Out of magnum. Really enjoyed this. Unmistakenebly Bordeaux on the nose. Tobacco, cassis and dark fruits on the palate. Acidity is still quite nice and suggests it can age further (maybe 5 more years or so if I were to guess). The medium-short finish would be my only critique if I had to name one but otherwise a really nice drink.
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Decanted and began to drink after 1 1/2 hours. Began to open up and continued for another 2 hours when the bottle was finished. Medium/full body and bouquet. Great fruit and long finish. Classic Bordeaux and a testament to this outstanding vintage. Drinking superbly now and should last at least another 5 years.
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One of the great values of this 36 wine 2005 Bordeaux tasting! Medium-red color. Fragrant chocolate/oaky bouquet. Soft, supple, round, with rich fruit extract on the palate. Only light tannins at this point and completely ready to drink. Delicious! Cork pulled 2 hours before tasting.
From Mark’s 2005 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting: Attended a 36 wine ‘05 Bordeaux tasting recently. The wine above is one of those wines. Served single-blind. All wines were tasted over a 2 day period, 18 per day. The wines served on the 1st day had their corks pulled two hours prior. The second day’s wines were served “ double-decanted”, 2 hours before the first flight. The overall tasting experience was quite different, as one would expect. Day 2 wines were softer, displaying more ripe fruit, and less harsh tannins. Kudos to Mark for both a fantastic experience as well as providing an instructive opportunity on how the 2005 Bordeaux vintage is showing at this stage.
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Beautiful wine, nicely aged. In a great place right now. Smooth, long finish, has complex structure & no sign of fading. Better in Day 1 after opening about 30 minutes. Day 2 lost some of the goodness and showed signs of its age. Easily has a couple years left
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Opened this along side a 2005 Gloria and 2005 Château Joanin Bécot. Upon opening this wine had cherry on the pallet and a bite to the tannins. I liked it upon opening because it came across like a young Bordeaux, which I like. The tannins were very seductive with some grip to them. This later evolved to show oak, graphite, blueberry, raspberry, and cherry on the nose. The pallet evolved to show dark chocolate and blueberry, with a long seductive blueberry/tannic finish that lasted for 30 plus seconds. This wine started off as a 91+ wine and finished the night at an easy 94 point wine. This was an ever changing wine that continued to produce beyond expectations over the night.
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Still a certain harshness which time is not removing; seems to be stuck at this stage of development and unlikely to improve/change until it hits the cliff edge - probably in three or four years
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Warm, round, fulsome fruit, quite chunky with strong notes of dark chocolate. It's definitely a modern St.Emilion but not OTT. For the price a little more distinction and class would not have gone amiss but it's a perfectly decent bottle.
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An excellent St-Emilion. Hints of raspberry and blackberry on the nose. In the mouth, the same fruits are more forward. A touch of cherry also ? Medium bodied with acidity on the finish. Will it be better in a few years ? I'm glad to have drink my last bottle now. I should have wait until now for the others...
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The fruit is understated but it is there. Very polished and elegant. Very little sediment for wine that spent ten years in the bottle. Hmm, maybe it would get better with couple more years but it's my last bottle and there are no regrets for openning it now.
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- It's lacking fruit with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture with a short finish - Was very thin,little fruit and very little aftertaste.May be in hibernation.I will try again and decant for several hours.
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Long decanting/vinturi. Throwing a good amount of sediment so needs to be stood at least 48 hours (30 was not quite enough)
Brick red with orange rim. Mature red damsons, plums and almond nose. Ripe earthiness and balance on palate.
