Linking With Bordeaux

The theme of this tasting was 2005 Bordeaux that were imported by Liquid Link. I have seen their label on a lot of the wines I have purchased from Winex so they appear to be one of their larger suppliers of Bordeaux. Steve Winfield from Liquid Link was there, who along with the Winex staff, were very helpful with any questions asked. I was expecting to see mostly value wines in this tasting but was very happy to see 21 wines ranging from $12 up to $100 a bottle with an average price of $45. Typically the price of the tastings at Winex are close to the average bottle price but this one was only $20 and thus a stunningly value.

• 2005 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Blanc 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Deep yellow gold color. Superb freshness on the nose with notes of citrus, minerals, and spices. This wine has a slightly bitter tone but the palate has ample acidity to support the honeyed tropical flavors through the long finish. I think the red is a better value in this vintage but you can’t go wrong with either.

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• 2003 Château Brown Blanc 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Deep translucent yellow color. Quite unique on the nose with aromas of musk, minerals, smoke, and lemon. The palate has an attractive glossy mouthfeel and oily texture with stalky, smoky, and elegant flavors. This wine has interesting contrast and is the polar opposite of the Larrivet.

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• 2005 Château Les Tours Seguy 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg

  Deep purple red color. Explosive cherry liqueur and red berries on the nose leave quite a modern impression. The palate is more restrained with red fruit such as plum, firm tannins, and great acidity. Not a lot of complexity and somewhat monotonous.

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• 2005 Domaine de Valmengaux 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux

  Deep opaque purple core to red at the rim. On the nose this has an interesting stemy quality along with raspberry aromas. Inky and explosive of the palate with sweet dark fruit and tannins. This is structured but remains fresh on the finish.

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• 2005 Château Puygueraud 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux

  Dark red purple color throughout. Modern and attractive on the nose with fruit cake and blackberry notes. The palate offers sweet fruit which is almost over the top. This is full bodied but the tannins are sweet and glossy. I would say this may be too modern for some but it should turn out to be a nice little wine.

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• 2005 Château Le Conseiller (Jean-Philippe Janoueix) 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur

  Deep dark red purple color. Attractive straightforward aromas on the nose with plums and dark berries. Dark full-bodied fruit on the palate along with firm coarse tannins. I don’t think this wine is showing that great right now but give it time.

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• 2005 Château Joanin Bécot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

  Opaque purple red color. Somewhat reticent on the nose but attractively leafy and berry filled. The full-bodied palate yields explosive fresh fruit with flavors of plums and berries. Firm tannins and ample structure combine with the fruit for gorgeous balance and a long finish.

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• 2005 Clos Les Lunelles 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

  Ultra opaque purple throughout. Modern yet complex on the nose with aromas of dark fruits such as plum and cassis along with slate and oak. So ripe but utterly seductive on the nose, hard to stay away from this one. Explosive fruit on the palate with flavors of dark berries and oak combining with haunting minerality. Firm structure, gripping tannins, and ample acidity to cleanse the finish. Very complex and one of the stars of the tasting for me; if you are objective and can appreciate styles you don’t necessarily seek out it is hard to dislike this in my opinion. With that said, traditionalists beware.

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• 2005 Château de Chambrun 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol

  Dark red purple color. Fresh crushed berries on the nose with an attractive leafy quality. Crushed red fruit on the palate with good tannin structure. Very attractive and drinkable even at this stage and one of the wines I would seek out to drink now if you are looking for something from this vintage.

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• 2005 Clos René 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Purple core turning to red at the rim. Interesting mineral and leaf tones to the red berries on the nose. Fresh red berry fruit on the palate with firm sweet tannins make this quite drinkable. Utterly attractive yet somewhat soft, this is very seductive, especially on the finish.

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• 2005 Gracia Les Angelots de Gracia 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Deep red core to the rim. Lots of superlatives for the nose on this one such as stony, ripe, modern, sexy, and perfumed. The palate is medium to full bodied with gorgeous fresh red fruit. The flavors are quite complex and fresh leading into leafy undertones on the finish. This is an excellent second wine from a separate parcel than the first wine (according to the importer).

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• 2005 Château Monbousquet 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Dark red purple color to the rim, not as dark as the Clos Les Lunelles. Explosive and intriguing on the nose with notes of raspberry liqueur, plum, oak, minerals, and meat juice. On the palate this shows massive fruit flavors of plum and red berries which just support the sweet firm tannins. This does show some oak but the fruit, acidity, and structure are in such balance that it does not detract at all from the wine. Very long on the finish, this was another star of the tasting for me.

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• 2005 Château Caronne Ste. Gemme 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  Dark red color. Very interesting nose with aromas of fresh cherries and pomegranate yielding perhaps the most pure red fruit character of the tasting. Gorgeous cherry essence on the palate with good firm tannins and structure. Quite good and attractive for its purity of fruit.

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• 2005 Château Sociando-Mallet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  Dark purple core. Somewhat reticent on the nose with slightly leafy aromas of dark berries. Good fresh fruit on the palate with ample structure. Not too brutish but this obviously needs a lot of time to show additional character and charm. Good fresh fruit and structure, just not giving up much.

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• 2005 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Deep purple red color. Superbly complex aromas on the nose with notes of fresh red berries, plums, and earth. Gorgeous crushed red berry flavors on the palate with super elegant fruit and structure. Balanced, seductive, and complex; not much else you need to say.

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• 2005 Clos Margalaine 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Opaque dark red purple color. Ripe and expressive on the nose with notes of cassis and blackberry. Tons of dark fruit on the palate with ample sweet tannins and structure. This wine is somewhat brackish in its fruit tone but it is nonetheless sexy and balanced. Not showing a lot of complexity but there is that Margaux elegance. Give it time.

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• 2005 Château d'Issan 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Dark red purple core with a radiant purple rim. Gorgeous and already complex, the bouquet on this wine yields flowers, wet earth, blackberry, and cassis. The superb fruit flavors of currant, dark berries, and minerals combine with tremendous contrast of power and elegance on the palate. Structured, complex, and balanced. This is the second time I have tasted this wine and it has been profound both times. Some of the other wines I have given high scores to from this vintage may not be liked by all but this one should offer something for everyone at maturity; it is that good. 95+

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• 2005 Clos du Marquis 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Dark red core. Nice perfumed red fruit aromas on the nose with some earth undertones. Quite attractive on the palate with sweet cherry fruit flavors in a seductive style. This is quite forward and drinkable at this stage but the structure is decent enough.

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• 2005 Château Haut-Batailley 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Deep dark purple red core. The aromas are reticent on the nose but do yield some notes of red berries and stones. Red berry flavors on the palate with moderate tannins and structure. Not a lot going on with this wine. Closed? 88?

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• 2005 Château Calon-Ségur 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Dark red purple color. Amazingly the nose on this wine reminds me of the Monbousquet from earlier in the tasting with explosive notes of plums, blackberries, minerals, black cherries, and earth. As expected it is quite a bit more structure on the palate however with the firm sweet tannins combining with flavors of berries and minerals. The acidity and structure are apparent but not brutal. I think this wine is closing down but it is still great and like the last time I had it, surprisingly approachable. 94+

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• 2003 Château de Fargues 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Brilliant gold color. This has a wonderfully complex and perfumed nose with aromas of honey, pear, botrytis, and tropical fruits such as explosive pineapple. The palate is just as gorgeous with a glossy waxy mouthfeel combining with flavors of tropical honeyed fruit, dried fruits such as apricot, and much more. It seemed like each time you went back to this something else popped out. The finish has this superb honeyed bitter pear character. Just decent acidity but complex, complex, complex.

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I have tasted quite a bit of 2005 Bordeaux and there is not much more I can add to the general comments I have stated in the past. The vintage is staggeringly consistent across the board and I have yet to taste a bad wine. Average? Yes. Undrinkable? No. Many of the wines seem to be closing down when you compare how well they were showing earlier in the year to now but that is to be expected.

I have seen some comments lately questioning the quality of the 2005s and asking how people can give such high scores, write such gushing notes, and (gasp) predict how good the wines will be. I have taken a simple approach to addressing the wines. Try to assess the quality of the fruit and the quality of the structure, put that to words and come up with a score. Yes, there is some degree of prediction involved with doing that. Am I going to be right? Who knows, but I am young and I will be able to find out when the wines reach maturity. After all what is the purpose of writing tasting notes and giving scores to young wines that are obviously not ready to drink if you are not trying to predict what they will be at maturity? To me it is vastly more important to try to figure out what these wines will do rather than meandering over how tannic they are today. Could I be burned down the road with some of these wines falling apart? Sure, but I will be able to compare that experience with the notes I take today and maybe find out where it all went wrong.