Lafon Rochet 2005:
Ruby red color with a nose that explodes with tobacco, earth, cedar and blackberry. Sweet and suave, with a classic St. Estephe-mix of fruit, spice, tannin and earth. Black olive, dark chocolate, plum, black pepper and cedar run through the middle . . . and linger on the finish for thirty or forty seconds. Really a charming wine for the price. Should live a long time as well. 91 points
Lagrange 2005:
Similar color to the Lafon Rochet, though perhaps not as dark. Full on blackberry, plum and cedar flavors emerge from the nose as soon as the cork is removed, along with notes of graphite and bitter chocolate. This wine has excellent balance and a good collection of pure fruit. I especially like the brambly flavors- the blackcurrant and slightly tart berries balanced with other complex spice and mineral notes really form a tell-tale St. Julien. This is another '05 to search out. 92+ points
Quinault l’Enclos 2005:
Corked!
NR/Flawed
Montrose 2005:
A big bruising wine that is one of the really impossibly young '05s right now. That is not to say the wine was not a pleasure to drink, however it was certainly not the wine it could be, or the wine it will surely become. This was a dark wine, loaded with dark berry fruits, bittersweet chocolate, black truffles, tobacco leaf and graphite. Dense and round, with excellent acid and, though a little stern, full of possibilities. I imagine this wine will take a long time to come into its own and those interested in trying it out should really wait another year or two for optimum results. 94 points