another one for those who missed it…
From the same guy. He toned this down a little as I remember when he originally posted this…
2005 Château Cap de Faugères
Well now, wasn’t this a sassy little thing. A rollercoaster ride. For a good little Catholic boy like me who has never had this wine, its concentration slaps you in the face unexpectedly, like the local bishop at your third grade confirmation. It being my first experience with Cap de Faugeres from any vintage, I don’t know whether this is the style it always produces, or whether it is because 2005 is the vintage of the millenium? I know AKR has always spoken positively about this wine. The alcohol-- 14.5%-- is huge but, at least initially, reined in. More on that later. It features a deep, dense purple color that turns to deep ruby just before the rim. A beautiful, pure color, actually, with a powerful cassis/lead pencil nose. Early impressions are that this is a steal at the $16 price level currently offered at PJs Wine Warehouse in upper Manhattan. I’ll bet this wine would pull off some upsets in blind tastings against wines of greater breed. I found it a blockbuster, at least at the outset. It may be a bit unbalanced, and who knows whether the high alcohol will overrun it, but right now it is a “fun” drink. Peppery. Just before the tenderloin was cooked it turned really sultry, somewhat volatile. I was shocked by how big and fruity this wine is, it’s not like anything I expected. But, for all I know, that’s the norm for this wine. I can’t believe this wine is going to age gracefully. But damn, it’s so good right now! Monbousquet-like! Warning: This wine is not for everyone. Let’s see how it matches up with dinner… Truly, I must be misreading this wine because I have never seen it described anything close to what I experienced on this night. The wine did tame down with dinner, after an hour or so of air. What had before been Dennis Hopper sucking pure oxygen in some David Lynch scene from the eighties was now transforming to a more PG image of Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, cooling herself in the bathtub, reminiscent of Monbousquet vintage 1999. Parker rates this wine 89-91 points. Don’t you just love it when Parker, or Tanzer, or Burghound give a score of 89-91, or 89-92, or 88-91, etc.? Gee, thanks for nothing guys! I’m going to go out on a limb here: I’m going to rate this wine nine… Well, hold on a minute here… Does this wine deserve 90 points? Or 89? While I ponder that point I’m also amused at how, if I were drinking some 14.5% swill from California that I’d paid $16 for, I’d be left with an incapacitating headache… but with Bordeaux-- even these big modern efforts-- the alcohol just seems to be better masked in general, better framed. In the end, I’m left trying to assess whether the high alcohol in this 2005 Cap de Faugeres becomes too noticeable. It begins to become a little nagging. At one point after the steak the wine takes on a bit of a woody character. It seems to be flirting with disaster, walking a tight rope like the Quinaults and Pavie Decesses and Mmonbousquets of the world, those Parkerized oak bombs that walk the fine line between wood, alcohol, and fruit, everything is fine as long as the components stay in reasonable balance, but if not, then we have a disaster of Great Wallenda Family proportions. Despite the flirtation with disaster, this '05 Cap de Faugeres-- on this night, at least-- and for now, anyway-- survives. The woodiness seems to fade, and we’re left with a nice rich, cassis-infused wine that, especially at the $16 price level, is deserving of a 90 point score. Note to Roberto: This would be a great wine to drink in a virtual live tasting. It finished very strongly. I always tell people who don’t know much about Bordeaux that these are wines that need to be consumed with food-- table wines-- in order to understand all the nuances and complexities, not just wines that you pop and pour while sitting around with your friends in the loft. Well you know what? This 2005 Cap de Faugeres is a wine you can uncork and pour and enjoy very much with your friends while sitting around, no food needed (although some nice cheeses would be delicious with this wine). This wine “works.” Bravo! Rating: 90 points.
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