Wine Ratings

wines

North west of Richebourg, Veroilles replanted in 1989 and 1995. An introspective nose, very backward and quite masculine, less embracing than the Grands Echezeaux. Very fresh, but coiled away at present. A scent of liquorices emerges after three minutes in the glass. The palate is full-bodied, powerful with ripe blackberry, cassis and blueberry. Very well knit but certainly the most backward and primal of Bernard Gros’ Grand Crus. Great length, very masculine and surly. Superb. Drinking 2010-2025. Tasted January 2007.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94-95 RP-NMRuby-red. Ripe, smoky, expressive aromas of musky raspberry, minerals, spices, mocha and game. Large-scaled, full, silky and seamless; boasts a chocolatey ripeness but sound acidity gives it more energy than the other two grand crus. Finishes very long and very ripe, with lush tannins that dust the entire palate. Balanced for a long life in bottle.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur Richebourg Grand Cru Red) A potent mix of wood spice, Vosne spice, earth, smoke, animale and gorgeous black berry fruit aromas blend into rich, full and wonderfully deep flavors that are supple and not as concentrated as those of the GE but there is no lack of mid-palate fat to buffer the somewhat austere and firmly structured finish. I like the balance here and there is really good depth of material. (Drink starting 2015).Burghound | 91-94 BH

A fabulous wine made by young proprietor Jean-Philippe Janoueix, with the assistance of the celebrated oenologist, Michel Rolland, this 12-acre estate (not far from Vieux-Chateau-Certan and Le Pin) has produced an inky/purple-tinged 2005 offering a gorgeous bouquet of spring flowers, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, espresso roast, chocolate, cedar, and spice box. High tannin, sensational richness, and a multilayered mouthfeel are the result of a blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. This gorgeous, opulent Pomerol should be ready to drink in 4-5 years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPShows blackberry, chocolate and vanilla aromas. Full-bodied, with beautiful tannins and wonderful, juicy fruit. Firm and structured. Voluptuous, but very toned. Best after 2011.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2005 Champagne Oenothèque Brut is fabulous today, pouring a fresh, youthful medium yellow hue. The color has not deepened with age, and the wine offers notes of custard and hazelnut yet remains remarkably fresh for a 20-year-old wine. It has intensity but is weightless and refined, with a creamy mousse and no bitterness. A stunning and beautiful wine that’s in the market today, I would encourage seeking it out. Composed of 75% Pinot Noir, 10% Meunier, and 15% Chardonnay, disgorged in June 2023. 4-5 grams per liter dosage. 2005 was better here than in the Marne. Showing beautifully, this vintage is in the old glass; they now use recycled glass.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDWhile initially toasty on the nose, with a bit of air it reveals sumptuous notes of orange rind, bitter marmalade, fleshy nectarine and warm citrus. Despite its richness it’s still structured, the mousse forming a complex architecture. Some notes of toasted nuts and bruised apple emerge on the finish. I really like the tension that this wine still shows. The Drappier family’s Oenothèque range offers a unique glimpse at rare older vintages long-aged on the lees, disgorged as and when required.Decanter Magazine | 96 DEC

The concentration and intensity has slowly but noticeably been increasing over the last few vintages as the vines begin to achieve a higher average age and it’s particularly evident in 2005. Here the nose is unusually expressive rather than its usual brooding character with pretty, even elegant aromas of spicy red pinot and purple fruit and warm earth notes that can also be found on the powerful but detailed, indeed almost nervous flavors that possess excellent precision and a very attractive underlying tension on the explosive finish that delivers flat out incredible length. 2005 is the best vintage for this wine that I’ve seen since Mugnier took over.Burghound | 96 BHBright ruby-red. Knockout nose offers strawberry, blueberry, musky herbs and brown spices, with an almost liqueur-like sweetness. Wonderfully sweet and plush, with a bottomless quality to its fruit. This is amazingly expressive today, but it’s hard to imagine that this wine won’t shut down within the next year or two. An outstanding vintage for this cuvee, finishing with great length and lift. Half of these vines were planted in 1981 and 1987, while the rest are considerably older. Mugnier has never liked these latter clones, but notes that they continue to improve with age.Vinous Media | 95 VMI have never tasted a better example of Bonner-Mares from Monsieur Mugnier than the 2005, as the combination of this vineyard’s more reserved terroir and the velvety, perfumed elegance of the vintage have combined to make a truly special bottle. The bouquet is deep, refined and utterly seductive, as it offers up a stunningly pure mélange of black cherries, red plums, roses, cocoa powder, a touch of woodsmoke, a lovely base of soil and a judicious framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and sappy to the core, with an attack of velvet, great acids for brightness and focus, and utterly supple tannins on the backend that will carry the wine for decades, and yet seemingly never cause deferment of gratification. Just a beautiful bottle of elegant, intensely flavored Bonnes-Mares. This wine is nearly irresistible out of the blocks, but I would be inclined to certainly try and bury it in the cellar for a bit and let its secondary and tertiary layers of complexity build. (Drink between 2015 - 2050)John Gilman | 94 JGThe Mugnier 2005 Bonnes-Mares (of which there will be only around 125 cases) leads with aromas of ripe mulberry, blackberry, roasted meat, black tea, horehound and musky florality. This is one of those decidedly darkly-hued 2005s, and lacks the refreshment, the treble high-tones, or quite the focus of its siblings. Where this wine looks likely to shine is in its depth of mineral and earthy (stone and humus) manifestations, which already dominate the finish. Certainly this represents a dramatic departure in character from most other Bonnes-Mares of the vintage, which I am at a loss to explain.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

A beautiful mix of red and black pinot fruit aromas nuanced by hints of smoke, earth and underbrush merges into textured and layered medium full flavors that possess plenty of underlying material and a punchy, strikingly long finish. This is quite backward at the moment and like the Colombière is closing up fast so again, plenty of air is advised. In sum, this is highly recommended as it’s of reference standard quality.Burghound | 93 BHGood deep red. Ripe, complex, slightly reduced aromas of plum, currant, cherry and smoke. Silky and vibrant, with lovely lift to the flavors of red fruits and dried rose. Finishes very long and bright, but distinctly firmer than the preceding village wines. This seems to be shutting down in bottle today.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

Much better and more complete wood integration allows the beautifully spicy and warm-earth nuanced black fruit nose to complement perfectly the rich, full and well-muscled flavors that border on the robust on the concentrated, intense and palate drenching flavors. This is not a wine of great finesse but there is good balance and excellent length here.Burghound | 90-92 BH

A gorgeously scented nose offers up layered aromas of spice, earth, tea, sandalwood, wild flowers and black currant. There is an unusually refined mouth feel to the focused, intense and sleekly muscular flavors that possess equally good depth while delivering flat out superb length on the impeccably well-balanced finale. This is still very much on the way up but it is so harmonious and pretty that it could be enjoyed for its nose alone. That said, this is a very serious effort that should peak in the range of 7 to 10 years from now and then be capable of holding for 3 to 4 decades thereafter. In a word, wonderful.Burghound | 96 BHDeep red-ruby. Powerful, bracing, medicinal aromas of blueberry, blackberry pastille, mocha, licorice and mint. Almost shockingly precise and penetrating but painfully tight today. This is broad and large-scaled yet the overwhelming impression is of juicy cut and sharp focus. An utterly palate-staining, austere young wine that should be great well into its third decade of life in bottle.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThere is a bit more Bonnes-Mares in the cellars this year, as the domaine has purchased just under 15 ares more of the vineyard as a result of the Thomas-Moillard purchase. Happily, this section of vines is planted primarily on terres blanches soils, so that now about one-third of the cuvée hails from terres blanches. Previously all of the Dujac Bonnes-Mares was planted on terres rouges soils, and the new blend represents a step up from the already stellar level of Bonnes-Mares that the domaine produced. The bouquet on the 2005 is brilliant, youthfully reserved and very, very deep, as it offers up a mélange of red and black cherries, bitter chocolate, herbs, game, a huge base of soil, a touch of new oak and a pungent, floral topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laser-like in its focus, with a rock solid core of fruit, flawless balance, snappy acidity, ripe, substantial tannins, and an endless and utterly pure finish. Just superb. (Drink between 2017 - 2050)John Gilman | 95 JGDujac’s 2005 Bonnes Mares smells of black raspberry, wood smoke, sage and horehound. Intense, tart but ripe black raspberry fills the mouth with vivid juiciness, backed by persistently pungent herbal concentrates, bitter chocolate, and saline minerality. Abundant but refined tannins allied to energetic fruit of untamed intensity combine in a long finish and seem to assure that this is another Dujac cru with superb aging potential.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

From the tiny luxury jewel of the Neipperg family, the 2005 La Mondotte is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from a fabulous terroir. Super-rich and dense purple in color, it represents a concentrated essence in both its aromatic and flavor profile of blackcurrant, black cherry, earth and spice. Full-bodied, pure, and again, possessing sweet, sweet tannin and a tremendously deep, full, layered personality. This is another great example of La Mondotte, which should drink well for 30-40 years.Robert Parker | 99 RPThe 2005 La Mondotte has softened considerably since I last tasted it a few years ago. Clean veins of limestone-infused minerality run through a core of inky dark fruit, showing just how distinctive this tiny Saint-Émilion property is. Crème de cassis, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice, lavender and menthol open with a bit of coaxing. This modern, exotically lush Saint-Émilion is a real beauty. Magnificent. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThis has an incredible nose, with blackberry, black licorice and intense coffee and toasty oak character. Full-bodied, with layers of beautiful oak and ripe fruit. Long and voluptuous. Best after 2017.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

The Château Canon 2005 has a more complex nose than the Clos Fourtet tasted alongside. It is tightly wound at first with black cherries and dried violet petals, terracotta tiles and brown spices. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and very well-judged acidity. This is very harmonious in the mouth, nicely structured with great precision and persistence. There is a sense of reserve here, but it has a compelling complexity that will surely be enhanced with bottle age. It’s wines like these that remind you why this has such as devoted following that includes yours truly among its number.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 96 RP-NMThe 2005 Canon is all brawn and muscle. Chunky tannins give the 2005 a decidedly virile feel. There is plenty of depth and freshness - this is after all one of the very best sites in all of Bordeaux - so the 2005 will hold for many years to come. Dark fruit, leather, smoke, gravel, crushed rocks and spice linger on the potent finish. Tasting the 2005 today really highlights how far Canon has come in recent yearsVinous Media | 95 VMThe 2005 Château Canon is beautiful, although I think it checks in behind vintages such as 2009, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Revealing a deep ruby/purple hue as well as mineral-laced notes of black raspberries, black cherries, white flowers, crushed rock, and Asian spice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, incredible purity, and flawless balance. It stays more compact and tight, with little in the way of baby fat, but it’s incredibly elegant and pure. A gorgeous, layered, seamless wine that blossoms with a decant, it unquestionably has another 20-25 years of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDAromas of fresh cep mushrooms, berries, spices, roses, and sous bois, give way to hints of milk chocolate and vanilla. Full and rich, with beautifully balanced tannins and a long finish. Loads going on in this wine, yet it remains subtle and beautiful. This needs time. Pull the cork after 2015.James Suckling | 94 JSShows a lightly roasted edge at first, with raspberry and boysenberry confiture notes laced with melted licorice, singed alder and firm graphite details. Reveals a fine chalky hint, but this has more bass than treble overall. Still rather tight.—Non-blind Canon vertical (December 2016). Best from 2020 through 2030. 4,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFreshness and richness combine in this wine. There’s a eucalyptus freshness that goes with the intense acidity. But alongside this is the dark, dense blackberry fruit that layers with the hints of wood. Keep this for six years before tasting, and then for many more.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE(Château Canon) While the 2006 Canon is still open and quite easy to project on into its future, the 2005 has gone into hibernation and is not particularly forthcoming at the present time. The bouquet reluctantly yields up scents of black cherries, dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, some gravelly soil tones and a bit of spicy new wood that is buried deep in the other aromatic elements. On the palate the wine is very full-bodied, deep and rock solid at the core, with the vintage’s beautiful taught acidity really sealing up this beauty from the mid-palate back. The finish is long, firmly tannic and superbly well focused, with excellent grip and a palate-staining persistency. Today this wine is hermetically sealed, but it will be superb at its apogee. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 92-94+ JG

A spicy, smoky, wood-dominated wine, which loses its fruit in all these exotic flavors. There is a dark core that will round out and spread the fruit through what should be an impressive wine.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThe 2005 vintage of Château Phélan-Ségur is one of the finest I have ever tasted from this property, and this has to be one of the great sleepers of the vintage. The bouquet is deep, pure and complex, offering up scents of sappy black cherries, sweet cassis, cigar smoke, a fine base of dark soil, incipient notes of truffles and a nice touch of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely structured, with a really solid core of fruit, fine focus and grip, firm, but well-integrated tannins and a long, quite serious finish. This is punching above its weight class in 2005! (Drink between 2020-2045)John Gilman | 91 JG

The 2005 Mugnier Chambolle, like so many of the best village wines in this vintage, is absolutely stunning. The nose is deep, pure and ostentatious, as it offers up notes of red cherries, plums, chocolate, a bit of citrus, and a fine base of Chambolle white soil. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and beautifully focused, with a sappy core of fruit, tangy acids, moderate, supple tannins, and great shape on the long, beautiful finish. A great village wine in the making (Drink between 2012 - 2030)John Gilman | 91 JGPure mid red, starting to lighten up a little bit. Clean fresh pinot in a sunny style, but definitely suggesting that this might be ready to take a look at. An agreeable mid palate sweetness, still a fresh little-red-fruit style, with minimal tannins behind. Tasted May 2019.Jasper Morris | 91 JMModerately saturated red-ruby. Musky ripe raspberry, minerals and flowers on the slightly medicinal nose. Sweet and fat, with noteworthy complexity and volume to its berry and mocha flavors. Finishes long and spicy, with very ripe, suave tannins for village wine.Vinous Media | 90 VMAn elegant, ripe and seductive nose of red, blue and violet aromas that are pure and very fresh lead to refined, rich and again, ultra pure flavors that are delicious, vibrant and offer excellent volume at this level. A terrific villages of 1er quality and worth a close look.Burghound | 90 BH