92-94 Point Wines

wines

Impressively dense, dark flavored wine, very rich and quite extracted. But it still keeps the elegance and some of the freshness of 2004, and there is plenty of blackberry flavor to push the wine along. Heavier than many 2004s, it still shows that great acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEOne can’t say enough about the efforts Bruno Borie is pouring into this wonderful estate that I have often called the “Lafite Rothschild of St.-Julien.” An undeniable success, the 2004 Ducru boasts sweet aromas of creme de cassis, spring flowers, pain grille, licorice, and road tar. This pure, medium-bodied wine possesses moderately high tannin, superb concentration, good sweetness, and low acidity. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25 years. Also tasted: 2004 Croix de Beaucaillou (88; $25.00)Robert Parker | 93 RPAgainst my expectations, this is not quite as appealing as the 2003 to drink right now, a little more foursquare although extremely classic with plenty of St Julien finesse. The tannins are tight and firm, and this still feels extremely young - you certainly see the majestic ageing ability of Ducru in both the 2003 and 2004. The fruit character is dark, rich and powerful, with a menthol edge growing bright through the palate along with a ton of liquorice root. Extremely good, but lacks the thrill of the 2003. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 93 DECGorgeous aromas of crushed blackberry and currant. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, caressing finish. This is a Ducru with reserve and lots of finesse. Best after 2011. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis Ducru is such a harmonious wine, with cedar, berry and truffle character. It’s full-bodied with gorgeous tannins and a pretty finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSNo written review provided. | 92 W&SDeep ruby-red. Reticent nose hints at violet, menthol and spicy oak. Sweet and lush on entry, then broad and classically dry in the middle, with slightly edgy acidity currently dominating the wine’s precise berry and licorice flavors. Finishes with serious, broad tannins that reach the incisors. This is long but the 2006 is longer.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

(Château Pichon Baron, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Pichon Baron 2004 impresses by its youthful energy and a floral bouquet brimming with black fruit including cherry. Aeration reveals a delightful minty freshness. A succulent, juicy attack leads the way to a full-bodied and velvety structure of elegant tannins. Here is a wine suffused with that now signature Pichon combination of energy, tension, and mineral sensations. Superb wine. (Drink between 2022-2030)Decanter | 94 DECAn undeniable star of the vintage, Pichon-Baron’s 2004 boasts an inky/ruby/purple color to the rim as well as a big, sweet nose of melted licorice, chocolate, black currant jam, truffles, and charcoal embers. Soft tannin, full body, and abundant opulence and flesh are atypical for the vintage character, but this wine is loaded. Pure, ripe, and evolved, it should be at its finest between 2009-2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2004 Pichon-Baron has a lilting bouquet of blackberry, wild strawberry, rose petals and dried herbs, conservative in style but clean and precise. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, and quite sappy in the mouth. This 2004 has plenty of personality and sports an attractive estuarine personality, showing traces of brine and seaweed toward the fresh, bright, vivid finish. It should drink well for many years. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe sleek texture of this wine is built on a confit of ripe fruit and satin-rich tannin. It’s succulent, harmonious and potent, with berry-skin flavors. Rather than freshness, there’s a green-herb and tart-cherry element that provides an edge to the flavor. A textural pleasure, and a grand wine to cellar ten years or more.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&SSweet tobacco and plums with just a hint of prunes. Fascinating nose. Full body with velvety tannins, tangy acidity and a fresh finish. Just right now. Savory and delicious.James Suckling | 92 JSLots of currant, licorice and light tar aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, yet refined and silky on the palate, with a lightly chewy finish. Needs time. Best after 2010. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Along with Leoville Las Cases and a few others, this is among the stars of the appellation. Made in a more floral, supple, Margaux-like style, the deep ruby/purple-hued 2004 Leoville Poyferre exhibits sweet, broad flavors, and plenty of tannin lurking beneath the surface. However, the abundant cherry, black currant, licorice, and smoke notes obscure the tannic clout. This rich, powerful, broad beauty should be drinkable in 2-3 years, and last for two decades.Robert Parker | 93 RPA powerfully extracted wine, which almost—but not quite—submerges what is a fresh, fruity layer. The new wood that goes with the extraction is obvious at this stage in the wine’s development, but that cassis fruit will bring out the freshness later.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEClear leather and autumnal hedgerow aromatics, showcasing soft bramble fruits and full of life and character. After a slow start, the 2004 vintage is starting to stretch its wings and show some real character. This is a wine that surpasses its vintage, as you might expect from the producer. It was an abundant vintage with high yields, which perhaps explain why it is showing the beginning of tertiary character and less concentration to the fruit, but no doubt it will stay put at this moment of evolution for a long while. Drinking Window 2018 - 2034Decanter | 92 DECVery clean, with blackberry, currant and light vanilla aromas. Full and juicy, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Impressive despite a slightly hollow midpalate. Wait and see as this grows in the bottle. May be a bit overextracted this year. Best after 2011. 20,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Gorgeous smoke and concentration on the nose, retaining largely primary fruit character even at 16 years old. This remains focused on cassis and black cherry character, touches of a bitter black chocolate and still clearly confident tannins. Harvest September 27 to October 18. Less graceful than some years like 2001, at least at this stage, but fresh, ripe and still young, which translates into huge promise for future development. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2004 Haut-Bailly is a candidate for the finest wine of the appellation. Its dark ruby/purple color is accompanied by classic aromas of scorched earth, sweet black currants, cherries, and a hint of pain grille. Light on its feet, but substantially flavored, it possesses stunning purity, good acidity, ripe tannin, and abundant flavor as well as length. It builds incrementally and subtly in the mouth, but it’s the real deal. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2024.Robert Parker | 93 RPA beautifully balanced, harmonious wine—as so often in recent years from Haut-Bailly—this is the epitome of deliciously drinkable Bordeaux. The wild strawberry flavors and the elegant, velvet texture are balanced by firm, structured tannins. Like other vintages from Haut-Bailly, expect this to develop over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WETannins wash over the red-berry fruit component of this wine, which feels complete if not yet evolved. The potent tannic structure grows more expansive with air, a pure mineral essence for now. The fruit keeps it sleek with its own stony complexities waiting to develop. A classical Bordeaux for the cellar.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SBlackberry and licorice aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long, rich aftertaste. Lots going on. This is an excellent wine and close to the 2000 in quality. Best after 2010. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSPlum, redcurrant, mocha, tobacco, licorice, minerals and a gravelly note on the nose, along with some nutty oak. Supple and fruity, with an impression of strong acidity for the year and plenty of underlying minerality. This shows less density and structure than the 2006 but possesses excellent fruit for the year. Ripe enough but quite dry. This appears to be in the process of shutting down now.Vinous Media | 90+ VMThe racy, precise nature of this beautiful wine underlines the beautiful winemaking here. It shows plenty of smoky, berry and mineral character yet is reserved and subtle. It defines what the British call claret: it’s all about finesse and balance.James Suckling | 90 JS

