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Bordeaux Today (2005s)
Wine Exchange - Orange, CA
Tasted July 12, 2008 by Badfish with 863 views
Introduction
After the last 2005 Bordeaux tasting I attended in April I could not wait for my next chance to try even more great examples from this special vintage. Once again I was not disappointed by the wines or the great service offered by the staff of Wine Exchange. I was told most of the wines were double or triple decanted about two hours prior to the tasting.
Flight 1 - Les Blancs (2 notes)
White
2007 Château Guiraud Le G
90 points
Pale yellow in the glass with loads of citrus and crushed stones on the nose. More of the same on the palate with tremendous minerality and high acidity. Quite young and racy now but refreshing and absolutely radiant. Good.
White
2003 Château Brown Blanc
88 points
Light gold in the glass with pineapple and honeysuckle on the nose which definitely shows the 2003 vintage. Similar notes on the palate which is much more powerful and honeyed than the Guiraud. Good.
Flight 2 - Rive Droite (10 notes)
Red
2005 Château Les Trois Croix
88 points
Dark purple to the rim with a ripe explosive nose of plum and cinnamon. Soft supple red fruit on the palate with a hint of inky greenness that is attractive. The tannins are firm and the concentration is somewhat light on the finish. Good.
Red
2005 Château Joanin Bécot
91 points
Opaque purple throughout with a ripe nose of licorice, currant, and plum. This starts on the palate with a sweet sensation leading to deep concentration of plum and mineral flavors. This is also well structured with firm sweet tannins and fresh acidity. Good.
Red
2005 Château Moulin Saint-Georges
93 points
Brilliant red purple to the rim with great purity on the nose including notes of cassis and sweet raspberry. A superb entry on the palate leads to red fruits like raspberry and then cinnamon on the long finish. The tannins are quite sweet and supple which along with the acidity yields a beautifully lifted texture. Excellent.
Red
2005 Château Fonplégade
94 points
Dark red purple in the glass with an explosive high-toned nose of licorice, cassis, earth, and stone/slate. Superb concentration and balance on the palate with dark fruit and the same terroir characteristics through the long finish. This is the second time I have tasted this wine (previously single blind) and I have found it exceptionally unique and complex both times. The sleeper of the vintage for me so far. Excellent.
Red
2005 Château La Clotte
93 points
Opaque garnet purple color with plum, spices, and currant leaf on the attractive nose. The palate shows dark fruit with notes of licorice and spices melding well with the sweet seductive yet firm tannins. This seems quite concentrated and surprisingly structured at this point so I think there is even some upside potential. Excellent. 93+
Red
2005 Château Monbousquet
94 points
Very dark red purple to the rim with an intoxicatingly high-toned nose of plum, boysenberry, minerals, and smoke. A ripe sweet entry leads to dark fruit and hints of oak on the palate which also has tremendous length. The tannins are sweet yet firm which balance the fruit well and give this wine an effortless quality. Excellent.
Red
2005 Château Lucia
95 points
Dark ruby purple throughout with an enticingly complex nose of raspberry liqueur, slate and herbs. Super seductive on the palate with a sweet entry, elegant red and black fruits, and finally an inexplicable finish which tasted and felt like soft chalky minerals. The balance in this wine was also so tremendous that I had a hard time deciding if it or the finish was more profound. Superb.
Red
2005 Château Guillot
88 points
Ruby purple in the glass with plum, currant, and a slight nail polish note on the nose. The elegant palate shows pleasant red fruit, earth, and soft sweet tannins. All in all this is a nice value for Pomerol. Good.
Red
2005 Vieux Château Certan La Gravette de Certan
89 points
Raspberry purple with soft sweetness on the nose and notes of red currant and raspberry. The palate is quite sexy with a slight savory character, firm tannins, and subtle structure. Good.
Red
2005 Château La Providence
95 points
Translucent red purple in the glass with a tremendously seductive nose of floral perfume, plum, slate, and earth. The palate has a stunning entry leading to elegant yet concentrated fruit and refined herbs on the long finish. The sweet tannins are firm and give this wine obvious structure without taking away from the elegance. This wine easily had one of the most complex bouquets of the tasting and it is undeniably unique with a lot of potential. Superb. 95+
Flight 3 - Rive Gauche (9 notes)
Red
2005 Château Citran
87 points
Dark red purple with pleasant red currant aroma. Sweet savory red fruit along with soft supple tannins on the palate. This wine is somewhat light but it will make an undeniably good lunch claret. Good.
Red
2005 Château Bernadotte
89 points
Brick purple with notes of licorice and currant on the nose. Inky currant fruit on the palate with sweet firm tannins providing good structure. Although somewhat monotonous this wine is a nice value. Good.
Red
2005 Château de Camensac
88 points
Red purple to the rim with similar notes on the nose as the other Haut-Medocs, i.e. currant and licorice. The palate offers somewhat coarse tannins and high acidity but the flavor is attractive enough. Good.
Red
2005 Château Bahans Haut-Brion
90 points
Soft red purple in the glass with aromas of raspberry, currant, and crushed stones. There is good concentration of red fruit on the palate along with sweet firm tannins and nice acidity. This wine has good structure but not the degree of complexity you would hope for from this estate. Good.
Red
2005 Château Haut-Bergey
93 points
Dark ruby purple throughout with a nose completely open for business offering notes of plum, licorice, and inky minerals. The palate begins with a sweet entry and leads into flavors that mirror the aromas. This wine has superb structure with sweet seductive tannins and tremendous minerality throughout. Excellent.
Red
2005 Château Lalande-Borie
91 points
Dark brick red with attractive notes of savory currant, berries, and herbs on the nose. The sweet savory fruit explodes on the palate with wonderfully ripe tannins and good structure. This wine is a great value and undeniably attractive. Good.
Red
2005 Château Monbrison
90 points
Dark red purple color with cherry, berry, earth, and herbs on the nose. The entry to the palate is sweet and leads to red fruit flavors such as cherry along with a nice earthy tone to the finish. This wine is quite forward and attractive yet the tannins are still firm giving it some structure. Good.
Red
2005 Château Lynch-Bages
91 points
Dark red purple to the rim with aromas of currant and berries in a wonderfully perfumed style on the nose. After the enticing nose I am surprised by the straightforward palate which offers supple red fruits, earth, and lifting acidity. Good. For whatever reason this wine seems light on the palate. To be honest after I smelled this I anticipated it would perform very well but sadly the palate did not deliver. After tasting this wine it seems like Lynch-Bages has conceded the title of "poor man's Mouton Rothschild" to Pontet-Canet.
Red
2005 Château Calon-Ségur
94 points
Opaque garnet purple throughout with an amazingly open nose offering gorgeously perfumed aromas of raspberry liqueur, cassis, and minerals. This wine is obviously deeply concentrated on the palate showing currant, berry, and crushed stone flavors along with sweet firm tannins and admirable acidity. Already quite complex this has tons of potential as well. This wine was stunningly open and I could not get over how well it was drinking at this stage. Excellent. 94+
Closing
Regarding some specifics about the standouts of the tasting: For me the undeniable star of the different appellations was Saint-Emilion, it was very difficult to pick the best wine out of those because they are all just so good. La Providence and Calon-Ségur are also very special with perhaps the most potential of the wines tasted. The wines I found to be the best values if you are looking for a luxurious experience are Joanin Bécot, Fonplégade, Haut-Bergey, and Lalande-Borie.
Finally, this tasting simply reaffirmed my prior conclusions regarding this vintage. In brief:
- The vintage is amazing from top to bottom.
- The tannins are not a problem at all. (Even Calon-Ségur was accessible!)
- The vintage is just a beautiful marriage of pure complex fruit, sweet firm tannins, and fresh bracing acidity.