Jason's 2005 dinner

Horizontal dinner with various not-really- and not-completely-grand 2005 Bordeaux, to check in on the vintage and assess its prospects.

Cheddar and cream cheese gougeres
Pig's head croquette

• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Édition 168ème 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Does everything you need it to do, and nothing more: delightfully balanced, filled the mouth, complex, with lime, ginger-flecked spice, butteriness and a certain savour, and then a long finish. A beautiful, compelling wine that seemed to have come on a long way since I last tried it nearly a year ago.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Game parmentier, garlic butter

• 2005 Roc de Cambes 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg

  A delightful surprise. Certainly hefty, youthful and tannic, but it smelled gorgeous and tasted almost as good, with cigar, beef crisps and mint, plus good acidity. I really enjoyed nosing this wine, and it went very well with the food. I would never have predicted this, but my (red) WOTN.

  Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Beauregard 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Another nice wine. Reticent compared to the Roc de Cambes alongside it, but more elegant and complex, with smoke, leafiness, hints of truffle and an appetitising, juicy finish. Became more tannic with air, and could have been stronger on the mid-palate, but otherwise very decent.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Guinea fowl, wild mushroom, Jerusalem artichoke

• 2005 Château Poujeaux 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc

  Something not quite right here: primary, a bit lactic and candied, relatively prominent tannin, abrupt finish. I observed that the red-fruited register was 'Burgundian', but the wine overall certainly wasn't. Drinkable, sure, but didn't show well.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château La Lagune 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  Very dry, somewhat green and rustic, with a touch of Brett giving a cidery feel to the nose (I don't like cider...). I enjoyed the palate more, with its soft tannins, sense of ripeness, and inner ease: classic luncheon Claret. But I couldn't get past the nose; others obviously did, as this was the group's #2 of the night.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Roasted pigeon, beetroot, crispy potato, quinoa

• 2005 Château du Tertre 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  A nice surprise here. Still youthful, but so charming and ready to please. Pencil lead and violets on the nose, good, deep fruit on the palate, yet retained a lightness of touch. My #3 this evening.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Brane-Cantenac 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Mildly disappointing, especially in the context of a recent, excellent, 2009. Interesting dusky nose, with dark fruit, caraway and floral hints. Dark and intense on the palate, a little touch of sweetness, solid rather than elegant and likely to provide more pleasure in 5-10 years' time. Didn't provide either the pleasure of its flight-mate (or the Roc du Cambes) or show the class of the St-Julien wines.

  Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Beychevelle 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Lovely balance to this wine, and something for everyone, with plenty of fruit depth yet an easygoing, friendly nature. Some signs of gamey tertiary development, but definitely still a young wine that will continue to improve. My #2 tonight, and the group's WOTN. I don't think this wine is worth the current market price, though (over £110/bottle inc tax).

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Gruaud Larose 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Dark, compact and juicy, with some nice floral hints. Quite subtle and undemonstrative, making it a very good drinking Claret, although perhaps also explaining why this wine didn't impress me as much as its flight-mate. Joint group #3

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Selection of farm house cheeses
Petit four

• 2005 Château Batailley 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  I last had this a couple of years ago, and although I took no notes that evening I remember it showing more authoritatively and exuberantly than it did tonight. Nevertheless, still plenty to enjoy, with its airy, leafy nose, deep, slightly gamey palate, and hint of grassiness. At the beginning of its window but will probably be more interesting in time.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Strange one, this: I'm a big fan of GPL, and this ranked joint #3 in the group vote, but it didn't do it for me tonight. Seemed very young and primary, although with a classical feel (as you would expect from the chateau), slightly lacking in concentration and a bit clipped and lean. Closed-down and boring at the moment? Nothing to dislike, but I want more concentration and complexity from a top-vintage Pauillac.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Rieussec 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Superb showing, presumably at peak and an excellent example of the delicate spun-sugar style that I prefer from Sauternes. Barley sugar and Chantilly cream on the nose, then sensationally light in feel, prancing and pirouetting across the palate. Could drink it by the flagon, and went wonderfully with Bleu des Causses.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

An interesting outcome: complete consensus about the vintage (good, a bit solid and old-fashioned, needs 5-10 years even at this level) but no consensus at all on the individual wines. No idea how Lagune and GPL made it towards the top of the leaderboard!

I feel slightly guilty for awarding the more obviously forward Roc du Cambes my red WOTN, but it offered a lot of pleasure despite its plentiful tannins.