Owned by Jean-Pierre Moueix (and run by Christian Moueix), this 19-acre property is on the highest part of the Pomerol plateau. This is a powerful wine, dense with black fruits, dusty dry tannins, tempered with fresh acidity. A serious, ageworthy wine.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA beautiful woman brings you a short espresso in a rose garden... Wake up and smell the Trotanoy. The fragrance is unquestionably beautiful, as are the deep layers of dark cherry and cherry-pit flavor, the fruit commingled with florals and earthiness so it is all inseparable from the tannin. The wine feels precise even as it broadens and spreads out into a vast finish, a supple caress to leave you in a dream.Wine and Spirits | 94 W&SAromas of crushed fruit and flowers, with hints of vanilla. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit, ultrafine tannins and light toasty oak. Best after 2012. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSDeep medium red. Impressively primary aromas of cherry, mocha and sappy minerality. Juicy, spicy and firmly built if a bit youthfully medicinal, with a strong backbone supporting the flavors of red berries, spices and iron. A seriously structured, firmly tannic 2004 that will need at least four or five years of patience. Not particularly showy today, but opened out nicely with aeration, suggesting that time will bring a higher rating.Vinous Media | 90 VM

As so often, La Mission is rich, voluptuous, opulent and always a wine that seduces when it is young. But watch for those firm tannins, pure black plum and chocolate flavors, and wait for the dense texture to open up over the next 10 years—and more.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2004 La Mission Haut-Brion is the first vintage in a while that transcends the growing season. It shows a deep garnet core with faint bricking at the rim. The very pleasant tertiary nose displays touches of pitted black olives and bell peppers; you can immediately tell that it does not derive from a warm growing season. The medium-bodied palate delivers fine-grained tannins, well-judged acidity and black fruit tinged with a light marine/seaweed influence toward the no-frills finish. It does its job, does it well, then leaves. This is drinking well now, and though I cannot foresee any advantages in long-term cellaring, it should hold up well for the next 12–15 years. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux.Vinous Media | 93 VMAromas of fruit and spices, with black pepper and cumin and undertones of forest floor. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit, a silky texture and a medium-to-long finish. Best after 2011. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSWhile La Mission Haut-Brion’s 2004 is not one of this estate’s top successes, it is an outstanding wine, no doubt because of this extraordinary terroir. Deep ruby/purple with notes of lead pencil shavings intermixed with black cherries, cassis, and a hint of scorched earth, medium body, sweet tannin, and a good, but uninspiring finish, this attractive, mid-weight La Mission should age nicely for 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

