March 12, 2024 - THe last bottle of a case. A sad day indeed, as this wine is drinking supremely well now. An intoxicating nose of leather and prune leads into an elegant and complex, perfectly balanced and utterly pleasing palate. The structure fades out a bit in the back palate with a good but not stellar finish, perhaps the only weakness of this otherwise outstanding bottle. Enjoyed these over 15 years - what a majestic vintage that for many of these middle range bottlings only reached their pinnacle in the past few. I'd agree that it's time to dink these up for those of you lucky enough to still have any
February 17, 2024 - This is a nice mature Margaux ready to drink now or over the next few years. It’s nose yields aromas of florals, wet earth and oak. The once robust fruit and harsh tannins have faded over the years, leaving a harmonious melange of stewed black berries, plums, figs, black tea, and leather. This wine is medium bodied with a modest finish. It is a classic Bordeaux in all respects but lacks the elegance and finesse that I associate with great Margaux from a fine vintage.
January 11, 2024 - 92. This was a delight. Magnum, Pnp, nose of forest floor, tobacco, gravel. Fairly lightweight, smooth finish. Classic mature Bordeaux.
December 24, 2023 - Loads of tertiary flavors - forest floor, rosemary, wet cedar. The medium weight body seemed more plush with red fruit, finish was very soft. Would drink now.
November 20, 2023 - Celebrated Nick’s 18. On this monumental occasion, we opened up a 2005 for his birth year. Bottle was stored perfectly with no seepage, a perfectly clean cork and fill level was still excellent.
Colour of brick dark orange red. Upon popping there was an immediate nose of terroir, berries and truffles. We decanted for about 30 min and through this time aromas of chocolate, cotton candy and more truffles and terroir continued to fill the decanter. There was fine sediment left on the bottle but nothing excessive.
On the palette, everything was nicely integrated and in balance. Didn’t get the signature floral rose pedal notes from this Margaux region wine. But it still felt delicate, soft and complex. Unmistakably Margaux due to the prominence of terroir. Still some mild grippy tannins which was expected from this epic 2005 vintage. It’s built to last as I’m confident this vintage will outlive many. The finish was long.
I’ve tasted other 2005 bottles and there’s a common theme thus far. Perfection of balance, subtleness and structure for longevity. I see why Bordelais have adored this vintage and rank it as one of the true greats over the past decades. Looking forward to many more.
November 19, 2023 - Drinking well.
November 11, 2023 - Great, elegant Margaux. Ripe Cabernet Sauvignan driven Bordeaux. Elegant ceder-cassis nose. Intense red, Mocca-Cassis taste. Phantastic ripe Margaux. This red is an a good level, do not wait to long with drinking tit beaudyful wine.
July 3, 2023 - Drinking very nicely. Wonderful balance, with nicely resolved tannins, freshness and delicate fruit. Classic claret.
May 23, 2023 - Notes of mild red fruit, menthol, fresh earth, mild floral note and, eucalyptus. Very balanced with nice tannins, acidity, dark red fruit, medium finish, all things in balance. My .02 is this is prime time with 5-10 left in the tank.
May 22, 2023 - Bordeaux 2023-05-22 (Left Bank): x