So when we go to the Superbowl this season, you think I should open my 2005 Cos along with the 2001 Rayas, which I picked up after your recommendation? I know you would pass on my 2005 Monbo - not your style.
Jay, this hurts to say, but we are not going to the Super Bowl. Not with the current OL. Douglas needs to find at least two quality players.
I think if we do go, you should go with two of the three; no Monbo, but an American wine, maybe a Scarecrow. I’ll be luxuriating with an old Cheval.
It’s all up to the right tackle, formally known as fatso. I was at the game on Saturday and watched him on every offensive play during the third quarter of the game. If he can stay healthy and play like that, we have a chance. his footwork was excellent, nobody got past him, he actually knocked the guy down with a belly bump, and he can regularly knock people down with just a swipe of his hand. He gave up no sacks, and no pressures, and even when the running play went to the left side, there was no pursuit because he was destroying the guy across from him.
I drank my last 1975 Cheval Blanc last summer. I think that if we actually go to that game that shall remain nameless because I am superstitious, I was thinking about a magnum of 2007 Saxum, James Berry Vineyard. May be a 2005 scarecrow and a McDonald to top it off, although will be too young.
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I didn’t think I had anything to report here — I like my bordeaux with plenty of age and even friendly 05s are still too primary for my preference — but then I recalled the lovely 05 Carbonnieux rouge which has been a delight for years out of half bottle.
I’ve had mostly right banks, and they’ve all been excellent. Latour a Pomerol was a standout (beating out a 01 Margaux), as well as La Fleur Morange, where the cab franc sings. On the budget side, Rol Valentin has been consistently good over the last 6-7 years, and can still be found for $50 or so. On the left bank, both Meyney and Gloria have been very nice.
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Had a 2005 Montrose less than 1 week ago.
The old saying is true …
Q. When is a Montrose ready to drink?
A. 5 more years.
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05 Rauzan Segla last weekend. I think it was very subtly corked, fruit seemed scalped. An very experienced taster didn’t think it was corked, just an off bottle. From the structure I think waiting at least 5 years on this is advised.
I had the 2005 Prieure Lichine and 2005 Rauzan Gassies in the last few years or so, and both were lovely. I think if your bottle of R-S had been sound it would have been much more enjoyable. Margaux AOC at this point should be really enjoyable!
I was really looking forward to it, I’m almost sure it was corked.
We made up for it that night with a very nice bottle of 2001 Cos d estournel which is peak drinking (maybe just past peak depending on personal preference) very elegant and resolved, would drink now if you have it;
and a 2009 Grand Puy Lacoste which needs at least 5-7 more years based on this bottle. Tons of super grippy tannin. I think it will turn into a very interesting wine with more time as the fruit here seems to have avoided that baked overripeness of the warm vintage. It was better then I expected but young.
Had a half bottle of the 05 Brane Cantenac recently. All I can say is, hope this just needs more time. Not bad by any means but seemingly dark, clunky and mayhap even overextracted.
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The Bellevue (St. Emilion) is really nice now. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I only previously tried it in 2016 when it was just a “big wine” and not much else. Plenty of merlot fruit without being over the top, floral, cherry, coffee, cocoa. All the elements are nice but not yet working together in full harmony, I think it’s got longer to go to be at its best. One bottle left that I’ll probably keep at least five years, probably more.
I quite like the right banks from this vintage, and the 2005 Bonalgue [Pomerol] is a fine example. I mentioned it upthread - some years ago - and it’s a medium bodied, plummy 14% abv soft merlot. I still find some oak here as well as dusty tannins. At age 18, perhaps those might never really fully smooth out, but the fruit and mulberry bouquet carries this for me. The edge color suggest this rhubarb red is at its apogee, for me. These were purchased EP, from MacArthurs, when the wine was hard to find in the US, but now, at least on the West Coast, K&L and WinEx periodically bring it over. Production is only couple of thousand cases, and even though it has ‘mentally’ replaced de Sales in this category for me, the distribution has never matched that C&E machine picked Pomerol. Tough wine to slot into a grade bucket - fruit is A- but the texture/tannin might notch it down to a B+.