The 2004 Cannubi is the oldest vintage I have yet tasted from this bottling at G. B. Burlotto (though I have every intention of rectifying this situation as soon as I cross paths with an older vintage or two of this great wine!) and the wine is a superb example of this outstanding vintage. The deep and vibrant nose soars from the glass in a constellation of red and black cherries, incipient notes of gamebird, bitter chocolate, camphor, a touch of fresh almond, cherry skin and a beautifully complex base of soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with outstanding balance, a superb core of pure fruit, ripe tannins and superb length and grip on the young and perfectly balanced finish. This will be a great bottle of Cannubi in the fullness of time! (Drink between 2018 - 2050)John Gilman | 93+ JG

is a classic. Vintage 2004 has given beautifully ripe Merlot, perfectly poised, but also showing the dryness and power. It is hugely intense, structured, bringing in blackberry flavors, fresh acidity and complex wood, perfumed and rich, concentrated. The aging potential? At least 20 years.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WENo written review provided | 95 W&SThe dark plum/ruby-tinged 2004 Petrus possesses high acidity as well as copious amounts of sweet cherries and black currants intermixed with hints of cola, earth, and truffles. Deep, medium-bodied, concentrated, ripe flavors are excruciatingly firm and tannic. This backward, structured, muscular Pomerol requires a decade of cellaring, but it possesses the potential to be the longest lived wine of the vintage, lasting 30-40 years. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.Robert Parker | 93 RPOffers crushed berries, with chocolate and light vanilla. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit, silky tannins and a caressing texture. Very harmonious and pretty, with a balanced palate. Best after 2008. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2004 Petrus is not one of the strongest wines of the decade, though it remains a fine Pomerol. The bouquet does not hold back with splendid fruit concentration: floral top notes with pressed violets and shaved black truffles, traits I observed in previous bottles. The palate is gracefully moving into its secondary phase with touches of tobacco and warm gravel infusing the red fruit. However, there is a conservative element to this Petrus that opts to play it safe. You do not feel as if it will evolve into something more, which begs the question whether you should continue cellaring it? I see no harm in pulling bottles now, larger formats later. Vinous Media | 92 VM

Barrel sample. Very opulent, generous and rich. It shows all the glories of the vintage, with huge but sufficiently restrained fruit, and exuberant tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEVery aromatic, showing blackberry and currant aromas, with some licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a rich, decadent, fruity finish. Caresses the palate. Stylish and opulent. Best after 2011. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2005 Haut-Bages Libéral is a very young Pauillac that is just beginning to show the first signals of aromatic opening. Sweet dried cherry, mint, spice, licorice and dried flowers all grace this mid-weight Pauillac. Haut-Bages Libéral is not quite as opulent as most other Pauillacs in 2005, and it could have benefitted from a bit more depth, but it is impeccably done and very rewarding today.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGThe 2005 Haut-Bages Libéral offers loads of blackcurrant fruit, licorice, spice and forest floor. It is medium to full-bodied, with supple tannin and an expansive, textured mouthfeel and finish. Drink it over the next 15-20 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

In this vintage, this estate (one of the leading properties in Fronsac) produced an opaque/purple blend of 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines averaging 25 years of age. Offering beautiful black cherry and black raspberry fruit, abundant chalk, minerality, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long finish, this over-achieving, full-throttle Fronsac is a brilliant example of the vintage and of this terroir. Give it another several years of bottle age, and drink it over the following 10-15 years. This sleeper of the vintage should prove to be one of the longest-lived vintages of Vieille Cure to date. Kudos to the ownership.Robert Parker | 92 RPDark in color, showing lots of blackberry and licorice aromas, with a hint of tar. Full-bodied, with soft tannins and plenty of ripe fruit and smoky oak. Fun and interesting. Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

(Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rosé (Reims)) The 2005 Comtes de Champagne Brut Rosé from Champagne Taittinger is a blend of seventy percent pinot noir and thirty percent chardonnay, with fifteen percent of the pinot being red still wine from Bouzy fruit. All of the fruit for this bottling hails from grand cru villages and is first-press. The wine offers up a deep and utterly superb aromatic constellation of strawberries, blood orange, rye toast, complex, chalky soil tones, plenty of smokiness, a touch of orange zest and lovely spice tones in the upper register, with notes of cumin and clove predominant. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and seamlessly balanced, with a great core, superb complexity, bright acids, superb mousse and great length and grip on the crisp and nascently complex finish. This is still very early days for the 2005 Comtes Rosé, and though it is very easy to drink today, it will be even better with four or five more years of bottle age. Another absolutely brilliant Comtes Rosé from Taittinger. (Drink between 2015-2040)John Gilman | 95+ JGLightly toasty and creamy in texture, this graceful rosé offers a firm backbone of acidity and rich flavors of raspberry coulis, dried strawberry, mille-feuille and graphite. Drink now through 2022. 250 cases imported. — ANWine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2005 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a wine of contrasts. At first rich and vinous on the palate, the 2005 turns more delicate with time in the glass as its silkier and floral qualities become more evident. Sweet red berry and spice notes linger on the delicate finish.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe Taittinger 2005 Brut Rose Comtes de Champagne exhibits a delectable nose of fraise du bois, red raspberry and maraschino discreetly complemented by anise, vanilla, and Ceylon tea. Silken in feel and with exceptionally fine and at once stimulating and caressing mousse, this finishes with luscious abundance of juicy fresh red berries supported by appropriate sweetness, hints of fine, tea-like tannins, crunchy berry seeds, chalk and toasted almond serving for satisfying counterpoint. It should prove rewarding to follow for several years, but don’t miss out on its youthful pleasures!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

(Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay "Champans" 1er Cru Red) Remarkably this has changed relatively little since my initial in-bottle review amost 10 years ago as the ripe raspberry liqueur-like nose evidences hints of spice, violets, earth and underbrush. The vibrant, pure, round and naturally sweet medium-bodied flavors possess excellent intensity on the precise, powerful and mineral-driven finish. There is a beautiful tension to this wine and while there is a serious tannic backbone, this seems supple on the mid-palate because the structure is so well-buffered. This is still very much on the way up and should easily see its 50th birthday (and many more) in superb condition. As such I would strongly advise letting this beauty continue to slumber. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 94 BHOne of the three batches that will be blended to make up d ‘Angerville’s 2005 Volnay Champans was still in malo, so I base my assessment on the other two. Scented with cherry and cassis, flowers and fungus, smoke and chalk dust, this displays richness and depth, fine tannins and emerging silkiness, and a youthfully firm but long finish loaded with savory subtleties. Just give it 6-8 years before revisiting. (The outstanding d’Angerville 2004s were also very late to finish malo, and the Champans is especially memorable for its vivid sauteed champignons, alluring ginger spice, marrowy richness, and flattering mouth feel, indeed comparable in quality though lacking the developmental potential of this 2005. As a striking example of mercantile bipolar disorder, I purchased this outstanding 2004 for $49.99 from a merchant whose price on the 2005 thus represented a 350% premium!)Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPGood full red. Reticent nose suggests cherry, licorice, flowers and truffle. Displays the copious sweetness of the vintage but with terrific focus and underlying spine. A stony, minerally pinot with real delicacy and cut. The long, noble finish offers a lovely combination of silk and stone and enticing lingering perfume. An archetypical Volnay that combines structure and charm: I wouldn’t be surprised if this merited an even higher score eight or ten years from now.Vinous Media | 93 VMRigid now, with cherry, mineral and smoke notes backed by burly tannins. Yet, it’s elegant in stature, concentrated and built for the long haul. Closed up already, but be patient. Best from 2014 through 2028. 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Marquis d’Angerville Volnay “Champans”) By all indications, this will be a great vintage for the Champans chez d’Angerville. This can often be one of the more recalcitrant young wines in the cellar, but it is showing remarkable refinement out of the blocks. The bouquet offers up notes of cherries, red berries, coffee, lovely minerality and a touch of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and intensely flavored, with again simply striking purity, excellent focus and balance, and a long, moderately tannic and tangy finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2012-2035)John Gilman | 92-93 JG

Full ruby. Brooding, deep aromas of blackberry, black cherry, minerals, violet and earth. Pure, precise and superconcentrated, with uncanny density and strength of blackberry and floral flavor. This saturates the entire palate, finishing with very firm tannins, a lightly mentholated quality and great persistence. Will need extended aging to express its inherent complexity. The year for Chambertin," notes Martin Prieur, who added that the Prieur parcel is located in a "much less regular spot" (in terms of ripening) than some others. Potentially great for this cuveeVinous Media | 94+ VMI am sure that the Chambertin and Musigny chez Prieur are raised in one hundred percent new oak, and both wines were showing a fair bit of wood spice on the nose and a fair bit of wood tannin on the backend at the time of my March visit. The nose on the ’05 Chamby is a fine, meaty mélange of black cherries, cassis, woodsmoke, grilled meats, earth and spicy oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and focused, with a fine core of fruit, tangy acids, and plenty of chewy tannin currently in ascendancy on the long finish. I am sure that this will have no trouble eventually absorbing all of its new oak, but the question really needs to be asked as to whether or not the wine is better off for all of its new wood. As I tasted this I could not help imagining these fine raw materials with the terroir front and center in the same way that Freddy Mugnier’s Musigny is utterly defined by its refined soil these days. This is a very good Chambertin that to my palate could be unmistakably great with the new wood dialed down. (Drink between 2017 - 2060)John Gilman | 90-94 JGThe Prieur 2005 Chambertin had been racked and returned to barrel when I tasted. Generous blackberry liqueur, cedar and roasted meat aromas usher in an almost implosively concentrated, severely black-fruited palate, underlain by charred meat and a veritable sauna bath of wet stones. This really grips in the back, but formidable tannins keep it from being much fun to taste, for all of its obvious ripeness. If you imagine Chambertin of Napoleonic compactness and ambition – even though some of the best 2005s demonstrate how full of flowers and finesse youthful wine from this appellation can be – then here is your emperor of a wine. I wouldn’t want to bet against it over the long haul, although that might be long indeed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-93 RPStill very deeply colored. The still somewhat primary though nicely nuanced black fruit, spice and earth scented nose introduces big-bodied, rich and very concentrated flavors that brim with dry extract that also serves to buffer the moderately firm and lingering if somewhat monolithic finale. To my taste this has peaked even if only just and is a wine that should last for several more decades. With that said, it’s not clear that it’s necessarily going to improve from here. I found this to be perfectly good if a bit inelegant.Burghound | 92 BH

Moderate wood highlights the ripe and spicy crushed red berry and plum aromas that give way to delicious, forward and mouth coating flavors that possess excellent volume and plenty of power on the enduring finish. This is perhaps not quite as elegant as it usually is though it may gain in precision with a few more months in cask.Burghound | 90-93 BHGood full red. Captivating, perfumed nose offers raspberry, strawberry, minerals, faded rose and cinnamon, with stronger new oak scents emerging with air. Lush, creamy and sweet but with a penetrating quality thanks to its mineral spine and pungent notes of spice and floral pastilles. Concentrated but not particularly fleshy, this fascinating grand cru finishes very long and aromatic. This bottling has consistently flagged my attention in recent years.Vinous Media | 92 VMSweet blackberry, plum and Asian spice flavors are submerged by oak notes and a rigid structure. This is rich and exotic, but there’s a lot of oak, along with firm tannins that need to be absorbed. Best from 2015 through 2030. 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSFrom their morsel of this great but small site, Bertagna’s 2005 Clos St.-Denis displays an overtly fruity cherry and black raspberry nose, lightly-jellied fruit presentation on the palate, and charred meat and wet stone undertones that nicely complement the wine’s sweet finishing fruit. Hopefully, this will take on more refinement, delineation and complexity with time. Christophe Vial has move here from de Montille to become the cellarmaster, but oenologist Claire Forestier was responsible for these 2005s. I hope I shall prove to have hit them on a bad day. But abstracting from possible (in some instances obvious) effects of having just been racked to tank and sulfured in preparation for bottling, I found many of these wines lacking in striking personalities or grip. Some evinced toasty hints of barrel despite the percentage of new wood being low (only rising above 20-30% in the case of Chambertin) suggesting that they might be a bit “underwined.”Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RP

(Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits St.-Georges Les St. Georges 1er Cru Red) This is primary to the point of being overtly grapey with an interesting mix of intense earth and game nuances that merge into solidly structured middle weight flavors that possess outstanding length and real depth. As good as the Petits Monts is, there is another dimension here. (Drink starting 2015)Burghound | 90-93 BHFrom substantial holdings planted with old vines, the Thibault Liger-Belair 2005 Nuits-St.-Georges Les St.-Georges displays both roasted, charred and raw red meatiness to a degree unusual for a Nuits-St.-Georges. Ripe black cherry and blackberry are also very much present, but this wine is not about sweetness of fruit. Substantial, firm but finely-tannic and formidably concentrated, it finishes with dark, faintly bitter berries, roasted meats, beef blood, a soy-like savor, and an intense yet hard to describe minerality. The wine tastes like something one should if anemic. Heady yet not hot in its nearly 15% alcohol, palpable extract rich and thick yet not leaden, it will need at least 5-7 years, I suspect, if it is to be tamed and refined at all. (The 2004, incidentally, was also powerful if very slightly lower in alcohol and displayed intriguing potential.)In this his fourth vintage, and (like his cousin at Comte Liger-Belair in Vosne-Romanee) young, ambitious in the pursuit of quality, well-traveled, and in the process of taking back family property from rental and negociant contracts, Thibault Liger-Belair is ensconced in deep, ancient, and bitterly-cold cellars in the center of Nuits-St.-Georges. He has begun pursuing a biodynamic regimen in his vineyards and has inaugurated a rigorously-controlled negociant arm (its wines labeled “Thibault Liger-Belair Successeurs” and designated “S” in my listings). He says he approached 2005 with great caution lest the wines lose polish and finesse to over-extraction of tannins. Certainly the results have included some very powerful and formidably structured wines. Low sulfur and a significant inclusion of whole clusters (“depending on the circumstances and site,” he says, “- I have no system”) are among other prominent features of Liger-Belair’s approach in 2005.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP(14.8% alcohol; vinified with 30% whole clusters) Bright red-ruby. Superripe aroma of black raspberry liqueur. Fat, sweet and powerful; a big, chocolatey-rich wine that retains freshness yet comes across as a bit heavy. Will make a major mouthful but today I don’t find the near-grand cru class of the best examples from this vineyard.Vinous Media | 89-92 VM

Tasted at the Batailley vertical tasting at the château, the 2005 Batailley continues to be an excellent Pauillac that I suspect is overshadowed by some of its more illustrious and, let’s not forget, more expensive neighbors. Here, it has an effervescent bouquet with vibrant red berry fruit and superb mineralité. This is extremely well focused, with hints of rose petal emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannin than in previous years. I feel there is still some oak to be fully absorbed, so don’t be afraid to cellar this 2005 for another four or five years; but, even at this early stage, you can appreciate its precision on the graphite-infused finish. The 2005 Batailley is where the estate began its upward swing that is continuing to this day. Tasted April 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 2005 Batailley is dark in hue with little aging on the rim. The nose is backward, tight and almost "moody", piqued that it did not undergo a three- to four-hour decant. Firm tannins frame the palate. The oak may not be as assimilated as the best 2005s. Dark chocolate and espresso hints develop with time in the glass. It hasn’t moved much since I last tasted it, and it is just a bit formulaic. But I would keep it cellared for several more years as Batailley, in great vintages, has a propensity to age. Tasted at lunch in London.Vinous Media | 92+ VMThere’s a precise structure to this wine, which allows the detail and minerality to show against a backdrop of clean, juicy black cherry flavor. The texture is silken and gentle, the depths of tannin profound while the surface of the wine feels buoyant. A fine Pauillac to start drinking ten years from the vintage.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SVery muscular and powerful with lots of tannins now, but it will come around. Full body and dense. Leave this alone for three or four years.James Suckling | 91 JSHas licorice, currant and fresh cèpe on the nose. Full and silky, with lots of sweet tobacco and berry character and plenty of ripe Cabernet fruit. Long and caressing. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Open-knit yet deep and powerful, the 2005 Les Forts de Latour is striking today. The pedigree of the vintage comes through in spades. Expressive, perfumed aromatics meld into a core of supple, open-knit fruit in a mid-weight, impeccably balanced Forts de Latour. Hints of red fruit, iron, smoke and tobacco add lovely shades of nuance. Latour’s President Frédéric Engerer adds that that 2005 was the easiest and most balanced growing season (including 2009 and 2010) he has seen because his team had the total flexibility of choosing when to harvest.Vinous Media | 94 VMShows blackberry, coffee, cedar, and raisin on the nose, turning to licorice and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, with refined, silky tannins and a long finish. Balanced and juicy. Builds on the palate, with currant, licorice and mineral character, followed by a powerful finish. An amazing second wine. Best after 2015. 13,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSVery classy with plenty of raspberry, currant, and licorice character. This is dense and compacted on the palate. Leave it for at least two or three years from now.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2005 Les Forts de Latour is another beautiful wine from this estate. Medium to full-bodied, with a dense ruby/purple color, loads of blackcurrant fruit, earth, and spice, the wine is extremely pure, broad, savory, and quite expensive. This is a fabulous second wine, but in essence, this is really of classified growth quality. Drink it over the next 20+ years.Robert Parker | 93 RP(Les Forts de Latour) The 2005 Forts de Latour is a superb and very classic wine in the making. I last tasted this at the château in the spring of 2013, at which time it was still seven to ten years away from really starting to blossom. The bouquet offers up a pure and very promising blend of cassis, dark berries, espresso, cigar smoke, a fine base of dark soil and a deft framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep. full-bodied and impressively pure on the attack, with an excellent core of fruit, fine acids, ripe tannins, and superb length and grip on the still youthful finish. I would guess now that another five years or so should be sufficient for this wine to truly start to open up and drink with a modicum of generosity. It will be excellent and long-lived. (Drink between 2022-2060)John Gilman | 92 JGAlways the equivalent of many classed growths, Les Forts de Latour is hardly a second wine, deriving from a particular parcel of the Latour vineyard. This 2005 is beautifully balanced, with lively fresh acidity, dense tannins and ripe, juicy black fruits. The acidity stays right to the end.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEIt took four days after this bottle was first opened for the wine to shed the tough, reductive character in the tannin and begin to show the plump claret this will become with time. What initially feels dark, ripe and dry-as-a-drought turns toward juicy red and black currant fruit underlined by pleasantly bitter chocolate tannin. Les Forts is produced from the young vines at Latour’s Grand Enclos (the main vineyard) from lots that do not make it into the first wine, plus selections from three other estate parcels.Wine & Spirits | 91 W&S

This 2005 offers a fabulous bouquet of forest floor and flowers, a dark plum/ruby/purple color, and medium body. Super-intense but light on its feet, this beauty seems to be close to full maturity. Complex and cerebral, this stunner is just now drinking beautifully and should continue to do so for another 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 93 RPA complete wine, rich and opulent. It has all the right balances of acidity, sweet fruits, black flavors and underlying dry tannins. Excellent.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEMedium red. Ripe aromas of smoky plum, redcurrant, mocha, tobacco and nutty oak. Rich, pliant and fruity, with ripe acids framing the raspberry and subtle game flavors and contributing to the impression of inner-mouth perfume. Offers good volume and a restrained sweetness. Finishes with dusty, serious tannins and very good length.Vinous Media | 91 VMAromas of plum, chocolate and leather follow through to a full body, with a very good richness of fruit and a caressing, medium finish. Not overdone. Balanced and pretty. Best after 2011. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS Clean, saturated fruit tannins place this in an international style. But the soil character is embedded in the wine, appearing after several days of air, once the tremendous volume of tannin begins to yield. The supple and generous feel of the wine belies the power of that tannin, needing a decade or more to mature.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

A joyous Lascombes, this is the first vintage to hit stride since the US investment firm Colony Capital took over in 2001. It’s a meaty wine draped in fragrant tannin, built for long aging. It’s also an exuberant wine, in both the bright, red currant-scented fruit and the bristle of the tannin. A playfully complex flavor lasts for minutes, the wine still youthful and fresh four days after it was opened. Margaux chic.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SDark in color, with an impressive nose of licorice, toasty oak, chocolate and blackberry. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very pretty and structured. Best after 2012. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(52% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot and 3% petit verdot) Good bright ruby. Blueberry and licorice on the nose, lifted by spicy oak. Chewy, lush and dense, but with a sappy quality giving shape to the fruit. Very tactile, solid wine with a saline quality suggesting energetic extraction. But this offers impressive mouth coverage and finishes broad and long, with nicely restrained sweetness. Wait until 2011.Vinous Media | 89-92 VMLascombes is approaching the form its status as a second growth suggests. This wine is close, packed with dark fruits, figs and juicy black currant extract. The aftertaste has some bitterness, with layers of toast and spice coming through strongly.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

Wow. This really shows wonderful depth and complexity on the nose with blueberries, fresh flowers and hints of stones. It’s full-bodied, with ultra-refined tannins and a long, long finish. Gets better and better with age: gorgeous now but will improve for many years to come. Excellent.James Suckling | 93 JSTasted at BBR’s 2005/2009 tasting in London. This is a great 2005. The Cantemerle is developing a very attractive, lifted nose with more cedar and crushed stone, hints of freshly rolled tobacco and briary. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, gentle grip, leading to a foursquare but precise finish that does not dare put a foot wrong. Sedate at the moment but sure to open up with time. Classic Bordeaux.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMShows blackberry and plum skin aromas, with hints of vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft, velvety tannins and a pretty, fruity aftertaste. An elegant, balanced style. Lingers on the palate. Best after 2012. 33,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

An absolutely sensational second wine from Haut-Brion, the 2005 Bahans Haut-Brion displays all the smoke, gravel and chocolate notes along with ripe black fruits. Broad, savory, rich and lush, this is a sensational wine (now called Le Clarence) with gorgeous texture and length. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 2005 Bahans Haut-Brion is the second wine from Haut-Brion, known today as Le Clarence. A huge, virile red, the 2005 exudes intensity from start to finish. Black cherry, plum, smoke, tobacco, gravel and cured meats blast across the palate. The wine’s richness, heft and power are truly remarkable. Today, the 2005 comes across as shockingly young. This heady, exotic Pessac-Léognan has much to offer. It’s price naturally reflects its position as a second wine to a First Growth, yet the 2005 is a serious wine that has a ton to offer.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGSoft and balanced, showing lovely velvety tannins and lots of coffee, chocolate, toasty oak and mushroom character, with bright fruit underneath. Full-bodied, round and unctuous. Best after 2013. 9,580 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe second wine of Château Haut-Brion is firm, mirroring its grand vin. It is dark, brooding and dense, rounded by ripe fruits. There is also an edge of bitter chocolate that offers an intriguing counterpoint to the elegance of the fruit.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

A dense, powerful wine, packed with very dry, very dark tannins. There is great fruit as well, ranging from black currant to black plums to black cherries. A very fine wine.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(Château Beychevelle) Tasting the 2005 Beychevelle at the property in April was a great pleasure, as I had not tasted the wine at the UGC tastings of the new vintage in New York back in 2008 and consequently had not yet had a chance to handicap its potential. Like many of the top 2005s today, this wine has really closed down, but its quality is still very evident on both the nose and palate. The wine offers up a very black fruity young aromatic mélange of cassis, dark berries, a nice touch of Beychevelle meatiness, a great base of gravelly soil tones and just a touch of its new wood still in evidence. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a great core of black fruit, striking soil signature, very tangy acids, ripe, substantial tannins and outstanding length and grip on the beautifully focused finish. This will be a serious long distance runner, but eventually, the 2005 should take its place as one of the greatest vintages ever produced at the estate. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 94 JGThe Grand Vin, the 2005 Beychevelle is a gorgeous wine, with plenty of crème de cassis, floral notes, underbrush and forest floor. It is sweet and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin and beautiful texture and purity. Drink it over the next 20 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPWe hit Beychevelle at a fragrant, gentle moment in its evolution. With a few hours of air, the wine was a lithe beauty, its cool red fruit giving a soft, sculpted feel. My notes are all about elegance, finesse and restraint-similar to the harmony this showed en primeur. With another day of air, the power of the tannins shows more directly, tarry and strong enough to sustain this wine for a decade or more.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SGood deep red-ruby. Subtle oak accents very ripe aromas of plum, currant, mocha, chocolate and tobacco leaf. Sweet, ripe and broad, with good density and freshness to the currant and spice flavors. Not a blockbuster but sweeter than the 2006 and longer on the aftertaste, finishing with fairly substantial but ripe tannins.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2005 Sociando-Mallet is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc picked between September 19 and October 6. It has a very well defined bouquet of red currant, cranberry and wild strawberry fruit; pressed white flowers emerge later, along with a hint of truffle. The medium-bodied palate shows wonderful definition, good cohesion and a touch of spice and black pepper. The tannins are very fine and focused, and the finish fans out wonderfully. I remember being impressed with this out of barrel, and 13 years later it is seriously fulfilling its potential. Tasted at the vertical tasting at Sociando-Mallet.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis continues to be a firm and structured red with lots of slate, wet-earth and blackcurrant character. Full body, polished, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Give it time. Better after 2021.James Suckling | 93 JSIt’s hard not to admire the brilliant Jean Gautreau, who has run this great terroir and estate (just to the north of St-Estèphe’s Château Montrose) with meticulous perfection for decades. The 2005 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Offering beautifully sweet crème de cassis and blueberries, this is concentrated essence of blue and black fruits, with some underlying minerality, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning texture, length and purity. This is superb Sociando Mallet, with surprisingly sweet tannin, which is even more remarkable in this vintage of high and occasionally hard tannins. Give it another 4-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30 years.Robert Parker | 93+ RP

This is opulent, but with restraint. The fruit is rich, black and delicious. Touches of spice and wood are present, lending complexity to the ripe fruits and balanced tannins. Impressive.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2005 Branaire-Ducru is a gorgeous, super-expressive wine that captures all of the natural radiance of the year. Black cherry, leather, spice, cedar, tobacco and scorched earth envelop the palate, framed by silky tannins that give this supple Saint-Julien so much charm. The 2005 is a very easy wine to drink and enjoy today, but it’s got the stuffing to develop beautifully for years to come.Vinous Media | 94 VMFloral nuances combined with lots of mulberry, raspberry and sweet blackcurrant fruit are followed by a medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure, textured, complex wine with soft tannin. It should drink well relatively early on (2-3 years) and last 15 or more.Robert Parker | 93 RPShowing well, the Branaire-Ducru was dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) with 28% Merlot and a bit of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Despite picking fairly early (20 September), the wine was silky and subtle and showed very well-managed tannins. Pronounced blackcurrant fruit with accents of cedar and smoke were apparent from the start and lingered enticingly on the finish. (Drink between 2021-2040)Decanter | 92 DECVery floral, showing blueberry, licorice and mineral on the nose. Full and very silky, with beautifully polished tannins. Long and caressing. This is always very well done and good value for the quality. Best after 2010. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

This beautiful wine from Fleur Cardinale performed great in its youth, both from barrel as well as post-bottling. A gorgeous blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon made by the Decoster family, the 2005 provides more evidence that this property is fully exploiting its tremendous potential. A few years away from reaching its plateau of maturity, its stunning nose of black cherry liqueur, cassis, licorice, earth and spice is followed by a full-bodied, concentrated and pure wine. Drink it over the next 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 94 RPThe 2005 Fleur Cardinale is packed with succulent red cherry, red plum, mint, blood orange, mocha and espresso. Sumptuous and bold, to the core, Fleur Cardinale is wonderfully immediate. Time in the glass really lets the wine shine. This is a rich, concentrated wine with a lot of oak, but one of the very best wines made in this style. It’s a terrific showing from the Decoster family.Vinous Media | 94 VMBeautiful aromas of black licorice, berry and vanilla follow through to a full body, with soft, velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Polished and very pretty. Incredibly well done for this estate. Best after 2016. 5,700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS