Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 2 hours. Starting out with some volatility, but settling in over an hour. There was a seeming hole in the mid palate, a little vacuolar actually, still there was black cherry that got a bit juicier over an hour or more; firm tannins that also slightly loosened, minerals and black licorice. I'm not sure that this has a lot of upside.
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St. Emilion night (Chicago, IL): A little foursquare, but drinking very well for a 2005. This doesn't have the intense structure that so many others have, and there's a resolved, plummy, juiciness here. Not too complex or layered, but with a lot of those nice fruit layers on the palate making this readily accessible at such a young age.
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Dark reddish purple in color. Gorgeous aromas of black/purple small fruits, baking (oak) spices, licorice, graphite and violets on the nose. Still primary on the palate showing dense and sweet dark berry/cherry jam, cocoa, graphite, good acidity, firm tannins and a long floral/spice tinged finish. This is drinking great and has not budged a lot.
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With simply roasted chicken, potatoes and carrots for a Shabbat dinner. Color is a deep purple with a just slightly brown rim. Some encyclopedia dust on the nose. Shedding its youth, full bodied mouth, still mid palate tannic. The wine lingers and is enjoyable. Better in a couple of years but entering its drinking window.
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Yum. This is in a great place. Mature and ready to drink. Dark fruit, black olive, toasted oak, smoke. Fine tannic structure, mouth feel is a little rough. Great herbal menthol notes. Big fruit with a bitter bite but soft as well. Great length. This is really good, ready to drink now. Mid maturity, drink now and for 10 years.
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On the nose: Smoked sausage, mentol, dark fruit, blueberry and some vanilla. On the palate: High acidity, blueberry, mushroom, some licorice. Medium + finish
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Blackberry, blueberry, mature figs, vanilla, oak; rich, smooth, enveloping, simple but enticing, long gradual finish; showing some age but in an excellent place for drinking; very good, though a somewhat hedonistic wine After 2 Hours: Nose displaying notes of licorice as well; similar on palate but more integrated and also more fruitful, almost a little too sweet
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Had this over a couple of nights. Black fruit and plum. Lifted, exotic nose with five spice, truffle and some vieille prune. Still sporting some grippy tannins and fresh acidity. Nice.
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A very nice Bordeaux experience, and while the wine still needs a couple of years to shed some of the tannic presence, the dark plum, strawberry and red currant notes are definitive and very enjoyable. With a good deal of woody back notes, the formidable 2005 tannic structure nevertheless yields a teasing apart of the flavors and an overall unified experience that tends a tiny bit more toward St. Julien than a typical St Emillon or smokier Graves. Do decant for an hour.
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Dark cherry, currants, tobacco, clove, cinnamon, medium+ tannins still but incredible balance with bright acidity making your mouth water. It’s in a great place right now, but no rush as it will age well for another 10 years easily. Great wine.
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Bordal chez RPB (Margaux, Palmer, Mouton, Cos...): Aveugle. Pas de notes formelles. Mon vin :( Ouvert quelques heures avant. Très éloigné de la bouteille bue il y a quelques années. Nez très faiblement aromatique, très peu de saveurs, tannique et fermé.
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Getting close to ready, you find tobacco, olives, red fruits and crushed stones without effort. There is a strong salty character to the tannins, and freshness in the juicy, red plum finish. The tannins are still noticeable, so give this another 3-5 years before pulling a cork.
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Base neck. Ouvert durant 45 minutes avant consommation. Grenat assez foncé, mat. Nez très agréable sur les fruits rouges et les prunes, se refermant un peu au bout d’une heure. En bouche, le vin est surprenant de vivacité, avec une belle attaque, un bon équilibre et une acidité de bon aloi. Il n’est pas particulièrement complexe mais procure un plaisir indéniable. La finale est moyenne. Belle et bonne bouteille qui me semble proche de son apogée.
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Nose - slightly stewed, cooked? Mouth - bold fruit, long but also perhaps cooked. While I think many would like this due to the undeniable richness, due to lack of proper zip, I wonder if this is a flawed bottle.
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Nose closed from the cellar - mostly earth. Opened a bit more over time to a wood driven nose. Entry is solid and complex. Mid mouth is quite spicy with fairly green and punishing tannins. This remains harsh. Not aging gracefully so far. Per Quarin there is a huge bottle variation to this wine.
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Still quite deep purple in the glass, the nose opens with minerality, dark red fruit and a hint of game. Soft and medium bodied on the palate with some spice, acidity and nice balance. This is drinkable now but probably will continue to improve a bit. It may lack compared to more recent vintages but it is developing nicely in my opinion. An enjoyable wine.
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The wine has come a long way in the past year. Before then, it was massively tight, even for a strong vintage like 2005. I began opening what I had, as I thought the wine would never soften enough to be enjoyable. It is too bad I only have a few bottles left of it today.
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14% alcohol. Goodish cork. Decanted for an hour. The colour is deep with a slightly muddy quality. The nose is immediately captivating with raspberry and blackberry aromas. These flavours come across on the mouth too, which is incredibly youthful, with plenty of zip, no undue oak influence and some residual tannins (of the type that constrict the mouth without imparting any bitterness). Some sweetness, but in a positive way, not in the sense of residual sugar; this may just be another way of describing the silky mouthfeel. Well, I am an unrepentant Médoc man, but if a wine could make me switch my allegiance from the left to the right bank it is certainly this one. I can't remember any Merlot-based wine that wooed me as thoroughly as this one. This drinks well now (unless you really need all flavours to be softened within an inch of their life), and it should continue to do so for a good five years. I am planning to drink my remaining bottles within that time frame while the fruit remains vibrant. Bought this following a strong recommendation from Jean-Marc Quarin, and he was spot on, as he is most of the time.
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Not as good as one could expect from a top vintage, but quite nice nevertheless. It lacks maturity, but has a nice texture and a decent length. It is smooth, gentle, and approachable. Tanins are soft, and the finish is quite nice. Low acidity. Lovely to drink now, I don't see this aging long and well.
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Don't quite know what to make of this. Bought this initially as it famously scored perfect marks from RP in 1990. Nonetheless, this is anything but, even after adequate aeration for over 5 hours. It is, after all, produced in one of the best vintages in recent history. The claret pours a dark garnet color with a purplish rim and thick, clingy legs. On the nose, the bouquet consists mostly of red fruits, plums, sous bois, mushrooms, tobacco and spice. While the nose has the hallmarks of a great Bordeaux, the palate is anything but. Alcoholic heat hits first followed by raspy, astringent tannins, which perhaps may be mitigated by substantially longer time in the cellar. Also surprisingly, the flavor profile is dominated by damp earth, cigars and truffles. Fruit, on the other hand, seems to be an after thought. The finish is rather dry and smoky with respectable length and complexity. Frankly, this drinks more like an American cab and lacks the finesse and balance one often associates with Bordeaux, all the while missing the fruit that is associated with Cali cabs too. I am quite befuddled by this. It is not a bad wine by all accounts, but I am expecting way more from the price and the respectable producer.
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This wine was recently criticized in a "50 Bordeaux 2005 after 10 years blind tasting" by french Journalist Jean-Marc Quarin and the participants of this event. The worries were centering around 4 main issues, being over extracted, having drying tannins, too much alcoholic heat and not much aromatic lift. I guess time to check in on this wine that has a reputation for being very modern and extracted. Tasting note: Long story short, all of the above 4 problems can be confirmed. Medium garnet, discrete se of red fruit, some spices, not much fragrance. Very hot palate with drying tannins. I don't get any pleasure from drinking this. What a pity but I think they really messed this vintage up.
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Earthy, spicy, truffle and black plummy nose. The wine is fresh, soft, medium bodied and drinks well. But it clearly lacks the wealth of fruit and sensuous textures found in the wine since 2009.
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Medium strength nose typical Saint Emilion with strong wood in a nice fruit background, fat and quite dark fruit. Nice entry with mid mouth coming across quite powerful. Strong tannic finish but not a touch of bitterness. This is quite tight and remained so even after significant decant time. Needs a lot of time but likely a nice future.
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Deep in color, with a powerful nose of licorice, minerality, chocolate, blackberry liqueur and black berries, this lush, opulent, fresh wine offers supple textures, freshness, balance and harmony. The ends with a sweet, ripe, black fruit and fennel filled finish. Still young, give it another 4-5 years.
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Tasted in double-blind fashion with our tasting group. Opaque black, this wine shows a moderately intense nose of assorted black fruits and minerals. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and mouth-puckering tannins. The flavors are primary and follow the nose. Medium, coarse finish. Not my favorite 2005, but time may make this homely lady a starlet some day. Drink 1/15-12/25.
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Keith's note is spot on. This wine is clamped down hard, with no improvement in 24 hours. The first fleeting minutes displayed a fantastic acidity and darker fruit profile compared to when I had it a year ago. While I derived little pleasure from this, I feel good about my early thoughts on this wine's prospects. HOLD.
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Much more acidity than the Fleur Cardinale, I felt more balanced. Big dark berry fruit, a lot of tannin but seemingly finer tannins than the FC, good length. I liked this, my third favorite red of the night. B+/A
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2005 Bordeaux Test Drive (North Square): Totally mute on the nose despite having been decanted in the morning. Again, so tannic it's more like drinking a sweater than something made from fruit, though somehow it seems deeper in complexion with a vague sensation of plumminess anyway. I like the restraint here and the bracing kick to the acidity even if it's too backwards now to really be enjoyed.
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clear, purple ruby still wine, med intensity, watery thin rim clean, purple velvet aroma, spice, a hint of oak, cooked black fruit, subtle bramble and aroma of violet and lavendar, med Int body is full, tannin is smooth though pronounced, about med intensity mostly from wood aging, acidity is medium, balance is incredible, intensity is medium +, sun baked plum skins with a hint of sweet violet ... finish is medium Enjoy this with grilled lamb chops
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3/26/2024 - Collector1855 wrote: 87 Points
Canon vs. Duffau-Lagarrosse 2009-2020 tasted blind (Fribourg): Rich, ripe nose, lots of dry extract here as well, a touch overripe fruit intermixed with cranberries. Quite harsh and sour on the finish.
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11/4/2023 - sfqwino wrote: 90 Points
Good nose and quite delicious. A little short on the mid palate and finish though. Would hv been great otherwise.
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10/3/2023 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 2 hours. Starting out with some volatility, but settling in over an hour. There was a seeming hole in the mid palate, a little vacuolar actually, still there was black cherry that got a bit juicier over an hour or more; firm tannins that also slightly loosened, minerals and black licorice. I'm not sure that this has a lot of upside.
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4/14/2023 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
St. Emilion night (Chicago, IL): A little foursquare, but drinking very well for a 2005. This doesn't have the intense structure that so many others have, and there's a resolved, plummy, juiciness here. Not too complex or layered, but with a lot of those nice fruit layers on the palate making this readily accessible at such a young age.
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2/20/2023 - philknight wrote: 85 Points
Not nearly as much age as I expected for a 2005 (nearly 20 years in). Had a tartness (a lot of blackberry and cherry).
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9/25/2022 - devraj Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark reddish purple in color. Gorgeous aromas of black/purple small fruits, baking (oak) spices, licorice, graphite and violets on the nose. Still primary on the palate showing dense and sweet dark berry/cherry jam, cocoa, graphite, good acidity, firm tannins and a long floral/spice tinged finish. This is drinking great and has not budged a lot.
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7/8/2022 - troger Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still good but starting to show some age.
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5/13/2022 - hadukla Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice and smooth yet bright. A bit drying but not unpleasantly.
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4/30/2022 - kristofdossche wrote: flawed
Unfortunately the bottle was flawed.
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2/2/2022 - jh613 wrote:
Excellent. Years to go.
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1/28/2022 - dglebo Likes this wine: 92 Points
With simply roasted chicken, potatoes and carrots for a Shabbat dinner. Color is a deep purple with a just slightly brown rim. Some encyclopedia dust on the nose. Shedding its youth, full bodied mouth, still mid palate tannic. The wine lingers and is enjoyable. Better in a couple of years but entering its drinking window.
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12/19/2021 - Rixon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sen utloggning, inga formella noter.
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9/25/2021 - MRichman wrote:
Yum. This is in a great place. Mature and ready to drink. Dark fruit, black olive, toasted oak, smoke. Fine tannic structure, mouth feel is a little rough. Great herbal menthol notes. Big fruit with a bitter bite but soft as well. Great length. This is really good, ready to drink now. Mid maturity, drink now and for 10 years.
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6/17/2021 - Patrik H wrote: 92 Points
On the nose: Smoked sausage, mentol, dark fruit, blueberry and some vanilla.
On the palate: High acidity, blueberry, mushroom, some licorice.
Medium + finish
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5/10/2021 - wineappreciation wrote: 92 Points
Blackberry, blueberry, mature figs, vanilla, oak; rich, smooth, enveloping, simple but enticing, long gradual finish; showing some age but in an excellent place for drinking; very good, though a somewhat hedonistic wine
After 2 Hours: Nose displaying notes of licorice as well; similar on palate but more integrated and also more fruitful, almost a little too sweet
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3/18/2021 - viking60 wrote: 92 Points
Good bottle didn’t have the juice to 93 94
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11/18/2020 - nschmidt wrote: 90 Points
A nice well made wine with no wow factor.
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10/10/2020 - BordeauxNut wrote: 94 Points
Had this over a couple of nights. Black fruit and plum. Lifted, exotic nose with five spice, truffle and some vieille prune. Still sporting some grippy tannins and fresh acidity. Nice.
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10/8/2020 - Sotto325 wrote: 91 Points
A very nice Bordeaux experience, and while the wine still needs a couple of years to shed some of the tannic presence, the dark plum, strawberry and red currant notes are definitive and very enjoyable. With a good deal of woody back notes, the formidable 2005 tannic structure nevertheless yields a teasing apart of the flavors and an overall unified experience that tends a tiny bit more toward St. Julien than a typical St Emillon
or smokier Graves. Do decant for an hour.
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7/31/2020 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark cherry, currants, tobacco, clove, cinnamon, medium+ tannins still but incredible balance with bright acidity making your mouth water. It’s in a great place right now, but no rush as it will age well for another 10 years easily. Great wine.
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6/20/2020 - Ericsson wrote:
Bordal chez RPB (Margaux, Palmer, Mouton, Cos...): Aveugle. Pas de notes formelles. Mon vin :(
Ouvert quelques heures avant. Très éloigné de la bouteille bue il y a quelques années.
Nez très faiblement aromatique, très peu de saveurs, tannique et fermé.
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3/18/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Getting close to ready, you find tobacco, olives, red fruits and crushed stones without effort. There is a strong salty character to the tannins, and freshness in the juicy, red plum finish. The tannins are still noticeable, so give this another 3-5 years before pulling a cork.
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8/2/2018 - troger wrote: 89 Points
Still drinking very nicely.
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6/16/2018 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Base neck. Ouvert durant 45 minutes avant consommation. Grenat assez foncé, mat.
Nez très agréable sur les fruits rouges et les prunes, se refermant un peu au bout d’une heure.
En bouche, le vin est surprenant de vivacité, avec une belle attaque, un bon équilibre et une acidité de bon aloi. Il n’est pas particulièrement complexe mais procure un plaisir indéniable. La finale est moyenne.
Belle et bonne bouteille qui me semble proche de son apogée.
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6/2/2018 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - slightly stewed, cooked?
Mouth - bold fruit, long but also perhaps cooked. While I think many would like this due to the undeniable richness, due to lack of proper zip, I wonder if this is a flawed bottle.
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4/7/2018 - riskun Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nose closed from the cellar - mostly earth. Opened a bit more over time to a wood driven nose. Entry is solid and complex. Mid mouth is quite spicy with fairly green and punishing tannins. This remains harsh. Not aging gracefully so far. Per Quarin there is a huge bottle variation to this wine.
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1/25/2018 - mikeharris Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still quite deep purple in the glass, the nose opens with minerality, dark red fruit and a hint of game. Soft and medium bodied on the palate with some spice, acidity and nice balance. This is drinkable now but probably will continue to improve a bit. It may lack compared to more recent vintages but it is developing nicely in my opinion. An enjoyable wine.
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9/22/2017 - Simoncino wrote: 92 Points
The wine has come a long way in the past year. Before then, it was massively tight, even for a strong vintage like 2005. I began opening what I had, as I thought the wine would never soften enough to be enjoyable. It is too bad I only have a few bottles left of it today.
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6/11/2017 - Eudemis Likes this wine:
14% alcohol. Goodish cork. Decanted for an hour. The colour is deep with a slightly muddy quality. The nose is immediately captivating with raspberry and blackberry aromas. These flavours come across on the mouth too, which is incredibly youthful, with plenty of zip, no undue oak influence and some residual tannins (of the type that constrict the mouth without imparting any bitterness). Some sweetness, but in a positive way, not in the sense of residual sugar; this may just be another way of describing the silky mouthfeel.
Well, I am an unrepentant Médoc man, but if a wine could make me switch my allegiance from the left to the right bank it is certainly this one. I can't remember any Merlot-based wine that wooed me as thoroughly as this one. This drinks well now (unless you really need all flavours to be softened within an inch of their life), and it should continue to do so for a good five years. I am planning to drink my remaining bottles within that time frame while the fruit remains vibrant. Bought this following a strong recommendation from Jean-Marc Quarin, and he was spot on, as he is most of the time.
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2/9/2017 - mpmorris59 Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Bottle had bricking on the rim; almost port-like. Sweet, fruit fading. 375ml bottle. Clearly past what prime it had. Disappointed.
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9/19/2016 - Vinum Deorum wrote: 91 Points
Not as good as one could expect from a top vintage, but quite nice nevertheless. It lacks maturity, but has a nice texture and a decent length. It is smooth, gentle, and approachable. Tanins are soft, and the finish is quite nice. Low acidity. Lovely to drink now, I don't see this aging long and well.
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8/18/2016 - emzee.mc wrote: 85 Points
Don't quite know what to make of this. Bought this initially as it famously scored perfect marks from RP in 1990. Nonetheless, this is anything but, even after adequate aeration for over 5 hours. It is, after all, produced in one of the best vintages in recent history. The claret pours a dark garnet color with a purplish rim and thick, clingy legs. On the nose, the bouquet consists mostly of red fruits, plums, sous bois, mushrooms, tobacco and spice. While the nose has the hallmarks of a great Bordeaux, the palate is anything but. Alcoholic heat hits first followed by raspy, astringent tannins, which perhaps may be mitigated by substantially longer time in the cellar. Also surprisingly, the flavor profile is dominated by damp earth, cigars and truffles. Fruit, on the other hand, seems to be an after thought. The finish is rather dry and smoky with respectable length and complexity. Frankly, this drinks more like an American cab and lacks the finesse and balance one often associates with Bordeaux, all the while missing the fruit that is associated with Cali cabs too. I am quite befuddled by this. It is not a bad wine by all accounts, but I am expecting way more from the price and the respectable producer.
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11/19/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 87 Points
This wine was recently criticized in a "50 Bordeaux 2005 after 10 years blind tasting" by french Journalist Jean-Marc Quarin and the participants of this event. The worries were centering around 4 main issues, being over extracted, having drying tannins, too much alcoholic heat and not much aromatic lift. I guess time to check in on this wine that has a reputation for being very modern and extracted. Tasting note: Long story short, all of the above 4 problems can be confirmed. Medium garnet, discrete se of red fruit, some spices, not much fragrance. Very hot palate with drying tannins. I don't get any pleasure from drinking this. What a pity but I think they really messed this vintage up.
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6/27/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Earthy, spicy, truffle and black plummy nose. The wine is fresh, soft, medium bodied and drinks well. But it clearly lacks the wealth of fruit and sensuous textures found in the wine since 2009.
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4/26/2014 - richardkim Likes this wine: 90 Points
Elegant style, well balanced.
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4/11/2014 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
Gentle, herbaceous fruit. Not so striking, complex or weighty, but nice enough.
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3/23/2014 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice dark fruit with soft and round fruit profile. Took awhile to open up but was very nice at that point. Needs a few more years to show its best.
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11/30/2013 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still fairly tight. Opened up nicely in and hour or two. Nice clean fruit profile. Needs a few more years to show its best.
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7/23/2013 - riskun Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium strength nose typical Saint Emilion with strong wood in a nice fruit background, fat and quite dark fruit. Nice entry with mid mouth coming across quite powerful. Strong tannic finish but not a touch of bitterness. This is quite tight and remained so even after significant decant time. Needs a lot of time but likely a nice future.
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11/26/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Very tight. Really opened up over several hours. Nice fruit and complexity . Should be fantastic in a few years 5 +.
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7/30/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Deep in color, with a powerful nose of licorice, minerality, chocolate, blackberry liqueur and black berries, this lush, opulent, fresh wine offers supple textures, freshness, balance and harmony. The ends with a sweet, ripe, black fruit and fennel filled finish. Still young, give it another 4-5 years.
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6/12/2009 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 86 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion with our tasting group. Opaque black, this wine shows a moderately intense nose of assorted black fruits and minerals. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and mouth-puckering tannins. The flavors are primary and follow the nose. Medium, coarse finish. Not my favorite 2005, but time may make this homely lady a starlet some day. Drink 1/15-12/25.
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2/25/2009 - MarkLA wrote:
Keith's note is spot on. This wine is clamped down hard, with no improvement in 24 hours. The first fleeting minutes displayed a fantastic acidity and darker fruit profile compared to when I had it a year ago. While I derived little pleasure from this, I feel good about my early thoughts on this wine's prospects. HOLD.
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12/3/2008 - DaleW wrote:
Much more acidity than the Fleur Cardinale, I felt more balanced. Big dark berry fruit, a lot of tannin but seemingly finer tannins than the FC, good length. I liked this, my third favorite red of the night. B+/A
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12/2/2008 - MRichman wrote:
2005 Horizontal (North Square, NYC): Tight black tannins. Smooth dark fruit. Olive & herb. Suave but very very young.
B/B+
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12/2/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 86 Points
2005 Bordeaux Test Drive (North Square): Totally mute on the nose despite having been decanted in the morning. Again, so tannic it's more like drinking a sweater than something made from fruit, though somehow it seems deeper in complexion with a vague sensation of plumminess anyway. I like the restraint here and the bracing kick to the acidity even if it's too backwards now to really be enjoyed.
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9/13/2007 - awinestory wrote: 93 Points
clear, purple ruby still wine, med intensity, watery thin rim clean, purple velvet aroma, spice, a hint of oak, cooked black fruit, subtle bramble and aroma of violet and lavendar, med Int body is full, tannin is smooth though pronounced, about med intensity mostly from wood aging, acidity is medium, balance is incredible, intensity is medium +, sun baked plum skins with a hint of sweet violet ... finish is medium Enjoy this with grilled lamb chops
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