Decanted 30 minutes before service. In the glass, no obvious signs of age, just a mature deep, dark purplish red. On the nose, also youthful, leading with currants and plums, with faint hints of mint and cedar in the background. On the palate, still quite a bit of fruit, with the secondary notes coming into play on the midpalate, as well as a modest amount of unresolved tannins on the finish. While there are those tannins, I'm not sure I would bet on further positive evolution at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
As I'm trying to put in notes, I realize this might be simply the Sanctus labelling, not the Bienfaisance version. That said, nice, full bodied with fruit coming through (especially third night under pump). Think the cab franc gives it a little different flavor profile than I would normally expect, but good stuff. This will be good for a long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still very dark. Full on plummy nose with oak no longer to the fore but still present. Not the most complex. Chunky. Tannins okay if not the finest. Adequate acidity. This is hugely improved since 2013 when the oak was dominating, but I still don't find it the most complex or elegant 05. However it has improved so much that I continue to hope for more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Third of six bottles (other two 6 months and 1.5 years ago) -- finally a good one. Don't know if it's serious bottle variation or if I finally waited long enough. I'm enjoying the gritty tannins on this one.
Well balanced and structured blackberries, currant, cigar, and rocks, with still firm acidity that is drinking well and should last for five more years easy. A bit too modern me, but really impressive material. Reflects the great vintage. Not overdone like some other right banks.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nettement meilleur impression que la dernière bouteille. Couleur rouge bordeau très dense, beaucoup de lie déposée et écartée lors de la décantation. Nez expressif, cassis, coulis de bleuets, café corsé, boite à cigare. En bouche, les tanins sont encores biens fermes, un peu rapeux même, liqueur de cassis, chocolat noir, un peu tereux, persistance moyenne. Pourrait soutenir encore quelques années de garde.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted for about 1 1/2 hours and was still abit on the tight side but still exhibited lots of dark, penetrating, earthy blue and black fruit with tobacco undertones and a firm tannic core. This was my last bottle, and while it was quite nice, I think I should have waited a few more years to give the tannins time to integrate a little better. I guess a lot of these 05’s are still babies.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking well after a 2hr decant in decanter/glass. Welcoming nose. Resolved. Good earth in a grippy edged frame. Satisfying from entry to mid-palate and through finish. Glad I waited. Have one more and will wait another 3-5 as there is plenty left but very good tonight.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
OK....this was not ready with a 3 hour decant. I closed the bottle and put it in the freezer after 6 hours open. Today, a month later, I let the wine sit uncorked by the window for 4 hours. It defrosted and now resembles a medium to full bodied california Merlot. It still has some tannin, but the fruit finally showed with a big bright currant burst, before a somewhat retrained structured finish. This will be better in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
La note tient compte du prix. Décanté et laisser en carafe environ 1h30. Un longue traîné de liés fines laissée dans la bouteille. Apparence ruouge bleuté très dense, légèrement voilé. Nez discret, prune bleue, fer. En bouche, tanins légèrement râpeux, de la mâche, sur le fruit (malgré l'âge), réglisse. Persistance moyenne. Manque de relief mais tout de même bien équilibré.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting Bordeaux Blind (Edina, MN): Tasted Blind. Roughly 2h decant. Nose was tight and muted. Full body and dark purple in color. Powerful, even hot perhaps. Nondescript red fruit on the round, clean palette. A bit shallow on the mid-palette. Tannin seems unresolved, with too much grip still at this stage. I guessed '96 Canon-la-Gaffelière. Hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I, on the other hand, am finding this very enjoyable. Dark red color, trufflely, gamey nose. I'm getting a nice Bordeaux palate of black fruit, integrated tannin and acidity that seems balanced to the wine's density. Finish is medium length. Purchased on release and cellared until today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of dark fruits, but restrained. Palate of dark fruits, green pepper, some wood. Not particularly refined or precise. Tannin is slightly coarse. Finish is modest
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consumed over three nights. Great depth of colour. Moderate brightness. Nose correct Left Bank but never opening into anything distinctive. Initially huge tannins medium-grained with a fair weight of oak, but coming into better balance on subsequent nights. The fruit is a bit lost but not absent. I am left unclear how this will develop. Many 2005's seem obturate at present and this may well have the ingredients to grow in time, though I am not certain. Leave 2+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red. Smoky, highly made-up nose shows mostly oak, albeit fine oak, along with mega-ripe strawberry fruit. The palate is dominated by similar notes (except for considerably darker fruit), but the texture is all 120s wool with almost no dryness or noticeable wood tannin. A chunky-merlot style of St. Emilion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Licorice, chocolate covered plums, black cherry and espresso scents lead to a rich, round, full bodied St. Emilion. This opulent, showy. Bordeaux wine is just starting to drink well. A few more years will add additional complexity to the chocolate covered, black and blue fruit filled finish.
Excellent young wine with great potential showing loads of fruit and deep dark chocolate but chewy, dense and brutally tannic. The fruit is bright and there is a nice element of acidity. Only time will tell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last note is still right. Austere and dryness is more present, with good fruit and a bloom at the end. Be fun to see this develop, hope the dryness goes away
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Three Blind Mice -- Merlot Tasting (Schuler): Tasted blind with Quilceda Creek and Switchback merlots; decanted for hour ahead of time; finished second on my ballot, but got better as it sat in glass and it was very tight; young bordeaux flavor; closed up; nose is somewhat a bit too strong floral smell, but the body and finish are very solid; not much fruit at all
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
nice/ dark fruits, tight, a touch austere. Will develop, but classic bright 05 fruit, cherry, leather. A bi short on the pallette, but as it integrates, I suspect it will lenghten and bloom
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/2/2024 - jshufelt wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 30 minutes before service. In the glass, no obvious signs of age, just a mature deep, dark purplish red. On the nose, also youthful, leading with currants and plums, with faint hints of mint and cedar in the background. On the palate, still quite a bit of fruit, with the secondary notes coming into play on the midpalate, as well as a modest amount of unresolved tannins on the finish. While there are those tannins, I'm not sure I would bet on further positive evolution at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2023 - gboue wrote:
Gift
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2023 - rnellans wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well. Dark fruited. Balanced. No hurry to open the next one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2022 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Beautifully structured, dark earthy fruit. Drinking nicely with brief decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2021 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Paired with grilled ribeye on New Year's Eve, and it was delicious. Quick decant recommended, but wine is singing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2021 - cigar52 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Holding up nicely (surprised), but getting toward end of prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2021 - levinml wrote:
As I'm trying to put in notes, I realize this might be simply the Sanctus labelling, not the Bienfaisance version. That said, nice, full bodied with fruit coming through (especially third night under pump). Think the cab franc gives it a little different flavor profile than I would normally expect, but good stuff. This will be good for a long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2021 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Classic Bordeaux nose. Rich, structured with plenty of fruit. No hurry on opening but drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2021 - rwpalmer wrote: 90 Points
Still very dark. Full on plummy nose with oak no longer to the fore but still present. Not the most complex. Chunky. Tannins okay if not the finest. Adequate acidity. This is hugely improved since 2013 when the oak was dominating, but I still don't find it the most complex or elegant 05. However it has improved so much that I continue to hope for more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2020 - werdna39 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Third of six bottles (other two 6 months and 1.5 years ago) -- finally a good one. Don't know if it's serious bottle variation or if I finally waited long enough. I'm enjoying the gritty tannins on this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
5/16/2020 - danibus Likes this wine: 91 Points
Well balanced and structured blackberries, currant, cigar, and rocks, with still firm acidity that is drinking well and should last for five more years easy. A bit too modern me, but really impressive material. Reflects the great vintage. Not overdone like some other right banks.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/16/2019 - YoRi Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nettement meilleur impression que la dernière bouteille.
Couleur rouge bordeau très dense, beaucoup de lie déposée et écartée lors de la décantation.
Nez expressif, cassis, coulis de bleuets, café corsé, boite à cigare.
En bouche, les tanins sont encores biens fermes, un peu rapeux même, liqueur de cassis, chocolat noir, un peu tereux, persistance moyenne.
Pourrait soutenir encore quelques années de garde.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2019 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 92 Points
Double decanted for about 1 1/2 hours and was still abit on the tight side but still exhibited lots of dark, penetrating, earthy blue and black fruit with tobacco undertones and a firm tannic core. This was my last bottle, and while it was quite nice, I think I should have waited a few more years to give the tannins time to integrate a little better. I guess a lot of these 05’s are still babies.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2019 - Primordialsoup Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking well after a 2hr decant in decanter/glass. Welcoming nose. Resolved. Good earth in a grippy edged frame. Satisfying from entry to mid-palate and through finish. Glad I waited. Have one more and will wait another 3-5 as there is plenty left but very good tonight.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2019 - edjBoca Likes this wine: 91 Points
OK....this was not ready with a 3 hour decant. I closed the bottle and put it in the freezer after 6 hours open. Today, a month later, I let the wine sit uncorked by the window for 4 hours. It defrosted and now resembles a medium to full bodied california Merlot. It still has some tannin, but the fruit finally showed with a big bright currant burst, before a somewhat retrained structured finish. This will be better in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2018 - rnellans wrote: 91 Points
Pleasant and nothing special Easy to drink now. Floral notes on nose. Medium body.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2018 - tmoritz1 wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very well,Nose of dried plum nd dates-bit of leather -Deep claret colorGood legs and smooth finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2016 - YoRi wrote: 88 Points
La note tient compte du prix.
Décanté et laisser en carafe environ 1h30. Un longue traîné de liés fines laissée dans la bouteille.
Apparence ruouge bleuté très dense, légèrement voilé.
Nez discret, prune bleue, fer.
En bouche, tanins légèrement râpeux, de la mâche, sur le fruit (malgré l'âge), réglisse. Persistance moyenne. Manque de relief mais tout de même bien équilibré.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2015 - Bob Sacamano Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasting Bordeaux Blind (Edina, MN): Tasted Blind. Roughly 2h decant. Nose was tight and muted. Full body and dark purple in color. Powerful, even hot perhaps. Nondescript red fruit on the round, clean palette. A bit shallow on the mid-palette. Tannin seems unresolved, with too much grip still at this stage. I guessed '96 Canon-la-Gaffelière. Hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2015 - Fox8868 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Could have continued aging. Still very dry. Needed to open up. Definitely decant
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2015 - jimkay21 wrote: 91 Points
I, on the other hand, am finding this very enjoyable. Dark red color, trufflely, gamey nose. I'm getting a nice Bordeaux palate of black fruit, integrated tannin and acidity that seems balanced to the wine's density. Finish is medium length. Purchased on release and cellared until today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2014 - yossarian.livez wrote: 83 Points
Nose of dark fruits, but restrained. Palate of dark fruits, green pepper, some wood. Not particularly refined or precise. Tannin is slightly coarse. Finish is modest
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2013 - rwpalmer wrote: 86 Points
Consumed over three nights. Great depth of colour. Moderate brightness. Nose correct Left Bank but never opening into anything distinctive. Initially huge tannins medium-grained with a fair weight of oak, but coming into better balance on subsequent nights. The fruit is a bit lost but not absent. I am left unclear how this will develop. Many 2005's seem obturate at present and this may well have the ingredients to grow in time, though I am not certain. Leave 2+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2012 - Tj5485 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for an hour. Evolved afte every sip. Leather, coffee and berries were strong on the nose. Very long strong finish. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2011 - tcfishler wrote:
Dark red. Smoky, highly made-up nose shows mostly oak, albeit fine oak, along with mega-ripe strawberry fruit. The palate is dominated by similar notes (except for considerably darker fruit), but the texture is all 120s wool with almost no dryness or noticeable wood tannin. A chunky-merlot style of St. Emilion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2011 - Margauxguy wrote: 90 Points
Lovely, balanced and delicious. Wish I had tons more, will be great in 5 years
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Licorice, chocolate covered plums, black cherry and espresso scents lead to a rich, round, full bodied St. Emilion. This opulent, showy. Bordeaux wine is just starting to drink well. A few more years will add additional complexity to the chocolate covered, black and blue fruit filled finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
6/5/2011 - S. Lorin wrote: 92 Points
Excellent young wine with great potential showing loads of fruit and deep dark chocolate but chewy, dense and brutally tannic. The fruit is bright and there is a nice element of acidity. Only time will tell.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2011 - Margauxguy wrote: 91 Points
Last note is still right. Austere and dryness is more present, with good fruit and a bloom at the end. Be fun to see this develop, hope the dryness goes away
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2011 - windypinot wrote: 87 Points
Three Blind Mice -- Merlot Tasting (Schuler): Tasted blind with Quilceda Creek and Switchback merlots; decanted for hour ahead of time; finished second on my ballot, but got better as it sat in glass and it was very tight; young bordeaux flavor; closed up; nose is somewhat a bit too strong floral smell, but the body and finish are very solid; not much fruit at all
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2009 - Margauxguy wrote: 90 Points
nice/ dark fruits, tight, a touch austere. Will develop, but classic bright 05 fruit, cherry, leather. A bi short on the pallette, but as it integrates, I suspect it will lenghten and bloom
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment