlot based wine, it needed all of the long decant. 92 on day 2. Would still wait: 2017-2025
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2015 - Pour Boy wrote: 92 Points
Bought a case of this as a future and just opened the first one. Wonderful Bordeaux nose, great soft velvet fruit on the palate. And a finish that lasts for 30-40 seconds. 80% Merlot, 10% each Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon. Great value from a great vintage in St Emilion.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/12/2015 - Squilber Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very typical Bordeaux. Full bodied and quite tannic. Loads of terroir, oak, earth, mushroom, pepper, and berry. I held onto this for a good 8 years and time has served it well, as it is ready to be enjoyed now, though it can definitely last at least another 5+ years. Popped and poured.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2015 - yossarian.livez wrote: 84 Points
L.A.W. Tasting: Brunello, Barolo, Super Tuscan, and Bordeaux (LA Hutchinson Cocktail and Grill): A powerful and big and simple wine that attempts to overcome it's lacking in nuance. Rich dark fruit with at least some gravel. Modest finish. Not a total fruit bomb (though heading that way), but not terribly delineated or pure either. Tannin still has some time to go, but this will never be a great wine. Frankly a cliff may be in the near future...
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2015 - redknife Likes this wine: 89 Points
Took to Ruth's Chris
Quick 30 min decant and ran through the vinturi
A bit tannic, nice fruit but surprisingly way too young.
Will revisit in 7-10 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/18/2015 - skifree wrote: 87 Points
I had this wine after drinking some nice aged Washington wines the previous week. In comparison, this wine felt, well, austere. I am sure I am the first to call a Pipeau austere, but - there it is. It lacks the bright fruit, lift, and freshness of an excellent wine. Drying tannins dominated again.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2015 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mid-garnet, brick edges; closed nose; opens with time; Merlot, hints of Cabernet, oak, cassis, cocoa; mid-body; balanced; semi-tight tannins; mid-body; decent flavor; a little short on the finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/10/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 85 Points
Un nez de cassonade, de chocolat, de cuir.
Un vin rond et plein, assez agréable. Il montre cependant une structure tannique puissante, encore bien présente, je me méfie de la sécheresse de la finale assez abrupte. Pas mauvais, mais il ne justifie pas les bonnes critiques qu’il avait reçues. Il faudrait l’attendre 3 ans pour que ces tanins s’arrondissent, mais je doute qu’il lui reste du fruit. 85 (+?)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2015 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 89 Points
More austere and reserved then my last bottle with some black fruit and cherry-pit bitterness on the finish. Started to come around the following day with more fruit aromas and more fruit on the palate.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2015 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ripe, maybe a little overripe. Dark fruit, black currant, a little hot and acidic, a bit of leather and liquorice. Very full, rich and concentrated.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2015 - Woodford wrote: 87 Points
Smells of currants, raisins, earth, herbs, and other red fruits.
Tastes of leather, simple light fruit, & herbs
Medium bodied.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2015 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank over three days. Best on day one. Cedar. Dark cherry. Chocolate. Vanilla. Still surprisingly tannic. 2005 bdx just won't calm down. I would have guessed this was a napa cab except without the heat.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2015 - skifree wrote: 87 Points
Wonderful aromatics on opening, and then it devolved into the wine I remembered. Some red fruits especially cassis, but becomes muddled with noticeable tannins as it opened. As said before, not sure the fruit will outlast the tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2015 - Anthony Lombardi Likes this wine: 87 Points
Decanted a little over an hour. The nose is the best part of this. Cedar, dark cherry & tobacco. The palate shows blackberry & red plums, but the cedar/woody notes overwhelm the fruit. This becomes massively tannic, mid palate & finish are both abbreviated. Good quality here, just a bit disjointed.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2014 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 91 Points
This bottle was more on the austere side with a lot of minerals and cherry pit. The tannins are resolving so its in a good spot.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2014 - kennyg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last tasted 2008. This has evolved considerably. Tannins still present but not overpowering. Fruit is there but mild with sl casiss. Very pleasant mild drink. Pairs well with even lighter fair
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2014 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Developing beautifully, killer nose full of flowers. Lots of raspberries and earth with smooth tannins. Tastes like more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2014 - GalvezGuy wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of plum, cherry, bell pepper with hints of spicy oak. On the palate, plum, currant, hints of tobacco. Lots of tannic grip on the finish. I would be drinking these over the next few years. Looks like the tannins will outlast the fruit at this point.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2014 - dsimmons wrote: 88 Points
Don't know if the fruit will outlive the tannin?? Nothing special at this point.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2014 - kdsipe wrote: 89 Points
Dry. Aromas of dried cherry, dried flowers, dried herbs, dried meat and dusty road. Very Nebbiolo. Medium bodied with dry, dry drying tannin, good acid, a good freshness and a clean finish. This may improve with more time in bottle given its aromatics and acidity. The tannin gave me a bit of a belly-ache. 2005 is sure taking its sweet time!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2014 - bin905 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened, tasted and decanted for a few hours. Initially nice but tight.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2014 - pedwards wrote: 88 Points
Still a bit tannic and young. Needs a couple of years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2014 - ponty48 wrote: 91 Points
Black currants, leather with some floral notes Medium body and nice finish. This will cellar for several years. Very nice
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2014 - Greg J wrote: 91 Points
Drank my last bottle of 05 Pipeau ... lovely with steak frites and did not disappoint - classic Bordeaux herbal undertones but nice fruit too.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/29/2014 - swade wrote: 88 Points
From my passive, yet Wisconsin cellar. Pristine cork. Throwing a scarf of sediment around the neck. Opened four hours and serially checked. I had sworn off red wine from 2005 from the sacred lands of France for two years, but I'm eager to learn. Here is a ready teacher. Deep primary color. This exhibits aromas of effusive creme de cassis and allspice. Deep entry. Full to medium body. A deep well of black fruit at the core, so promising. This is still tannic and seems 3-5 years from it's early prime drinking window. Slightly dry and shortish finish. This needs time. Very good to excellent. 88
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2014 - wmccone54 wrote: 91 Points
Put into a bulb decanter and immediately poured into a large Riedel glass. What a difference 3-1/2 years can make in the world of Bordeaux! Big aromatic nose of perfumed violets, dark cherries, red currants, coffee, leather, and some earthiness. Still noticeable tannins, but the grip has really loosened since 2010. This should start to drink well now and for another 8-10 years. Decant as it will help it open and separate the sediment.
This appears to be a great sign for the 2005 Bordeaux vintage as so many of them up until now have seemed to be closed, tannikc, and unapproachable.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2014 - gew71walsh wrote: 91 Points
Same as earlier comments. Actually enjoyed a little more, hence a notch higher score.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2014 - DAGwine wrote: 88 Points
When I bought this 5 years ago I thought by now its tannins would be tamed, and the fruit would come forward. However, even after two hours of breathing, it was still rather harsh. It took some good cheese tame it. I guess I didn't wait long enough.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2014 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromatic and reserved. Cherry, leather, blackberries with still young tannins, but starting to come together really nicely. Improved with time in the glass, its reaching drinking stage, but I think still has a long life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2014 - skifree wrote: 87 Points
Now smooth and showing secondary flavors, but lacks definition and precision, especially in the mid-palate. Easy to drink, but.....
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/12/2014 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Half the bottle tonight. Very nice QPR I think and even better in a few more years. Nice fruit and structure and earthy tones.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2014 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine is drinking well at this time but I am hoping that it will continue to improve in the cellar. Fruit, graphite and some dusty tannin. I bought a case of this as a qpr and so far have been okay with the purchase.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2014 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 92 Points
Somewhat reserved and austere upon opening with subtle scents of cherry, leather and earth. Over time, black and red fruit emerge. Pretty classic and classy Bordeaux. With some air, ready to drink, but should last for years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2014 - gew71walsh wrote: 90 Points
Deep purple color. Blackberries on the nose, chewy but integrated tannins. Berries on the palate. A nice finish. Better with food (steak in a mushroom sauce), than without. A nice, affordable Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2013 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
This went over well at our holiday party, but was just a bit behind the 05 Jean-Faure. Folks who preferred this cited the plums on the nose and palate, and the slightly fuller flavor. Bottom line: both wines were well received by our guests, a general wine-drinking crowd.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2013 - markydecker wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2013 - bin905 wrote: 89 Points
A little thin in the middle and tight on the finish this time, but still quite enjoyable with food. Perhaps it should have been allowed to breath longer before drinking.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2013 - Chris Likes this wine: 94 Points
I love cab franc and the 10% in this wine adds nicely to the Merlot. Now it was obviously a very good vintage but the '05 Pipeau is excellent. Right out of the bottle it delivers a great aroma that makes you want to just keep swirling it in the glass. The tannins are heavy so I'm going to leave the last two for a few years but even so, they are well integrated. Give it about an hour decant and the fruit starts to come out. Just a great bottle from when you could still buy good Bordeaux for a song.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2013 - WineLover422 wrote: 88 Points
Great red fruit nose upon opening, but decanted 2 hours and the nose closed down a bit and became more lead and oak notes. Silky and smooth on entry, but a bit short and bitter on the finish...where did the fruit go? Went well with a herb-crusted NY strip with blue cheese butter, but certainly not a standout. I'm concerned that the tannins need another 5 years to mellow, but the fruit has already left the building; unfortunate, as I still have another 9 bottles in the cellar (bought a case en premiere and cellared at 57 C since). Don't expect this to improve with more age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
8/17/2013 - rho wrote: 92 Points
Still very tannic. Too young to open
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2013 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
It's taken much longer than I thought it would, but this wine is finally in its drinking window with a little air. Nice dark purple. Still developing nose, with cassis, a little leather, some dark plums and blackberries. Could still benefit from another year or so, but starting to be the wine I hoped it would be.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2013 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
This is a good wine, enjoyable to drink, but it hasn't developed the way I expected. D'Aiguilhe 2005, for example, became a lush, smooth, delightful wine, while this still seems a bit too tannic. A Parker declared "fruit bomb," this still seems a bit too dominated by wood tannins.
Decanted just before dinner, this now has an enjoyable, somewhat complex nose. It drinks fine, but not as smooth as I would have expected by now.
So overall, this is a good wine at a fair price, a decent tipple, but not much more.
Perhaps time will improve it, but I'm not especially hopeful that it will.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/21/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 85 Points
From a 375. Medium ruby color; nose has good concentration of ripe (a bit overripe) red fruits and dusty old world character, a bit hot (but most of that dissipates); palate is medium bodied, quite tannic throughout the palate that doesn't moderate until the finish, midpalate full of heat and over-ripe cherry and plum fruit; finish is juicy and short-medium length. This is a few years too young and more than a few steps too modern. It will probably get better, but it will probably never be balanced, even if drunk on a colder day than the 80 degrees that it is today. I have never been a fan of Pipeau (tasted 03, 04, 05 to date). 85
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2013 - cpsmith33 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted and drank 1 glass first night, rest the 2nd night.
Not as good as previous ones and tannins too overpowering evening with sitting there overnight. Last 2 need to wait a few years more.
Dark fruits and nice structure. Solid Bordeaux and great QPR.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2013 - jonnyoro wrote: 94 Points
Getting better- lavendar, black fruit and some plum, nice minerality (graphite), sweet tannins, still a baby though... And still the best bottle of $19 I've ever had...p.s. putting on lots of weight after 3+ hours...
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2013 - bin905 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine has a ripe dark fruit, spice, cedar forest and light ash scent. The palate has cherry, cranberry, coffee, light mint and mineral flavor followed by ample fine tanins and a long, rich finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2013 - Christoph4204 wrote: 90 Points
Needs at least 2 hours of air, great taste, good nose and a long finish. Great value!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2013 - krmcgrath wrote: 89 Points
Big backbone covering ripe dark and red fruit. A line of acidity flows through the moderately long finish. Pretty good for the table after a lot of air.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2013 - lifebreath Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Overwhelming tannins, oak and minerals. Perhaps with years in the cellar it could improve, but I'm not sad it's gone from mine!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2013 - msilver wrote: 90 Points
tannic on the opening. Very nice on the nose and more subtle tannin after about 2 hrs. Hint on mint and dark fruit.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2013 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 89 Points
This wine is drinking well with a short decant. Still pretty tannic so a few for more years may be of some benefit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/20/2013 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 89 Points
This is drinking well now. Good red/black fruit, with some earth and herbal notes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2013 - PSPatrick wrote: 86 Points
We decanted the wine for 30 minutes, followed its development for another two hours, poured the leftover back into the bottle and re-tasted it two days later. The wine offered black currant, plum, dark chocolate and lots of oak on the tight nose. On the palate it showed plum, black cherry and coffee, paired with firm, dusty tannin, and coconut and intense oak flavours on the aftertaste. The unpleasantly over-oaked wine was barely drinkable to me. It needs time, but even with time I doubt that it will ever manage a turnaround.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2013 - EhrlichDY wrote:
Tannic and unyielding for two days. The wine finally started to soften after 48 hours showing classical Bordeaux flavors of black current, cassis, and cedar. Hold for 2-5 more years. Great value but bad timing for this bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2013 - Lessthanzero wrote: 88 Points
Black cherry and oak on the nose, some sour cherry on the palate, but mostly non-fruit flavors like must and earth. Tannins behaved after about one hour. Enjoyable now as a petit wine, but doesn't really live up to its price bracket. Can probably stomach a few more years in the cellar, but I doubt this will be a runaway hit ever.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2013 - Larry Brooks wrote: 91 Points
Smooth but present tannins, smooth flavor, no hurry to drink yet, but good now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2012 - Avoncrest Likes this wine: 89 Points
Classic earthen Bordeau, barely changed in two hours.
The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like and Mineral. It tastes like and Mineral. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Linear texture. The wine finishes Medium.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2012 - Christoph4204 wrote: 87 Points
Overrated wine, should be drunk now, must be decanted for about 1 hour
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2012 - levinml wrote: 91 Points
Drank three glasses over four nights under pump. Still tannic as hell, but each night more fruit appeared. Needs another coupler years, but could be a great weekday wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2012 - drgrape Likes this wine: 89 Points
The wine looks Garnet colored. Black Pepper ,Red Currant, and Blackberry. The body is Medium/Full. The wine finishes Medium.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2012 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Garnet color. Aromas of meaty red fruit, currants and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, with red fruit, pepper and currants. Finishes well. Picked out as Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2012 - bin905 wrote: 90 Points
Cherry, spice, leather and mineral flavors. Focused, restrained, tending toward almost lean palate. Finishes with ample fine tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2012 - THA wrote: 91 Points
Far better showing than the last bottle. Excellent expression of its terrior with layers of earth woven into a core of red fruits. Still young and tannic, but smooth enough to enjoy. Color hints at [very] early maturity. Dry and refreshing. Wish I had more. Classic Bordeaux. I wonder about the extent to which my earlier rating was negatively affected by the Ch. Faugeres tasted along side, the Faugeres being the more powerful and modern of the two?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2012 - kdsipe wrote: 86 Points
A nice, generic, nose of boysenberry, tobacco, yogurt and bell pepper. Medium bodied with firm, drying tannin, good acid and good focus. However there is no pleasure here. Too stemmy, weedy and dry. Not sure more time in bottle can save this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2012 - ecnemergut wrote: 85 Points
OK: Good,solid Bordeaux with currants and everything. Nothing too special - hardly a "fruit bomb".
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2012 - THA wrote: 87 Points
Ch. Pipeau vs. Ch. Faugeres (2005) (My House): A bit stemmy and woody, but with a good, dry core of blackberries and blueberries. Many tasting notes mention the term "fruit bomb", but I don't agree. A better choice for food than the Faugeres. Lighter in color than the Faugeres. Tannins still young with a firm grip. Good focus and precision; not round at all. But remains smooth through the nice finish. Don't hesitate to keep this in your cellar for five, ten more years, but I don't predict this will evolve into anything special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote: 88 Points
Decanted one hour. Nose of plums, mocha, leather, earth, spicy oak. On the palate, plum, espresso, leather, earth, blackberry, sour cherry, spicy oak. Finishes with good balance. Impression is that this is just starting to emerge from its slumber, hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2012 - pdadams66 wrote: 87 Points
From memory. Good, but not too exciting. Dense with meaty, earthy notes. Maybe needs a few more years. Can be drunk now after a decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2012 - PASimon wrote: 89 Points
I think this shows significant potential for a $27.00 Grand Cru. It's just completely closed for business right now. It's shut down from nose to finish. I will not be checking in on it again until Fall, 2013.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2012 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 30 minutes before dinner, and it could have used longer. Starting to come around from 750, but would clearly benefit from more time.
Even these "fruit bomb" wines are tight in the 2005 vintage, taking much more time than expected to hit their drinking window. This might eventually be something a bit more special, but for now it remains a decent drink, but not much more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2012 - Christoph4204 wrote: 88 Points
This needs absolutely to be decanted for about 30 to 45 minutes. Transformation of taste is amasing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2012 - cpsmith33 wrote: 90 Points
Solid QPR here. Nice cherry and oak, smooth finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2012 - Lessthanzero wrote: 89 Points
Black cherry and oak on the nose, mostly sour cherry on the palate. Lively tannins speak of a long life. Enjoyable now, but consume with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2012 - cpsmith33 wrote: 89 Points
Ran through Vinturi and decanter 4 hours. Still some tannins but very drinkable now. Nice earth and minerality now. Red fruits balanced tannins. Not crazy memorable but very nice drink and have 4 more to go over the next 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2012 - kietkopelli wrote: 89 Points
After another year in the bottle this wine showed a bit of improvement. Fruit and tannin settled and a bit earth and mineral comes through. Still not an epic drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2012 - djkucera wrote:
Interesting spices on the nose. Non-fruit woody/earthy flavours dominate. Tannins still very strong especially on the finish; run the wine through an aerator to reach drinkability. Can be enjoyed now as a big thick wine, or age considerably longer aiming to calm tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2012 - PIntag wrote: 93 Points
Amazing transformation with this bottle. When first opened, the nose was showing some oak and not much else. On the palate, fruit was a but muted, it was a little oaky, and the tannins were in charge. The wine remained this way an hour after being Vinturi'd and left in the glass. Nice, but I'd probably score it an 86 or 87. Then something incredible happened. I poured the last two glasses (through Vinturi) while my wife prepared Beef Bourgognone for dinner. I'm not sure if it was the extended air, the food, or both, but this wine transformed into something beautiful and powerful. The palate suddenly picked up weight and character, showing fantastic blackberry and spice. It became dense and chewy but was still well-balanced. A perfect complement to the fantastic beef dish. Disclaimer: this wine was not kept in a temp-controlled place for about a year when first purchased, which may have accelerated it aging curve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2012 - Slics wrote: 88 Points
Good Pipeau but still needs more time to smooth out. Tannins remain a but harsh but underlying fruit keeps balance; tannins just not integrated yet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2012 - Sir Lloyd wrote: 92 Points
- Garnet color with slow forming legs and aromas of violet. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of cut green grass, smokey, oak and mushroom. Leathery texture with a medium finish - Great QPR. Coming together very nice. Needs another 2-3 years in the bottle. Very enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2012 - Chris wrote: 93 Points
Very nice red color and excellent nose. Tasty merlot with good combination of fruit and spice. Medium tannins that are nicely integrated. Even better in a year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2012 - Primordialsoup wrote:
Better than bottle form a year ago. Improving in 375, but will benefit from more time. Charcoal, graphite, mineral, but tannins reducing. No rush.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2011 - Son888 wrote:
- Medium/Full body. Polished texture with a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2011 - blanquito wrote:
Wow, there's a deep, dark color here... saturated. And very ripe on the nose right out of the gate... From 375ml... This is much more tannic than the 2005 Carbonnieux... but I must say, the tannins are soft, are fleshy, by golly. Ok, this puppy is pretty damn tannic. Not hard, nor stern, but undeniably tannic...
This has softened a fair bit since I last tried it in 2008, but the espresso-unsweetened chocolate notes say "structure". There's clearly some ripe material underneath (this chateau usually has a savory, tapenade, black fruit profile that I really like), but this Rightie needs a good 5 to 10 in the cellar.
This one reminds me of many 2000 Bordeaux I tried in 2005/6, which I consider a good omen. But hold for another 5+ years...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2011 - RobertDwyer wrote: 84 Points
Any fruit that might be hiding in the background gets mugged by drying tannins and asphalt currently.
Rating it for the here and now. This one has me concerned about $20-$40 2005 Bordeaux. I think this may have been better a couple years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2011 - rho wrote: 88 Points
Fulled bodied, black fruits, oak, leather and earth. Needs time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2011 - bcmatthias wrote: 90 Points
Very nice, leather, some spice. A little fleeting though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2011 - tkoby11 wrote: 88 Points
Not bad, but a little sleepy and shy. Darker flavors and aromas on day one persisted well but with no real definition, the next day the other half was consumed and it was more of the same with some extra nuance and complexity.
Color: dark core with purple-red edges
Nose: berries, some toasty oak, leather and tobacco.
Palate: Fine grained tannins finish a fruit and tobacco laced entry, some licorice as well, good acidity.
Good basic Bordeaux, nothing fancy here.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2011 - Ekoostik wrote: 88 Points
Deep dark fruit that really opens up with some air. At first there seemed to be no tannin but those came about with air as well. Doesnt really speak to bdx though as it lacks expected acidity and earthiness. Seems to me this might be hard to peg where its from blind, more CA leaning towards bordeaux. I had a Neal Family the other night and the fruit profile is very similar, just more tannin, structure ect.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/9/2011 - prasm wrote: 87 Points
Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Nose: Fragrant dark floral scents and dark fruit. Palate: Medium bodied, dark fruit up front, very thin through the mid-palate, comes back in the back-end and finishes with tart dark fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2011 - kanjimoti wrote: 87 Points
The Pipeau possesses nice fruit balanced well by the oak, all hovering over a subtle streak of minerality. The fruit is precise, painting a vivid picture of blackberries. Still very straightforward without a sign of maturity. Nothing all that special about this wine but satisfyingly well made all the same. Drink by 2018.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2011 - agbailey Likes this wine: 89 Points
Garnet color with nice transparency. while not overly complex (perhaps due to its youth), this is a great every-day wine and a very nice QPR. Bit tough to pich out aromas as i am fighting a cold, but seemed a bit more red fruited ... raspberry, pomegranate, with some nice earthiness and a touch of saddle leather on the finish. Chewy tannins on the finish as well. Good wine. Probably better in about 5 years, but drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2011 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 88 Points
IMHO this baby is not ready to drink yet. I will wait at least a year before I open another one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2011 - kietkopelli wrote: 88 Points
Nicely balanced but not a big wine. Easy drinking. Not really memorable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2011 - prasm wrote: 86 Points
Nose: Quite closed, needs a good swirl to reveal black berry, cassis, earth, and a hint of burnt match. Palate: Medium bodied, sour dark fruit up front, tannins make an appearance through the back-end. Finish: Medium length, dominated by tart dark fruit. This wine did not evolve at all over a 4 hour drinking period, expected a bit more from this heralded Bordeaux vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2011 - bcmatthias wrote:
Very tight even after decanting and resting for an hour. Will try again next year....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2011 - mmyette wrote: 88 Points
Nice claret, nnot overripe, balanced with nose of graphite and blackberry. Medium bodied with moderate finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2011 - Primordialsoup wrote:
Time, time, time. Drank this from a 375 and it is not even ready. Hands off 2005 for this and most Chateau. Patience, patience, patience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2011 - drgrape wrote: 87 Points
Not as much fruit as previous tastings. A little bitter, actually.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2010 - bin905 wrote: 90 Points
Ditto earlier review, except a little thinner mid-palate.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2010 - Texas Pete wrote: 91 Points
Decanted. Marvelous aromas leather, fruit and a touch of methol. Somehat lacking on mid pallet but very nice finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2010 - ggkemp wrote: 90 Points
Smoke & spice & ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2010 - Tag01 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 1.5 hrs
Colour:A very dark inky red-purple, orangy hue at edge
Nose: This is a very aromatic wine. When first decanted it showed a lot of oak but has since dissipated. Bit of menthol on the nose. Fres red berries.
Taste: A bit oaky and a bit lacklustre. Tannins are tight and hide some of the nuances of thsi wine. May improve with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2010 - cpsmith33 wrote: 88 Points
this has a lot of upside...just needs lots and lots of time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2010 - jeremychobbs wrote:
Really tasty, classic Bordeaux
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2010 - Tarrant wrote: 90 Points
A 90 now, but this will grow and evolve, a tannic monster even after a 2 hour aeration, much less evolved than the 2004 we had alongside, this will be amazing in a few years - Black, fabulous concentration with a nose of plum, blackfruit, cigar box, cedar, tobacco and vanilla, great structure, dusty tannins throughout, dry, yet silky smooth at this early stage with excellent length (90 Points).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2010 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Clay, currant, black cherry and asphalt nose. Full, dark and chewy; firm, but balanced, good length finish.
4/5
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2010 - wmccone54 wrote: 87 Points
Plenty of dark fruit, nose of blackberries, and very smooth tannins. A bit of a disappointment given the hype
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2010 - Zinlady wrote: 88 Points
Was a bit disappointed since this was a 2005. Light in body, color. Had with lamb at Bev's reunion party. We went to this winery and really enjoyed it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2010 - elamasters wrote:
Nice open nose of plums and a bit of tobacco. Still very tight tannins on the palate. Needs a good five more years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2010 - friejose Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank both the '03 and '05 last night, but only had one decanter, so decanted the '05, and it benefited from the aeration. Dark plum in the glass, like the '03; and also with plum and alcohol on the nose (same as its chateau-mate); serious tannins, but balanced in a lovely way, and not off-putting at all, jammy with some tar and subdued fruit. Enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2010 - Ibetian wrote: flawed
mildly corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2010 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
From 375. This keeps getting better. The tannins are stating to blend in, the nose is getting more interesting, and the fruit seems a bit richer. Plums, blackberries, strawberries. Nice, though still a while (1 - 3 years, I'd say) before it will hit its stride, especially from 750 or larger bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2010 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 87 Points
Popped and poured, I did this wine no justice. Still, its good, but probably could develop more with an hour or two in the glass. Dried fruitcake.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2010 - bdufton wrote: 88 Points
Have to agree with others - this is still asleep. I decanted for 4 hours and still not much penetrating - particularly on the nose. I'll let the others wait a couple more years. Could this have closed down again?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2010 - G Kapoor wrote:
Extremely tannic and tight. Not going to open the remaining bottles for another couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
From 375. Slowly starting to come around. Nose is a bit more open, with red fruit and flowers. Palate is more pleasant, with tannins starting to mellow. Still needs a year or 3 to reach its peak, but each bottle has seemed better than the one before.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2009 - elbosco wrote: 89 Points
Subdued nose. Flavor profile starting to penetrate dominant tannins. A little more time on this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2009 - HatingWhitey wrote: 92 Points
Delicious, and for a great price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2009 - PontetCanet wrote:
Score reserved. From a .375. There's nothing going on right now as this baby is sound asleep or devoid of all fruit. I assume it's a matter of the former because this was open for business at one time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2009 - drgrape wrote: 89 Points
Dark inky, purple. Still a bit tannic and maybe a tint of barnyard. Medium body with dark berries. We'll try again in 6 months.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2009 - drbill wrote:
deep deep garnet. deep leather and dark fruit. very gripping aggressive peppery tannins on the finish.
quite young.
definitely needs alot more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2009 - aussie05 wrote: 91 Points
Drank from 375. Leather, fresh baked chocolate, tart rasberries. Grips up front. Not overly complex. Will be better with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
From 375. This wine is starting to come around nicely, though it would still benefit from more time, esp. 750 or bigger formats.Nice dark purple color. Nose is still a bit restrained, but dark cherries, flowers and a little damp earth come through on a nose that seems to be gaining complexity over time as it opens. This bottle did not feel as tannic as prior ones, even the 375 tasted in April. Medium body. Pleasant but not especially long finish.
This wine seems to be on track (by sometime in 2010 through 2015 or so) to become what I hoped it would be. A great wine to serve at big parties with a range of guests from wine snobs to critter wine drinkers. A fine wine for simple mid-week dinners, or just to quaff. V. good QPR.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2009 - Beavis77 wrote:
Muted nose. Not showing much. Getting some peppery berries and a touch of oak.
Tannins are still pretty grippy. Not getting much fruit on the palate either. Mostly taste the oak on the peppery finish.
Not too impressed with this wine. Understand it's young, but it was totally outshone by the rest of the wine on the table. And frankly, don't see that this has the fruit to balance the tannins over time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2009 - BigGer wrote:
Thick and multi-layered with a spectacular nose of lavender and cherry blossoms. Enjoyed with friends and family on my 60th BD. Excellent choice for heartier beef dinners.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2009 - chayward wrote: 89 Points
Blind Bordeaux tasting (Laura and Gurtina's): Decanted for 30 minutes and poured back into bottle. Subtle dark cherry, liquorice, really expressive nose. Good body with medium tannins, high acidity. Well structured. Definitely better second time around (over an hour later). Would like to see how it develops with even more air. I plan to hold onto my other bottles for a bit. Very good QPR @ $22.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2009 - dke wrote: 90 Points
(tasted blind). Very nice nose of sweet oak and plums. After it opens a bit some mint, cedar and dark fruits show up. Some bitter dark chocolate on the palate. Nice long finish. Medium body, nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2009 - ews3 wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux Tasting ("Chateau McClure Roberts", Philadelphia PA): nose of vanilla, raw almonds, ginger, and ripe red cherry. tannins are really forward right now. great value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote: 93 Points
Survey of Bordeaux (Our House -- Philadelphia): Remarkable for a $31 bottle. A testament to the 05 vintage. Deep dark color. Incredible nose. Kirsch, oak, vanilla, gingerbread, cinnamon. Smooth and opulent. Brilliant fruit on the palate. Good tannins and a very good finish. This is still very young and should age very very well over the next 10-15 years. The best value of the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2009 - blanquito wrote: 90 Points
Blind Wines in Colorado (Fort Collins): Another winner, this was more tannic and minerally than the 2003, with a better balance and concentration. I had one of these in 12/07, and it was hard, tannic brute, nearly undrinkable, so it has softened a lot in 1.5 yrs. Good now, better in 2-3 yrs. Pipeau is very good value, and while fruit-forward, its style is restrained and savory, avoiding too much oak and candied flavors. 90-91 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2009 - wcacern wrote: 89 Points
05' Bordeaux Tasting!: super deep dark purple garnet color, almost black . hints of smoke and earthy farm notes. ripe tart, peppery fruit with firm bone dry tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2009 - Swaindo wrote: 92 Points
Coming along nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
I own a lot of this, so thought I'd check progress from a 375. Dark purple, nose still reticent, but already a pleasantly complex mix of red and black fruits with herbs. Still young, though it won't hurt you to try this now. This looks like it will develop into a very nice wine and a great value over the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2009 - jonnyoro wrote: 94 Points
best $19 bottle of wine i've ever had. not faint praise either- this wine was loaded; great fruit, sweet tannins, graphite minerality and very young. excellent balance. a tasty st. emilion that will only get better with age. who says bordeaux doesn't offer value?!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2008 - kennyg wrote: 89 Points
Pleasant nose, but muted fruit and way too young as evidenced by ovelry drying tannins, even the next day. Hope this matures well since I have a bit more. Rating is based on potential since right now this is not a great drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2008 - lhickey wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly intense but obviously tight and young. Has structure to mature for 5-10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
WIML90
Tasted November 29, 2008 at a retail tasting.
Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of currants, plums, berries, cherries and herbs du Provence. Flavors of currants, cherries and berries. Medium to bright acidity, firm tannins. medium to full body. Hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2008 - mmurry wrote: 92 Points
Wine Spectator Top 100 (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had rosemary and black currant, cherry, smoke, and vanilla. The palate had black currant, smoke, spice, oak, and cherry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2008 - dsimmons wrote: 90 Points
This wine was okay upon opening but definitely better on the second day. Beautiful deep garnet color. Expressive nose of fruit and spice. Flavors of pencil lead, plums, dark fruit and soft tannins. A tad of bitterness on the finish. I think this wine will continue to improve but is quite a pleasant drink now. Of the 4 QPR '05's that I purchased this is my favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2008 - Alcide23 wrote: 92 Points
Concentrated, tannic, dark fruit +++. Very nice wine. Still very young. Truly enjoyed. As good or better the next day. Great buy. First of six bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2008 - hutch wrote: 90 Points
Big. Lots of stuffing. Ceder, dark red fruits. Needs time, a little overwhelming at the moment. 89-90
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2008 - vancouvermatt wrote: 92 Points
Concentrated, structured & tannic. Brimming with ripe fruit and earthy notes. Huge potential in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2008 - agbailey wrote:
Very good and very young. Didn't really begin to open up for at least 2 hours. Once it did, though, it was terrific. Will wait on these for a couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2008 - PontetCanet wrote: 87 Points
The Pipeau was double decanted the night before around 10:00pm. Massive nose of blueberry pie filling. A beautiful cross between an incredibly ripe Australian shiraz and a polished, sexy Napa cabernet. I couldn’t keep my nose out of the decanter. Poured back in bottle at 10:30pm and into the fridge. If the palate is half as pretty as the nose, I’ll be happy. Drank the next night. A bit austere and tannic, to be expected, at least the high level of tannins present were. Fairly concentrated with a lot of acidity and somewhat similar in profile, albeit not as powerful and palate staining, as the LaFleur (St. Emilion) and Clos Oratoire which followed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2008 - spacewrangler wrote: 91 Points
Purple with a black core. Coffee, bitter chocolate, red raspberry and some burnt earth on the nose. Pain grille and black cherry are chewy and fat, but not flabby. Like all 2005 Bdx, tannins need to integrate and this was pretty austere, but this should be a great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2008 - Larry Brooks wrote: 90 Points
very earthy slightly muted fruit with very dusty dry tannins right now. Not sure how much fruit will be available when the tannins diminish. Wait 1-2 years before trying next bottle. Drank over two days, tasting notes written on day 2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/11/2008 - Tel007 wrote:
This is drinkable now but will benefit from some more time. There is a lot of smoky fruit but the finish is a bit dry right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2008 - Mrbuzz wrote: 92 Points
Tight and dry...in need of time. BUT, I love this wine for the dried black cherry, blackberry fruit....smooth and creamy, yet firm. Wonderful sweet clean dirt, vanilla/cherry spice, coffee, anise, nice florals. Dry dry finish....but tasty non the less. Wait 5 years....++pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2008 - drgrape wrote: 91 Points
Medium body. Smooth tanins. Could use a little more fruit. Very nice, dark color.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2008 - bin905 wrote: 91 Points
Deep red color. Bright cherry and smoke scent. Full body, well-balanced, rich coffee and mineral flavors with good tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2008 - dubdub wrote:
Tight, earthy nose, hard to get anything else. On the palate it has black fruit and dirt. Well structured mid palate followed by a nice finish. Needs at least 4 years to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2008 - Gulelin wrote: 90 Points
Dark purple in color. I didn't get the barnyard others here have complained of. Nose was smoke, with hints of black fruit. Medium to full bodied. Extremely tannic, but there is still some fruit on the palate. Very long finish. I will try to wait at least 3 years, as it will really take some time to settle down. Did I mention this was tannic?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2008 - G Kapoor wrote: 88 Points
First bottle from the case. Opened for an hour before cousumend at pinot provence. Extermely tight on the nose with hints of oak and sour fruit. On the palate, loads of blackberries with a chalkiness. Smoke with hints of extraction. Dry tannins. good wine which will be rated 2-3 points higher when ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2008 - aaronwine wrote: 86 Points
At K&L wine tasting. Funky swampy nose that began to blow off after several minutes of swirling. Bottle had been decanted previously and according to K&L guy and was not defective. K&L said this is just how the wine is and expect the funk to go away with age. Opened up to show some berry, slight vanilla and sweet earthy tones. Hoping for a much better wine here after reading Spectator review. Not as concentrated as other 2005s from St. Emilion in the tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2008 - jhannah27 wrote:
Had the '04 several months ago, and while that one is a bit more approachable now, this is definitely the more complex of the two. Strong barnyard funk on the nose, and reading the other notes here, it makes it sound like it's a bad thing. I enjoyed that aspect and felt that, while it was strong, there was still a good bit of dark berries and cassis in there. Like I said before, this is no where near being ready to drink yet as it is super tannic, but I think the potential is there and it will likely improve with aging.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote:
I am not sure how long this bottle was open prior to tasting but there was a definite stinky barnyard funk on the nose that was almost a bit too strong. A little disjointed but does have a lot of elements in place to possible integrate in the future. Hopefully that nose mellows out a bit as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2008 - Matt T wrote: 81 Points
This had a lot of barnyard on the nose, i.e. chicken manure and mushrooms. It blew off to a certain extent, but the wine left little impression. Not a great deal of fruit. Maybe it will improve with time, but I tend to think this one is overrated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2008 - SMG wrote: 90 Points
Day 1 90 with potential to imporve a point or 2; Day 2 88 seemed shut down and not giving up nearly as much as on day 1, but you can tell it is a nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2008 - ggkemp wrote: 92 Points
Test botle. Pleasant nose, deep crisp purple. Earthy, smoky taste. Some tannins. Ordering more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2008 - winolee wrote: 90 Points
Had this tonight with friends. Right at pop and pour, it was a wonderful experience. The nose was fruity with a hint of coffee. The front palette brings flavors of cherries and blueberries. It was one of the better right bank bourdeauxs I've had the p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 89 Points
From 375. This made a much better impression than the first bottle. Still reticent, of course, but this bottle offered both a bit more black fruit on the nose, and the tannins seemed a bit softer. I have multiple cases of this, and I'm much more confident that this will be a terrific wine than I was after the first tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2007 - willison wrote: 91 Points
Just picked up my first case of '05 bought as futures. Couldn't help but pop the cork on one to check it out. Decanted for several hours. Right out of the bottle, very tight on the nose. Some black fruit on the nose, but overall very tight. On the palate, immediately got a big dose of blackberries, black licorice, some black cherry. Then the tannins took over. The color is a deep purple, but this is an all black and smoky wine. I will be resealing the case and letting the other 11 alone for 2-3 years (or as long as I can). I would say 91+ now, likely higher later.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 87 Points
dark ruby. From 375, popped and poured. Probably would benefit from decanting, since it seemed a bit closed. Still, the potential seems very strong. Give it a couple of years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment