Impression: 2005 La Vieille Cure

I call this an “impression” and not a “TN” because I can’t really write TNs that are publishable…

This is a wine that I bought back in 2008 once the bottles were state-side. There was lots of hype around this wine back in 2006/2007 and of course the vintage as whole being hailed as the vintage of the millennium. I had opened some bottles over the years, some were nice, others were so so. I opened one tonight to go with some osso bucco. It’s a great wine/bottle! Nicely aged, smooth, strong aromas. Still very dark, no bricking. This is one of the scenarios when Bordeaux delivers in spades: a relatively cheap bottle, in a great vintage, aged for 15+ years in a good cellar ==> lots of pleasure drinking.

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Honestly, I love their labels.

I’ve always thought it was a great QPR.

Purchased my bottles at the same time as you did for, iirc, < 20.

Tasted one in 2020, impressions posted on this site, and was happy it delivered. Although, I thought it was still young then for my taste.

I bought mine in the low $30s.

I can see that. Based on the one I opened tonight, these will stay good/improve for many years.

I still have a few floating around. Look forward to popping one at age 15.

I like their wines, but it’s been years since I last had one.

Did you feel like it had evolved and improved with the 17 years of age as compared to its youth, or was it more kind of hanging in there well?

Definitely evolved and improved, and I think it will continue doing so.

Funny, a favorite retailer of mine just sent out an offer for the 2019s.

I recently finished off my 2003s, one great QPR

I’ve been working through occasional bottles of 2005 Vieille Cure over the past several years, and the last one I had a few months ago gave me the impression that it had moved just over its peak. Still delicious and very enjoyable, but I plan to drink up the last couple I have sooner rather than later.

One 2003 left for me - they are in a really nice place right now

Interestingly I had the 2010 on Sunday. It had rich, forward fruit, with coarse tannins. However, the finish was extremely short; short enough that I suspect low level TCA. I have had several corked bottles from this producer. After very good initial results with '05, I bought the '07, '09, and '10 versions. A case of the '07, purchased for all of $10/btl, IIRC, drank very well young. The '05, '09, and '10 have produced more mixed results. Some bottles were good, but at least two bottles of the’05 were corked (out of five consumed) and neither the '09 nor '10 has ever shown particularly well, with some bottles of each vintage also suggesting TCA. I seem to recall others posting about TCA in the '05 as well. These weren’t expensive, but I haven’t bought anything since '10 and can’t see that changing.