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I would not uniformly write off 2005 right bank BDX. 2005 Clos Fourtet was my WOTY two years ago, and, in agreement with previous posts, La Conseillante 2005 will forever be a classic. But I poured down the sink a bottle of Pavie 2005 just two days ago: I am not sure if the madeirization was due to a bad cork or the massive amounts of sediment in it. Also had problems with and sold off Angelus 2005 and Valandraud 2005 (agree with Mr. Kelley’s CT note about this one)–really offensive tasting wines for different reasons. All in all, my impression is that the most uniform and best BDX Appellation in 2005 was Margaux.
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As a prior WB’er observes, the 2005 Grand Pontet [St Emilion] is a big, chewy, husky right banker still. It’s 14.5% abv, and has lots of firm/grainy tannin, along with caked on sediment in the bottle. Full bodied, structured - almost coarse - but lots of fruit depth. This St Emilion feels like it’s on the fennel / plum spectrum to me. This 2005 feels a bit more massive than vintages I remember from the 90’s, when it was a special order item that I could only find at MacArthurs. The physical bottle is also a touch magnified, deeper punted and thicker/heavier than normal glass. Purchased EP and cellared properly since delivery, but I almost wonder if 5F warmer cellaring temperatures might not have made this more enjoyable. I find this reminiscent of grippy 1975’s at the same age, and lacking the elegance that two decades of cellaring typically delivers. It feels a bit like those old Latour Haut Brion’s where too much press wine was included. So although there is some enjoyment my grade is lower than the CT consensus, at a B+.
This label is now defunct, and it’s vineyards have been assigned to a luxury project: Quintus. There is some discussion of that here.
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It’s also quite possible that they used reverse osmosis to concentrate the wine, which could account for it being overextracted, as if too much press wine had been added.
La Lagune - Haut-Médoc 2005
Had this over three evenings, after an initial five hour decant. The colour was starting to brick at the edges, but the nose was still vibrant and fresh, with blackcurrant and brambly fruit tinged with mint and leather. The attack was much more tertiary, with the brambly fruit starting to be more savoury and less fresh, but there was great elegance and balance, especially by the third evening, although the taste profile was still rather more narrow than I would have liked The big problem however, yet again from a 2005, was the abrasive tannins that dominate the finish. On the first evening it was so unpleasant that I gave up. The tannins had softened slightly by the third evening, but not enough to convince me that they won’t be there long after the fruit has gone.
I’m not a fan of 2005 in general. Yes, there are some wines I’ve liked and a few I’ve admired, but it just doesn’t strike me as a great vintage. I don’t like the narrow taste profile and I don’t like the tannins. I know, I know, we have to be patient, blah blah blah, but for how much longer??!! Give me a 2004 or even a 2006 any day! .I’m going to work my way through the not inconsiderable amount of bottles bought EP and sell those I dislike to buy wines I actually enjoy drinking.
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How long do we have to wait for 2005s? Don’t know, but 1986s are really drinking well now.
In the last couple of years I have had 2 2005 Bordeaux. 2-5 years ago or so I had a 2005 Ferriere that was very elegant but I did not think it had enough to it. Could it have been too young? Don’t know. Then about a year ago I had a Chateau D’Issan. I thought this was really singing. Fabulous wine. Rich, but not over the top. Good finish. Not an overwhelming wine, but one that was just balanced and beautiful. Made me interested in learning more about D’Issan (and to read about Julian’s trip there with great interest).
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Those two are on my list to try, Howard. I think the comparison to 86 is very apt - especially because I never much liked it either! I realise that I’m probably in a minority of one about 05, but yes, I always preferred 85 to 86 for example.
The tannins are much finer in 2005. The wines I have tasted are certainly showing signs of softening; the 1986s are nearly forty years in and are for the most part, still brutal.