WGS: 2005 Bordeaux

A semi blind tasting of bordeaux 2005s. List of wines known but all wines tasted blind in 6 flights with results announced only at the end. Tasting notes and scores were given without prejudices and before results of wines were announced. In general, good fruit quality throughout regardless of appellation or classe. A suprise with the Haut Brion and over delivery of quality by some underrated ones. A spectacular vintage all in all if not for the steep prices.

Wines listed in order of tasting.

• 2005 Domaine de l'A 83 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

  (4/17/2010)

  Spicy currants, briary , brambles , cool vanillin oak and crayola maceratio. Very sappy tannins, sour cherries. half ripe dark cherris and currants. Modern styled with extract and ink but early approacahble.

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• 2005 Haut-Carles 84 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac

  (4/17/2010)

  Sandalwood , spiced plums, nice perfume of inkish violets , dark cherries, ripe styled, quite short finish.

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• 2005 Château Beauregard 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  (4/17/2010)

  Cofffe pal , americano latte, chocoloate coffee biscotti and more lavish coffee oak. Some licourice, spices of clove , nutmeg. Nice exotic notes come though too and more american sweet oak nuances. I had guessed a modern styled right bank and was right!

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• 2005 Château Le Bon Pasteur 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  (4/17/2010)

  Cool spiced dark forest fruits, dark floral perfume. Trottting through tthe palate with niftiness and liftfootedness. Cool rounded foresty fruits, a but classic and austere.

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• 2005 Château Beychevelle 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  (4/17/2010)

  The textbook classic top quality wine that bordeaux cru classes should be. Rounded, perfumed, some florals, moderate length, licourice, nice friendly rounded black fruits.

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• 2005 Château Talbot 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  (4/17/2010)

  Very green capsicums, pungent and sharp nose with a bit of cat's pee . Green texture appeals to me. Lovely balance and seamless transition. Some ripe greens , sweet veggies. Almost exotic and finishing with coffee beans . Everything seems nicely in place.

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• 2005 Château Haut-Marbuzet 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (4/18/2010)

  Cool spices, light touches of coffee, brambles, florals . Round juicy delicious fruits. Enticing and seemingly simple but providing attractrive fruits for now. Least tannic among the other 05s in the flight.

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• 2005 Château La Tour Carnet 84 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  (4/18/2010)

  Touch of green unripe fruits, noticeable french oak showing through. Also a nice wine with affalable fruits . Quite classic on the mid palate but still very tight.

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• 2005 Château Lascombes 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (4/18/2010)

  Coffee ..very much freshly brewed coffee nose...singular but aromatic coffee in the morning! Lovely fruits, charming and seductive lucsious and deeply black. Looking back at past notes, think this wine probably wouldnt evolve into a different beast altogether but would probably deepen its current dark fruit, modern coffee oak , dark choc kind of style.

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• 2005 Château Léoville Poyferré 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  (4/18/2010)

  Inkish, green cabbagey, black licourice. Excellent fruit quality. Round, inviting and nicely ripe. Delicious. Looking at past notes, this wine seems like going through a stabilization phase. At the moment, it seems slightly less expressive again like when first tasted in 2008. Maybe its going to shut down soon.

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• 2005 Château Rauzan-Ségla 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (4/18/2010)

  Something really alluring and seductive here. Silky , smooth, mysterious . Polished fine fruits, excellently well made wine. Super classy, soft yet firm, black graphite with a lingering finish. Great potential.This has surpassed my prediction for its development by a notch and becoming really fitting of its cru classe.

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• 2005 Reignac 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur

  (4/18/2010)

  Alc lifted hot boldy spicy currant fruit nose with hints of black leather. Quite sappy with powdery tannins. Mouthpuckering and it had reminded me of a Pauillac with its dark fruits and cassis. Just noting the alc heat at the moment. If not, this should have loads of potential to develp. This definitely needs time.

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• 2005 Château Haut-Bailly 83 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (4/17/2010)

  Somewhat sterile and awkward on the nose. Simple light red cherry fruits. Not terribly exciting but providing decent drinking now. Might come across thin.

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• 2005 Château Malartic-Lagravière 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (4/18/2010)

  Pretty tight. Cool classical red fruited. Some coffee oak. Round balanced pretty fruits. Pretty little missy kind of style. Light and even almost flowery and light red fruited like a chambolle. I like.

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• 2005 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (4/18/2010)

  Coffee oak, sweet vanillin, chocolate milk. Modernly styled with ripe butterscotched sweet fruits, mocca and dark choc covered wafers. Forward drinking now . Masses should enjoy very much. This seems to have also roller coastered back to its 2008 starting point , maybe closing down soon or stabilizing to this flavour profile.Hopefully it is returning back to its shell for a rest before coming out strong again with more complexity. At the moment though, I really think this will appeal to a lot of ppl now.

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• 2005 Château Haut Condissas Prestige 84 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc

  (4/18/2010)

  Chinese medicinal notes, tree bark and really like entering a chinese medicine and dried goods store with slight whiff of fishyness. Balanced ripe red fruits, enjoyable now. Unassuming friendly and comfortable.

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• 2005 Château Canon 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/18/2010)

  Peppery, black graphite, earthy with vibrant , bright top notch fruits. Spicy currants. Good quality here .

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• 2005 Château Angélus 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/18/2010)

  Slightly reductive soy notes but blew away quickly to reveal inkish /tarish black fruits. Excellent 1st class powerful quality fruits displaying amazing strenght and finesse. Dark chocolate and licourice comes through as well. Despite the youth and power, this is really balanced and harmonious. What a wine! Consistent notes , this really didnt disappoint. This is going to be something great in time to come. I hope to get some soon. Yum!

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• 2005 La Mondotte 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/18/2010)

  Black licourice, anise, fennel seed...this has lots of spices on the nose but seemingly still very tight .,..you could feel greater potential lurking beneath. A breath of cool air seems to back up the nose too. Excellent fresh fruits and I really mean FRESH! with hints of spices . Absolutely gorgeous wine. Great potential.

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• 2005 Château Valandraud 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/18/2010)

  Coffee, sweet oak. The vintage shows on the fruits which are ripe and very tannic and chalky. As much as this seems to give considerable pleasure even right now despite the noticeable tannins, this wine seems to lack something which prevents me from wanting to have it become something more than it is now. Maybe more heart and soul would give this wine more potential. That said, stil good drinking.

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• 2005 Château Pavie 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/18/2010)

  Gunpowder, brambles, black peppercorn covered by coffee toastiness. Nice charming nose. Again , we see the evident top quality fruit character of the vintage but also tannic . Somehow , I thought this wine was an in between a modern and classical style and trying hard to acheieve a balance between the two or even bring forth a new direction in bordeaux wines. Big bold fruits yes but also somewhat austere and kinda dry on tannins. I think this wine really just polarizes opinions. I like it quite a bit though.

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• 2005 Château Haut-Brion 84 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (4/18/2010)

  Wet dog fur with polished fruits...still very tight. Cool pristine condition fruits, some dark chocolate, anise spices, bitter tea finishing. When this was revealed, it was a shocker because not many thought much about this wine. Sadly to say, I was not blown away either. This just seems unimpressive and was hard to feel out any potential unless by looking at the label. There as a comment that haut brions are not meant to be drunk young so hopefully that is true. For the price though, I would never have bought on this tasting.

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• 2005 Château Mouton Rothschild 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (4/18/2010)

  Cool , minty, graphite, briary and coated with dark godiva chocolates with 99% cocoa. Sparkling polished black fruits are totally al dente ripe with sweet cassis and delicious juicy black plummishness. Very fine balance with deft use of oak integrating the right amounts of acid, fruit and alc structure. Top of the line and rightly vindicated when I heard the results. This is and will always be a 1st growth. Very deserving of its status. Lusious but wine of impeccable finesse.

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• 2005 Château Pape Clément 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (4/17/2010)

  Ahh!!! lovely lovely exotic perfumery of expressiveness. Assertive but not aggressive in style. Balsamic fruits, dark expensive leather, delicious black fruits married with flowers on the palate. This caresses and entices. Very noble quality and I didnt care much whatever it was , I knew I had to buy it! when I laid my nose and lips on it. I didnt care what growth or no growth it was, I just knew I wanted it.. I wanted to bathe in it, brush my teeth in it , drink it for breakfast , lunch and dinner...ah.. it is so so good! Unpretentious yet maintaining its pride and honour. Hedonistic wine with a classical touch. Seamless transition on nose to palate to finish...a considerably long one. Tannins are held well in check and gorgeous gorgeous black deep brooding fruits with lurking potential. I really love this wine. Reminds me of when I first had the 2001. Enigmatic experience. Looking back at my previous note, I think this has not dissapointed and taken a tremendous step to become a leading example for the vintage.

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• 2005 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (4/17/2010)

  This has all but completely shut down. Totally non existent nose, all silenced up. Fruit stilll showing pristine top quality with brightness and juiciness. Suprisingly tasty given its muted nose. Monolithic and really hard to dissect with lots of sstructured tannins and cedar. A bit confused now. Upon revealing of the label and looking at my past notes, I think this is really at sleep now. It would be unfair to rate although the quality still comes through on the palate but tough and tight.

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• 2005 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (4/17/2010)

  Also tight and unforgiving like its brother the Baron. This has fresh plums, black cherries. Clean polished fruits that seemed a little unmeaningful and thin at the moment. But it was extremely elegant and again confounded me on what this was leading on to . At the moment, this did not exert as much a presence as previously. Hopefully time will help.

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• 2005 Château Cos d'Estournel 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (4/17/2010)

  An absolutely elegant wine with mineral laced palate of classic clean bright fresh and pure au naturel cabernet fruit. Really the tai tai among the queens. This is just cool and clear headed in a sea of big hunky hurly burly wines . Retains poise, some cedar oak, spice notes and dark polished red fruits. A great wine waiting to be explore but relatively unrelenting now as well. Definitelym almost sound asleep. With time , I suspect this will improve.

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Overall, great quality again. The fruits and tannins show . Big ripe fruits given the perfect weather. Not suprised some lots of winemakers took out their newest oak barrels for it but the ones that did well were those that kept it harmonious with a wise amount of oak. As with the vintage , most were tannic. I suspect that in another ferw years if I do drink these wines again, most would score 1 -2 points well above the current score.