Much more integrated than last tasting nearly two years ago On this sample, it appears at or near its peak - I can't see any significant improvement beyond year end, so will be drinking up all but the experimental aging bottle in the next 18-24 months
Caveat; I have moved twice since taking delivery of this case, so bottles stored in a more stable environment may be a little slower in development
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Tasted over 2 nights, last sip on day 2 was best. Conserving much dark fruit and Kirsch, dense color, earth, flowers, considerable finish. This will be really good in 5 or 8 yrs, long decant for now, 88-91
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Better than prior bottles. Nice nose of dark cherry, oak, earth and a nutty component. Slightly lean with a silky texture, good grip and a solid finish. Much more bordeaux-like than prior bottles as this had more complexity and earthiness, and a leaner, more elegant texture.
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Ripe black cherry flavors, but not as lush or rich as I expected. Medium to full bodied with decent structure, but somewhat straightforward and simple. Decent, but not enough nose, finish or character to recommend.
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Robe : teinte assez claire avec un disque orangée et de fines larmes à l'aération Nez : sur les fruits rouges, cassis, mûre et de myrtilles; puis champignons (ça va être la saison) En bouche : les tanins sont fondus, fins;on est sur un vin délicat avec une acidité de bon aloi permet de tenir le vin. Bon vin, classique qui recherche plutôt la finesse.
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Opened to breathe for about 30 min, so not really given enough time to open up. This is a full bodied wine, lots of oak, black cherry, and some tannin backbone. Overall a solid Bdx but not much in the way of secondary flavors. The nose is a bit muted, faint dark fruit and oak.
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Getting better with time. The wood is better integrated now and the wine shows a medium body and classic bordeaux earthiness. The bouquet is dominated by black fruit and some coffee and dark chocolate. Overall a good PQR. Time will tell, if it improves further.
Dramatically different (& better) than a couple of years ago. Needed about an hour to open up and reveal its charms (first 30 minutes was not very good). Dark cherry and earth with good depth and a lush, juicy, smooth, velvety texture. Straightforward but classic, right bank bordeaux in its prime. 90+
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Maturing well since first tasting. Dusty damson nose with hints of almonds. On palate, Merlot fruit and tannins dominate, with touches ofdarker fruit coalescing. Attractive Bordeaux in the modern style, with earthiness reminding you it is still Bordeaux
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Bouquet feinsüss, gereifte Kirsche, schöne Kaffeenote. Im Gaumen füllig, samtig und süss ohne klebrig zu sein. Obwohl der Wein etwas geschliffenes (gastronomisches) hat, drückt hier auch eine Merlot-basierte Persönlichkeit durch. Intensiver Abgang. Toller Wein. St. Emillion für Geniesser die nicht nur Geld für Wein ausgeben wollen.
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Needs a good 45-60 minutes of air time to show some complexity, but a very nice wine indeed. Had with steak, which was excellent. Purple/plum coloring, very clear in the glass. Nice structure with medium body and finish.
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Dark fruits, cherry, charcoal and wood. Somewhat flat on the palate. Medium body, round edges, smooth texture but also with some sharp edges and a slightly acidic finish. Decent, and with no major faults, but basically rather straightforward and simple.
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- Purple color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry and smokey. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of black pepper with a medium body. Coarse texture with a medium finish - Nose is quite modern but on the palate the wine is old world. I would give it another 5 to 10 years to mellow out and come together.
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Aromas of red cherry and a faint earthiness. Similar flavors on the dry palate. This wine clearly needs food. Acidity comes in on the finish...After a few hours this really opens up and shows more intense red cherry and earthiness, with a little tobacco creeping in on the finish.
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Très net et limpide, rond (le merlot) et pas d'odeur de cuir du Cabernet Franc qui pourtant compte pour presque la moitié. À l'aération, c'est le tabac qui ressortait. Lui manque un peu de longueur pour en faire un vin qui se démarque vraiment.
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Medium bodied, with aromas of kirsch, plums, earth and spice, already open, this likable, crowd pleasing wine should be enjoyed before its tenth birthday.
