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by Manos Angelakis
One of the important wine tasting events took place in January, in New York City.
It was the 2005 Vintage Tasting of the Great Wines of Bordeaux, an annual event that – with the exception of a very few top producers that do not participate – brings to the industry and the press samples of some of the most desirable new vintage releases. This year 99 producers were participating, mostly grand cru wineries.
The 2005 vintage in Bordeaux is considered one of the best vintages in years, with consistent quality fairly across the board. If you missed-out on the 2000 vintage or the sun-drenched 2003 vintage, now is your chance to enrich your cellar with some of the better French wines. Of course, for many of the more important châteaux the prices are still considerably high, but that should not deter the aficionado. Even a few bottles from this vintage would give abundant pleasure. In a very good year, like 2005, you can buy a very enjoyable wine from a lesser château, and enjoy it as much as the top-of-the-line wines. You don’t have to spend a fortune.
From my notes; wines that I consider exceptionally nice and are almost ready to drink now but will considerably improve when cellared for a few years. In addition, wines that are too young now, but with 6 to 8 years in cellar will be tremendous.
Château Pape Clément, a beautiful blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Still very young, needs cellar time to lose the astringency and subdue some of the harsher tannins. Cellar and enjoy.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, almost ready to drink now. With a couple years in cellar, you should have a great bottle.
Château Angélus. Way too young. Very astringent in the mouth, though the nose is exceptional. Needs at least 6 to 8 years in cellar before it becomes really enjoyable.
Château La Gaffeliére. Young, a few years in the cellar will do it a world of good. Good aging potential.
Clos Fourtet. Almost ready to drink. Had two samples, one early in the tasting and another one much later before leaving. The first was nicely smooth and ready to enjoy, the second was very harsh and astringent. Perhaps, the second bottle had less time to breathe?
Château Gazin. A powerful Pomerol, slightly tannic with good aging potential. Cellar for at least 5 years.
Château La Conseillante. One wine I found to be really disappointing in the ’05 vintage. The other years it was so lush and wonderful; this vintage is very closed, harsh, very astringent, with dusty tannins.
Another disappointment was Château Chasse-Spleen. The sour aftertaste could have been from a bad bottle… but who knows?
Château Greysac. Ready to drink now, but will develop into a better wine with a little cellar time. Beautiful nose, well balanced, with a nice long finish.
Another wine with an excellent nose was from Château Brane-Cantenac. Luscious and aromatic.
Château du Tertre, Château Lascombes, and Château Giscours were nice, a bit astringent, and shy on the nose. A few years in cellar should bring forth the excellence in these wines.
I think that the Saint Julien producers had some of the better wines in the tasting. Château Beychevelle, Château Gruaud Larose, Château Lagrange, Château Léoville Barton, and Château Léoville Poyferré. All nice, soft, ready to drink charmers with a nice nose and a long finish.
The Puillac producers also had some really nice wines, though they would require considerable cellar time to smooth out. Best tasting, Château Pichon-Longueville, Château Pontet-Canet, and Château Lynch-Bages. Château Clerc Milon and Château Croizet-Bages, will require much longer cellaring to achieve the same result as the others.
Finally, the Sauternes producers were a bit shortchanged this vintage. The wines were light, shy on the nose, and many were unbalanced with too much residual sugar and not enough acidity. Château Suduirot and Château Doisy Daëne were best of the lesser vintage, but for the price, I would go with an ’06 or ‘07 noble German Riesling.
© February 2008 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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