2005 Bordeaux en Primeur
Bordeaux France
Tasted Sunday, March 26, 2006 - Tuesday, March 28, 2006 by Burgundy Al with 458 views
Introduction
Tasting notes from Grands Crus de Bordeaux en Primeur tasting in Bordeaux in March 2006. I didn't record the exact dates or tasting sequences , so the notes are simply in the order written in my book.
2005 Château Carbonnieux Blanc
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting.Grass and citrus aromas, fresh and enticing. Same freshness and flavors on palate, less balanced. Good+ 88-90 point potential.
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2005 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Very attractive aromatic start, amongst the best of the room. Good weight, good fruit, slight bitter finish for now, so cellar at least a few years. 89-91 point potential.
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2005 Domaine de Chevalier
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Dark fruit, nicely rich and concentrated. Black currant, berries, cassis. Good balance with lots of power. A rare situation wehre I prefer the rouge over the Blanc from this domaine. 90-92 point potential.
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2005 Château Pape Clément
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. rich black fruit aromas with liqueur, dark chocolate and oak hints. Great fruit, great potential, tannins nicely soft. 92-93 point potential.
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2005 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Fun and ripe aromas with sweet grapefruit character. Very big wine. Probably best younger than usual, very enjoyable already. 90-92 point potential.
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2005 Château Smith Haut Lafitte
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Blackberries, cassis, anise. Also very concentrated and meaty. Backward, but with VG 91-93 point potential. Patience required.
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2005 Château Angélus
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Plum, black cherry liqueur, sweet spice aromas with floral hints. Similar flavors with great balance and structure. Very enticing 93-94 point potential.
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2005 Château Balestard La Tonnelle
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Rich aromatic start with ripe black cherry and some new oak spice. Black plum and cherry flavors with slightly bigger tannins. Not showing perfect balance yet, but there is a lot going on. Cautiously optimistic.
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2005 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black berry and dark chocolate aromas with liqueur hints. Similarly rich flavors with good balance, moderate concentration. Nicely elegant. 89-91 point potential.
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2005 Château Belair
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black fruit and some earth aromas. Black cherry and plum flavors with more rugged tannins than I prefer. Not a star of the tasting for me, 85-87 point potential.
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2005 Château Berliquet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Ripe fruit throughout, moderate+ weight and complexity. Good overall, 87-89 point potential.
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2005 Château Canon
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Ripe black berries and plum with new oak spice. Same fruit flavors with more subtle spice. Good structure with tannins that will require patience, giving a slightly bitter finish right now, but i expect that will soften. 88-91 point potential.
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2005 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Incredibly rich and black plum ripe aromas with liqueur. Similarly rich flavors that show very elegant and rounded textures. Moderate+ length. Very showy, this is a wine some will truly love, and I can appreciate and enjoy even if not my style wine.
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2005 Château Cap de Mourlin
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black fruit with savory spice. Rich fruit with classic, old school structure. Bit rugged, but I like the potential. 89-90 point potential, if you like this style.
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2005 Château Dassault
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black currant, dark chocolate, vanilla. Fresh but moderate. Firm finish, ending slightly one-note. 86-88 point potential.
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2005 Château Figeac
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Floral start with black cherry aromas. Less opulent or overt vs most St Emilion today, in mostly very good ways. Very long finish, nicely textured and balanced. 90-94 point potential, based on how much weight it puts on.
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2005 Château Franc-Mayne
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Lots of sturdy black fruit, slightly on the rustic side to start, then moderate length. Good overall, 87-89 point potential.
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2005 Château Grand Mayne
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Very ripe compared to others today. Also firmly tannic. Interesting potential if/ when this comes together, but not a personal favorite today.
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2005 Château La Couspaude
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Espresso and cassis with floral notes. More elegant fruit flavors vs aromas, but somewhat burly. 86-88 point potential.
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2005 Château La Dominique
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Rich black fruit aromas, somewhat less powerful on palate with good balance, moderate length. 87-88 point potential.
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2005 Château La Gaffelière
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Opulent black plum, cassis, vanilla aromas. Lots of everything here. finishes with good spice. Good in that modern style. 90-92 point potential, but I can see others enjoying it even more.
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2005 Château La Tour Figeac
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Expressive aromatic start, enjoyable but simple middle. Short finish. 84-86 point potential.
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2005 Château Larcis Ducasse
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. A very extroverted , ripe and oaky wine. Certainly very good concentration and structure, but not really balanced or elegant. Another wine I am certain many will adore.
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2005 Château Larmande
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Moderate black fruit with good weight. Good acidity, slightly drying finish. Good overall.
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2005 Château Pavie Macquin
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Clearly very rich, but malos not far along enough to fairly assess.
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2005 Château Trotte Vieille
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Ripe black fruit with early emerging earth and barnyard. Old school style, especially on nose. Good 88-89 point potential.
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2005 Château Troplong Mondot
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Floral and spice start with cassis, dark chocolate, black plum and currant. Backward for now with firm structure, bu so much of everything good, even if a bit modern. Great 94-96 point potential.
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2005 Château Beauregard
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Rich black fruit and liqueur aromas. Same flavors with soft features and rounded textures. Very good 88-90 point potential.
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2005 Château Clinet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black plum, dark chocolate aromas. Similar flavors with firm tannins that remain elegant, but seemingly less acid. Good 89-91 point potential.
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2005 Château Gazin Pomerol
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Fat and forward black berry aromas with dark chocolate and espresso. Similar flavor to start, with tannins becoming much more pronounced at the finish. Needs time to achieve better balance, but the materials are here.
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2005 Château L'Evangile
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Great sweet and savory spices to start in support of Black plum and berries, with some espresso and dark chocolate bonuses. Seemingly balanced already. Long finish. 94-97 point potential.
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2005 Château La Cabanne
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Moderate fruit and structure. Slightly firm finish. 84-86 point potential.
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2005 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Completely dark and brooding, but with so much concentration and depth. Lots of structure, but tannins already seem elegant. I could see this being anywhere from 90-95 points based on when/ how the raw materials evolve and harmonize.
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2005 Château La Croix de Gay
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Simple with everything in too much moderation for the vintage. 83-86 point potential.
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2005 Château La Pointe
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black cherry nose and palate, nicely accessible, slightly simple but good. 87-89 point potential.
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2005 Château Petit Village
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Ripe and fat fruit seemed simple to me with slightly green tannins. For me 84-86 point potential, but my more experienced Bordeaux friends enjoyed this more than I did today.
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2005 Château Brane-Cantenac
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black plum and berries with dark chocolate, anise and cloves. Elegant tannins already. Good concentration and length. A softer style 2005. 90-93 point potential.
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2005 Château Cantenac Brown
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Powerful fruit with spice hints and dried herbs. Moderate weight and length. 88-89 point potential.
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2005 Château d'Angludet
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Ripe and lush with very firm tannins. 87-88 point potential.
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2005 Château du Tertre
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black plum and cherries with dark chocolate and liqueur. Ripe but slightly simple. Probably will drink well young, 2010-2020. 86-88 point potential.
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2005 Château Giscours
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. There is a lot of everything here- lots of very ripe, very black fruit. Lots of chocolate, vanilla and spice. Lots of tannin, which comes across as more sweet than firm. Tough for me to project how/ when this will integrate, so broad 89-92 point potential.
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2005 Château Kirwan
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Lots of ripe and robust black fruit, but with tannins that seem to obscure that same fruit. 88-91 point potential, in a very broad range.
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2005 Château Labégorce
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Dark fruit is very enjoyable while slightly simple. Good integration already, moderate length and good concentration. Should drink nicely young, 2010-2020. 87-88 point potential.
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2005 Château Lascombes
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Sweet black fruit oddly comes across as austere due to the tannic structure. Will need more cellar time than most others at this level in this vintage.
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2005 Château Malescot St. Exupéry
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Wow! Ripe black fruit is lush, powerful and expressive. Floral and espresso hints with great spice. Superbly elegant tannins. Great 94-97 point potential.
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2005 Château Rauzan-Gassies
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Lots of black fruit throughout, seemingly darker and more dense on nose vs palate. Slightly drying finish for now, cellar a decade+. 87-89 point potential.
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2005 Château Rauzan-Ségla
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black cherry and currant aromas with cassis. great spice aromas and flavors. Good structure throughout, getting a bit firm on finish. Very good 92-95 potential, but 2015+ forward.
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2005 Château Beychevelle
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Pleasurable ripe black fruit aromas with spice hints. Elegant and tasty, but a little disappointing vs others in context of this great vintage. 89-92 point potential, with the ability to hit the top of that range if this puts on more weight.
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2005 Château Gruaud Larose
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black berries, currant and floral aromas. Similar flavors very tasty to start, but then brooding and backward middle to finish. Patience required, 2015 forward, 90-92 point potential.
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2005 Château Lagrange (St. Julien)
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Big and bold black cherry and currant with licorice and allspice. Very good concentration and length, slightly firm for now on finish. 90-93 point potential, 2015 forward.
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2005 Château Langoa Barton
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black cherry, currant and espresso. Great stuff, but very brooding. Hold at least a decade, probably to 2020+. Good+ 88-90 point potential.
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2005 Château Léoville Barton
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Dense black fruit, liqueur, dark chocolate. Equally great structure, letting this start out accessible while finishing a bit foreboding. Lots of layers of complexity here. Very good+ 93-95 point potential.
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2005 Château Léoville Poyferré
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Brighter black fruit vs Barton, but not as complex. Good balance, probably better young. still very good 89-92 point potential.
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2005 Château Talbot
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Ripe black fruit, cassis and early-emerging earth. Good textures and balance with very charming old school character. 89-91 point potential.
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2005 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Good fruit, coarse tannins, somewhat of a disappointment in a great vintage.
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2005 Château Lynch-Bages
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Lots of great fruit and spice here, but also backward and rugged. Not showing well today,but everything is there for a good wine, and LB is always so tough to taste young.
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2005 Château Lynch-Moussas
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Dense black fruit, lots of rugged tannins, but close to good balance with very good concentration for a "value" Bordeaux. 87-88 point potential.
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2005 Château Bernadotte
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Fresh and tasty fruit with good balance. But short and slightly simple for the vintage. 85-88 point potential.
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2005 Réserve de la Comtesse
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black and red fruit with good spice notes. Ok concentration to start, seem sot pick up some steam going forward. Short/ moderate finish. 86-88 point potential.
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2005 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Bright red and black cherry with great floral notes. More elegant for the vintage than most, nice balance finesse. Sneaky good length. I'm told this has been a controversial wine amongst tasters, but I like it. 91-94 point potential.
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2005 Château Pontet-Canet
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Really rockstar. Sensational aromatic start- black and red fruit with liqueur and spice. Powerful flavors to match with elegant tannins. Great balance and length, 94-96 point potential. Everybody I was with agreed this is amazing.
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2005 Château Lafon-Rochet
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Ripe and sweet black fruit with sweet spice. Good structural support, perhaps slightly less complexity here vs others tasted. 88-90 point potential.
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2005 Château Phélan Ségur
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Good and ripe black berries and cherry. Firm tannins on finish are slightly rugged. Should be a good value. 88-89 point potential.
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2005 Château d'Armailhac
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Bright black fruit comes across as accessible to start, dense and backward on finish. some patience needed here as well, but should also be a fair value wine. 88-89 point potential.
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2005 Château Clerc Milon
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Patience will be required here. Black cherries, dark chocolate, some leather/ animale notes. More enjoyable aromas than flavors today, which need time to catch up. 48% Cab Sauv, 40% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc plus some odds and ends. 89-90 point potential.
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2005 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Meaty and dense with a rustic or rugged character. Big fruit with the Cab franc seeming to dominate. Firm finish. 60% Cab Sauv, 20% Merlot, 20% Cab Franc.
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2005 Château Mouton Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black cherries and plum aromas with similar flavors showing sweet spice and an intriguing mineral textre. Moderate power and tannins with lots of elegance for its youth in this great vintage. Great 94-96 point potential. 85% Cab Sauv, 14% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc.
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2005 Les Pagodes de Cos
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Expressive, ripe fruit on nose with liqueur hints. Similar fruit forward flavors with a fun, modern style. Good young. 87-89 point potential.
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2005 Château Marbuzet
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Powerful fruit, equally powerful structure. Less fun or forward vs Pagodes, but probably more cellarworthy. Also 87-89 point potential, but 2015+ forward.
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2005 Château Cos d'Estournel
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Dark black fruit shows great concentration on nose and palate. Plenty of dark chocolate, espresso, sweet spice in support. Long finish. 94-96 point potential.
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2005 Goulée
France, Bordeaux, Médoc
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Fruit driven throughout with subtle background structure. Should be tasty indeed young, even 2010 forward. 86-88 point potential.
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2005 La Dame de Montrose
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Bright black fruit comes across as less ripe than most in this vintage, but very bright, fresh and charming. Might drink well young, 2012 forward, 89-91 point potential.
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2005 Château Montrose
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Brooding black fruit is massively powerful, but with firm tannins followed by more firm tannins. I find it tough tasting Montrose young, so probably didn't fully appreciate this wine. I think it will need to 2020 or later, 90-92 point potential, but everybody I was with liked this far more than I did today, so it probably much better.
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2005 Carruades de Lafite
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Bright red and black cherry. Great balance for a 2nd wine, good length and weight. 90-92 point potential.
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2005 Château Duhart-Milon
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Dark fruit with dark chocolate and firm tannins. This will need plenty of time, but I certainly prefer Carruades 2005 just tasted.
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2005 Château Lafite Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black and red cherry aromas with hints of black currant, dried flowers, cedar, anise and black pepper. Similar flavors, slightly more black vs red, with impeccable balance. Layers of flavor already coming through. 89% Cab Sauv, 11% Merlot, 1% PV. My top wine of the week, 96-99 point potential, 2020 forward.
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2005 Château Sainte-Colombe
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Jammy black fruit with green pepper notes. Moderate depth. 70% Merlot, 30% Cab Franc. 86-88 point potential.
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2005 Clos l'Église (Pomerol)
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Sweet black berries, liqueur, dark chocolate, anise with intense richness. Not the most elegant wine, but very tasty potential.
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2005 Clos Les Lunelles
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Very ripe and dense throughout. I wasn't thrilled with the balance, 86-88 point potential, but others enjoyed this much more than I did today.
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2005 Château Lusseau
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Black cherry, dark chocolate, savory spice. Moderate weight, good nuance and very good balance already. 87-88 point potential.
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2005 Château Monbousquet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Very ripe and rich with dark chocolate and cassis, but easily maintains good balance. Should be a very good value, 91-92 point potential. 60% Merlot, 30% Cab Franc, 10% Cab Sauv.
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2005 Château Bellevue Mondotte
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. 90% Merlot with 5% each Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. Massive fruit, eye-popping tannins. So much of everything, but so far from being integrated. I could be convinced this will be a great wine, or convinced this will never perfectly harmonize.
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2005 Château Pavie
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Massive concentration and powerful black fruit, with enough floral and spice notes to add complexity. Very firm tannins as well, so there is the stuffing for balance and longevity, even if not perfectly harmonious yet. I'm sure this will be a Parker "100," but I like it a lot anyway. 93-95 points for me.
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2005 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Big and bold aromas and flavors with black plum, sweet spice and cassis. Well balanced. Less nuanced vs many others this trip. Good+ 88-90 point potential.
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2005 Château Margaux
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. another favorite of the trip. Just 13.2% alcohol, and that comes across in the wine's incredible elegance. Spice and floral aromas alongside black cherry and berry. So elegant that the great length is so surprising. 95-97 pont potential.
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2004 Château Margaux 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
(3/28/2006)
Tasting at the Château. Bright black berries on nose and palate with plenty of new oak spice. Same elegant style as the 2005 without quite the concentration and length, but so nicely harmonious.
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2005 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux
France, Bordeaux
(3/28/2006)
En Primeur tasting. Very rich and forward with excellent concentration, showing grapefruit zest and honeycomb.. More power than elegance, I would think this best to drink young, 2010-2015.
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