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Learned from the last time and opened 2 hours in decanter. Very nice bottle for the price. Lots of earth and a bit of mineral. In a good way. Berry, tar and flowers like fresh sunny and wind off the field on a hot summer day. Really gets the job done with lamb. We had a lamb dish with goat cheese and a reduction sauce made from a cheap bottle of California Zin reduced with chicken broth. Buy this wine for your cellar
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Let it breath. 2 hours at least in a decanter. Went well with lamb chops. Flavors accent the lamb. Very smooth with hints of berry. Could use more time in the cellar
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Decent bordeaux - not much nose, but with nice cherry, earth and spice on the palate. Medium weight and nicely balanced with a short to medium fruity finish. Good, but also somewhat straightforward and simple. Overall a very pleasant, daily-drinker style wine. It continues to add more body and fruit during the first couple of hours. I wondered why I purchased it, because it is not a wine I have had before. I guess I was chasing Parker scores as it turns out RP initially rated it 90-92. He has since lowered the score to 87.
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Dark ruby color. Dusty nose with plummy fruit and savory herbs. Palette is continues with dark plum fruits and minerals and blocky tannins. Medium-bodied wine the will continue to improve for 10 years I would guess.
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Decanted for 3 hours. Fruit jam, vanilla, and jalapeno pepper nose--very nice. Cocoa and berry flavors. Palate is more expressive than last bottle, about 1 year ago. Bitter chocolate on the mid-palate. When the tannins mellow just a little more, I suspect that more flavors will surface. Nice wine, but still needs more time.
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Decanted one hour prior to dinner. Dark fruit, smooth tannins, wonderful merlot nose. Delightful in the mouth with full mouth feel, lingering aftertaste. More life in this wine.
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Vinturi'd and decanted for 3 hours. Deep, almost compote, fruit aromas with some licorice and vanilla. Red cherries, but somewhat hollow on the mid palate, and a nice bright finish composed of chocolatey dark fruits. Long finish. Based on the nose and the finish, I think that this will fill out a little more with some additional bottle time. Really a lovely, but not awesome, wine (89-90). Good QPR for a $20, '05 Bordeaux--although, I've had equally nice '05s for less $$. As many professional reviewers have said, the most remarkable thing about this vintage may be the quality across the board.
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Opened the first bottle of a case and compared with Fonbel. Still young, will wait a year or two before trying again
Deep intense garnet; all cassis and pencil lead on the nose.
Huge flavors on the palate, still a good amount of tannin to soften out. Enjoyable now but better to decant for a couple of hours - this improved noticeably over an hour in the glass.
At this stage, a few points ahead of the Fonbel
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Importer tasting (@ RdG): Primary fruits. Mainly cherries, which is not what I expect from a Bordeaux. It has good oak and is full bodied, but all in all an ok wine. In this stage not really representatative for the region.
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Aromas of blackberry, licorice and smoke follow through to a medium-bodied palate, with soft tannins and a fruity finish. We were pleasantly surprised with how good this wine is!
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2005 Petit Bordeaux Tasting (Bell's Wine Shop): Meaty, earthy, shut down nose. Restrained red fruit of cherry and figs. The palate is bright on the fruit with stewed plums (as Justin noted). A well structured wine. This could be nice in the future. 89FW++
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Blackberry liquer on the nose, with some earthy notes. Tight and acidic, with black fruits and a touch of earthiness. Fine-grained tannins, and a sleek and lengthy finish. Quite young and somewhat monolithic at this time. Elegant structure here, and while this is unyielding at this particular point in time, this has a bright future ahead of it.
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Dark garnet with hues that are not vibrant. The nose smells like blackberries and graphite and maybe a hint of marzipan. Rough tannin dominates the structure, but the tannins are yourng and yearnign to integrate, which I presume they will given two or three years. There is a slight minerality in the finish that is nearly obscured by the tannic structure. This wine could be served now with fatty foods because the nose and tannin are ample, but the wine is not contemplative, yet. If the fruit can age, this wine will last a decade...time will tell.
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Fairly dark red core with shades of purple and long medium thick legs in the glass. Somewhat reticent on the nose but offering notes of chalk, currant, licorice, and berry. This comes across as surprisingly astringent; I am not sure if it is closed or just a wine with a more tannin driven style. There is some dark fruit lurking within but the tannins and structure are more to the forefront at this stage. I have to say this is somewhat of a disappointment when considering the other brilliant offerings from the Reiffers in 2005. Maybe it will come around with time but it seems rather coarse at this point.
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Reccomended to me, good scores. As far as i could tell......a decent wine, but a bit unimpressed. Nose of currants and odd flowers. Medium weight, nicer nose than flavor, which was somewhere near rubbing alcohol or an old liqueur that was past its useful lifespan. Some moderate tannins. My first '05 Bordeaux, hopefully not a good example.
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10/9/2023 - mfimiani47 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Out of magnum. Really enjoyed this. Unmistakenebly Bordeaux on the nose. Tobacco, cassis and dark fruits on the palate. Acidity is still quite nice and suggests it can age further (maybe 5 more years or so if I were to guess). The medium-short finish would be my only critique if I had to name one but otherwise a really nice drink.
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6/26/2023 - skipwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and began to drink after 1 1/2 hours. Began to open up and continued for another 2 hours when the bottle was finished. Medium/full body and bouquet. Great fruit and long finish. Classic Bordeaux and a testament to this outstanding vintage. Drinking superbly now and should last at least another 5 years.
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11/22/2021 - jmcmchi Likes this wine: 89 Points
A complete contrast to my last bottle….less browning, better balance.
No reason for the difference other than bottle variation
Dark cherry and almond, tannins holding well
On this showing, good for a few years yet
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7/6/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 90 Points
One of the great values of this 36 wine 2005 Bordeaux tasting! Medium-red color. Fragrant chocolate/oaky bouquet. Soft, supple, round, with rich fruit extract on the palate. Only light tannins at this point and completely ready to drink. Delicious!
Cork pulled 2 hours before tasting.
From Mark’s 2005 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting:
Attended a 36 wine ‘05 Bordeaux tasting recently. The wine above is one of those wines. Served single-blind.
All wines were tasted over a 2 day period, 18 per day. The wines served on the 1st day had their corks pulled two hours prior. The second day’s wines were served “ double-decanted”, 2 hours before the first flight. The overall tasting experience was quite different, as one would expect. Day 2 wines were softer, displaying more ripe fruit, and less harsh tannins.
Kudos to Mark for both a fantastic experience as well as providing an instructive opportunity on how the 2005 Bordeaux vintage is showing at this stage.
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6/26/2021 - Eric wrote:
2005 Bordeaux at 16 years courtesy of Mark Taylor; 6/26/2021-6/27/2021 (Atlanta, GA): Pencil lead, very mineral. My #6 and the group #4. I guessed Haut-Bergey.
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3/26/2020 - jmcmchi wrote: 87 Points
Showing dark reddish brown in glass,
While tannins have softened in line with fruit, does not appear that further keeping is worthwhile. On the downswing
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2/23/2020 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
Seems that it has lost some fruit over the past few years. Slightly bitter, lean and angular on the palate with black fruits and earth dominating.
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12/24/2019 - lucnapo@gmail.com wrote:
Tres bon Bordeaux.
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1/13/2019 - denisontb Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine, nicely aged. In a great place right now. Smooth, long finish, has complex structure & no sign of fading. Better in Day 1 after opening about 30 minutes. Day 2 lost some of the goodness and showed signs of its age. Easily has a couple years left
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12/31/2018 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful example of a nicely aged St Emilion GC. From Magnum with a 60 minute decant. Likely at peak with 1-2 more years of enjoyment remaining.
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11/3/2018 - Zed57 wrote: 91 Points
Better than expected. Surprisingly complex and is in a really good spot. Great food wine.
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6/16/2018 - jmcmchi wrote:
Brick tints showing age.
Still requiring a lot of air.....one hour in decanter was significantly improved by running through vinturi
Earthy, softened tannins, cherry fruit there but fading.
Two moves, 2000 and 150 miles, have probably not helped longevity. Two years maximum for the rest of my stock
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3/27/2018 - sunalsorises wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well. Ripe fruit balanced by decent acidity. Pretty good depth for the price point. Very nice for the price.
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3/17/2018 - mcease Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened this along side a 2005 Gloria and 2005 Château Joanin Bécot. Upon opening this wine had cherry on the pallet and a bite to the tannins. I liked it upon opening because it came across like a young Bordeaux, which I like. The tannins were very seductive with some grip to them. This later evolved to show oak, graphite, blueberry, raspberry, and cherry on the nose. The pallet evolved to show dark chocolate and blueberry, with a long seductive blueberry/tannic finish that lasted for 30 plus seconds. This wine started off as a 91+ wine and finished the night at an easy 94 point wine. This was an ever changing wine that continued to produce beyond expectations over the night.
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2/4/2018 - jmcmchi wrote: 87 Points
Still a certain harshness which time is not removing; seems to be stuck at this stage of development and unlikely to improve/change until it hits the cliff edge - probably in three or four years
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7/19/2017 - jmcmchi wrote:
Brick red, with atouch of brown
Ripe almond and cherry aromas
Tannins still pronounced, balance improving
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5/26/2017 - Julian Marshall wrote: 86 Points
Warm, round, fulsome fruit, quite chunky with strong notes of dark chocolate. It's definitely a modern St.Emilion but not OTT. For the price a little more distinction and class would not have gone amiss but it's a perfectly decent bottle.
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2/18/2017 - jmcmchi wrote: 88 Points
Relatively mute today. Decanted only one hour, so not surprising I suppose
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1/22/2017 - jocelyng wrote: 91 Points
An excellent St-Emilion. Hints of raspberry and blackberry on the nose. In the mouth, the same fruits are more forward. A touch of cherry also ? Medium bodied with acidity on the finish. Will it be better in a few years ? I'm glad to have drink my last bottle now. I should have wait until now for the others...
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1/5/2017 - megropolis wrote:
The fruit is understated but it is there. Very polished and elegant. Very little sediment for wine that spent ten years in the bottle. Hmm, maybe it would get better with couple more years but it's my last bottle and there are no regrets for openning it now.
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10/17/2016 - glucker wrote: 88 Points
- It's lacking fruit with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture with a short finish - Was very thin,little fruit and very little aftertaste.May be in hibernation.I will try again and decant for several hours.
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10/3/2016 - skoppel Likes this wine: 87 Points
A little fruit forward and died in the bottle overnight. A very serviceable, if uninspiring, wine.
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9/6/2016 - paulst Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still young; balanced but undeveloped; better the next day; potential in 5 years.
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3/20/2016 - jmcmchi wrote: 90 Points
Long decanting/vinturi. Throwing a good amount of sediment so needs to be stood at least 48 hours (30 was not quite enough)
Brick red with orange rim. Mature red damsons, plums and almond nose. Ripe earthiness and balance on palate.
Much more integrated than last tasting nearly two years ago On this sample, it appears at or near its peak - I can't see any significant improvement beyond year end, so will be drinking up all but the experimental aging bottle in the next 18-24 months
Caveat; I have moved twice since taking delivery of this case, so bottles stored in a more stable environment may be a little slower in development
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2/14/2016 - Innertällmo Bryggeri Likes this wine: 89 Points
Plums and wet birch wood on the nose. Mature, soft tannins, full-bodied, well oaked, nice wine
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1/18/2016 - Nubian wrote: 88 Points
Tasted over 2 nights, last sip on day 2 was best. Conserving much dark fruit and Kirsch, dense color, earth, flowers, considerable finish. This will be really good in 5 or 8 yrs, long decant for now, 88-91
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11/7/2015 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Better than prior bottles. Nice nose of dark cherry, oak, earth and a nutty component. Slightly lean with a silky texture, good grip and a solid finish. Much more bordeaux-like than prior bottles as this had more complexity and earthiness, and a leaner, more elegant texture.
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9/16/2015 - rickspicks wrote: 89 Points
Ripe black cherry flavors, but not as lush or rich as I expected. Medium to full bodied with decent structure, but somewhat straightforward and simple. Decent, but not enough nose, finish or character to recommend.
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9/5/2015 - GAET wrote: 88 Points
Robe : teinte assez claire avec un disque orangée et de fines larmes à l'aération
Nez : sur les fruits rouges, cassis, mûre et de myrtilles; puis champignons (ça va être la saison)
En bouche : les tanins sont fondus, fins;on est sur un vin délicat avec une acidité de bon aloi permet de tenir le vin.
Bon vin, classique qui recherche plutôt la finesse.
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5/8/2015 - Hawk94 wrote: 90 Points
Pleasantly surprised. Really good drinking now.
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5/1/2015 - skurtz Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened to breathe for about 30 min, so not really given enough time to open up. This is a full bodied wine, lots of oak, black cherry, and some tannin backbone. Overall a solid Bdx but not much in the way of secondary flavors. The nose is a bit muted, faint dark fruit and oak.
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10/22/2014 - Klugi Wine wrote: 90 Points
Getting better with time. The wood is better integrated now and the wine shows a medium body and classic bordeaux earthiness. The bouquet is dominated by black fruit and some coffee and dark chocolate. Overall a good PQR.
Time will tell, if it improves further.
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9/26/2014 - rickspicks wrote: 90 Points
Dramatically different (& better) than a couple of years ago. Needed about an hour to open up and reveal its charms (first 30 minutes was not very good). Dark cherry and earth with good depth and a lush, juicy, smooth, velvety texture. Straightforward but classic, right bank bordeaux in its prime. 90+
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5/3/2014 - jmcmchi wrote: 88 Points
Maturing well since first tasting. Dusty damson nose with hints of almonds. On palate, Merlot fruit and tannins dominate, with touches ofdarker fruit coalescing. Attractive Bordeaux in the modern style, with earthiness reminding you it is still Bordeaux
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3/25/2014 - schiwi Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bouquet feinsüss, gereifte Kirsche, schöne Kaffeenote. Im Gaumen füllig, samtig und süss ohne klebrig zu sein. Obwohl der Wein etwas geschliffenes (gastronomisches) hat, drückt hier auch eine Merlot-basierte Persönlichkeit durch. Intensiver Abgang. Toller Wein. St. Emillion für Geniesser die nicht nur Geld für Wein ausgeben wollen.
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11/10/2013 - RBOND wrote: 91 Points
Ruby colored with the smell and taste of Blackberry. The body is Medium with a Fleshy texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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4/8/2013 - MCrawford wrote: 89 Points
Needs a good 45-60 minutes of air time to show some complexity, but a very nice wine indeed. Had with steak, which was excellent. Purple/plum coloring, very clear in the glass. Nice structure with medium body and finish.
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1/14/2013 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
Dark fruits, cherry, charcoal and wood. Somewhat flat on the palate. Medium body, round edges, smooth texture but also with some sharp edges and a slightly acidic finish. Decent, and with no major faults, but basically rather straightforward and simple.
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10/30/2012 - Klugi Wine wrote: 89 Points
- Purple color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry and smokey. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of black pepper with a medium body. Coarse texture with a medium finish - Nose is quite modern but on the palate the wine is old world. I would give it another 5 to 10 years to mellow out and come together.
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5/16/2012 - ecola Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aromas of red cherry and a faint earthiness. Similar flavors on the dry palate. This wine clearly needs food. Acidity comes in on the finish...After a few hours this really opens up and shows more intense red cherry and earthiness, with a little tobacco creeping in on the finish.
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3/6/2012 - plitton wrote: 90 Points
Impressive. Some old and new world characteristics. Prominent casise. By day 2, soft and integrated. Not particularly complex but very enjoyable.
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2/16/2012 - millesime66 wrote: 88 Points
Idem au précédent...
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1/25/2012 - millesime66 wrote: 88 Points
Très net et limpide, rond (le merlot) et pas d'odeur de cuir du Cabernet Franc qui pourtant compte pour presque la moitié. À l'aération, c'est le tabac qui ressortait. Lui manque un peu de longueur pour en faire un vin qui se démarque vraiment.
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10/25/2011 - gkuchan wrote: 88 Points
Earth and licorice tones. Bone dry with light fruit. Slight licorice on the finish. Excellent.
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10/11/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 87 Points
Medium bodied, with aromas of kirsch, plums, earth and spice, already open, this likable, crowd pleasing wine should be enjoyed before its tenth birthday.
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9/7/2011 - RBOND wrote: 90 Points
Learned from the last time and opened 2 hours in decanter. Very nice bottle for the price. Lots of earth and a bit of mineral. In a good way. Berry, tar and flowers like fresh sunny and wind off the field on a hot summer day. Really gets the job done with lamb. We had a lamb dish with goat cheese and a reduction sauce made from a cheap bottle of California Zin reduced with chicken broth. Buy this wine for your cellar
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8/19/2011 - VCvino wrote: 88 Points
Rickspicks says it all.
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6/19/2011 - RBOND wrote: 90 Points
Let it breath. 2 hours at least in a decanter. Went well with lamb chops. Flavors accent the lamb. Very smooth with hints of berry. Could use more time in the cellar
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6/9/2011 - DRS-Inc wrote: 86 Points
Tasted @ BMM Event @ Cipriani Wall Street. Full-bodied w/strong earth and leather notes.
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4/25/2011 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
Decent bordeaux - not much nose, but with nice cherry, earth and spice on the palate. Medium weight and nicely balanced with a short to medium fruity finish. Good, but also somewhat straightforward and simple. Overall a very pleasant, daily-drinker style wine. It continues to add more body and fruit during the first couple of hours. I wondered why I purchased it, because it is not a wine I have had before. I guess I was chasing Parker scores as it turns out RP initially rated it 90-92. He has since lowered the score to 87.
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4/18/2011 - eksata wrote: 87 Points
Dark ruby color. Dusty nose with plummy fruit and savory herbs. Palette is continues with dark plum fruits and minerals and blocky tannins. Medium-bodied wine the will continue to improve for 10 years I would guess.
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1/22/2011 - pinoteer wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Fruit jam, vanilla, and jalapeno pepper nose--very nice. Cocoa and berry flavors. Palate is more expressive than last bottle, about 1 year ago. Bitter chocolate on the mid-palate. When the tannins mellow just a little more, I suspect that more flavors will surface. Nice wine, but still needs more time.
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11/7/2010 - KevinMc wrote: 89 Points
Fine. Not sure it's worth $35, but I did enjoy it. It had all the elements of classic Bordeaux, but none were exciting or exemplary.
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6/20/2010 - FredF wrote: 89 Points
Decanted one hour prior to dinner. Dark fruit, smooth tannins, wonderful merlot nose. Delightful in the mouth with full mouth feel, lingering aftertaste. More life in this wine.
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2/21/2010 - pinoteer wrote: 89 Points
Vinturi'd and decanted for 3 hours. Deep, almost compote, fruit aromas with some licorice and vanilla. Red cherries, but somewhat hollow on the mid palate, and a nice bright finish composed of chocolatey dark fruits. Long finish. Based on the nose and the finish, I think that this will fill out a little more with some additional bottle time. Really a lovely, but not awesome, wine (89-90). Good QPR for a $20, '05 Bordeaux--although, I've had equally nice '05s for less $$. As many professional reviewers have said, the most remarkable thing about this vintage may be the quality across the board.
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11/9/2009 - nschmidt wrote: 87 Points
Round and plush but unremarkable. Good for the $20 I spent.
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8/10/2009 - theguy wrote: 88 Points
Dark fruit. Leather. Smoke. Tannins. Pretty typical 2005 Bordeaux. Nothing bad. Nothing really outstanding.
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6/13/2009 - jmcmchi wrote: 90 Points
Opened the first bottle of a case and compared with Fonbel. Still young, will wait a year or two before trying again
Deep intense garnet; all cassis and pencil lead on the nose.
Huge flavors on the palate, still a good amount of tannin to soften out. Enjoyable now but better to decant for a couple of hours - this improved noticeably over an hour in the glass.
At this stage, a few points ahead of the Fonbel
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3/21/2009 - Zweder wrote: 86 Points
Importer tasting (@ RdG): Primary fruits. Mainly cherries, which is not what I expect from a Bordeaux. It has good oak and is full bodied, but all in all an ok wine. In this stage not really representatative for the region.
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2/15/2009 - V2 wrote: 89 Points
Aromas of blackberry, licorice and smoke follow through to a medium-bodied palate, with soft tannins and a fruity finish. We were pleasantly surprised with how good this wine is!
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2/7/2009 - Faryan wrote: 89 Points
2005 Petit Bordeaux Tasting (Bell's Wine Shop): Meaty, earthy, shut down nose. Restrained red fruit of cherry and figs. The palate is bright on the fruit with stewed plums (as Justin noted). A well structured wine. This could be nice in the future. 89FW++
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11/1/2008 - pfrichar wrote: 90 Points
Very fine. Good balance, tannins present but integrated, long finish.
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10/11/2008 - FieldingYost wrote: 90 Points
Blackberry liquer on the nose, with some earthy notes. Tight and acidic, with black fruits and a touch of earthiness. Fine-grained tannins, and a sleek and lengthy finish. Quite young and somewhat monolithic at this time. Elegant structure here, and while this is unyielding at this particular point in time, this has a bright future ahead of it.
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9/5/2008 - O'Meara wrote: 88 Points
Dark garnet with hues that are not vibrant. The nose smells like blackberries and graphite and maybe a hint of marzipan. Rough tannin dominates the structure, but the tannins are yourng and yearnign to integrate, which I presume they will given two or three years. There is a slight minerality in the finish that is nearly obscured by the tannic structure. This wine could be served now with fatty foods because the nose and tannin are ample, but the wine is not contemplative, yet. If the fruit can age, this wine will last a decade...time will tell.
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8/25/2008 - Badfish wrote: 87 Points
Fairly dark red core with shades of purple and long medium thick legs in the glass. Somewhat reticent on the nose but offering notes of chalk, currant, licorice, and berry. This comes across as surprisingly astringent; I am not sure if it is closed or just a wine with a more tannin driven style. There is some dark fruit lurking within but the tannins and structure are more to the forefront at this stage. I have to say this is somewhat of a disappointment when considering the other brilliant offerings from the Reiffers in 2005. Maybe it will come around with time but it seems rather coarse at this point.
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3/28/2008 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 85 Points
Reccomended to me, good scores. As far as i could tell......a decent wine, but a bit unimpressed. Nose of currants and odd flowers. Medium weight, nicer nose than flavor, which was somewhere near rubbing alcohol or an old liqueur that was past its useful lifespan. Some moderate tannins. My first '05 Bordeaux, hopefully not a good example.
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1/22/2008 - TLHWG wrote: 87 Points
Decent 05 bordeaux. I would not pay $34 dollars for this again.
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4/3/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote:
En primeur tasting. Ripe fruit, more expressive flavors vs aromas. Slightly drying finish. 84-87 point potential.
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