2005 Bordeaux: Lovely Selection Of OWCs From "truly an exceptional, singular year" (JD)
“2005 Bordeaux is a treasure trove for the consumer looking to build a cellar filled with superb wines that can be easily bought and enjoyed now”
– Antonio Galloni, 2021
“one of the most enjoyable tastings of my year… many are tasting wonderful now: balanced, nuanced yet full of fruit.”
– Jane Anson, 2022
“Looking at the 2005s, now close to 20 years after the vintage, it’s clear this is truly an exceptional, singular year”
– Jeb Dunnuck, 2024
A raft of recent retrospectives of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage has made it clear that this is a special year that collectors of the region should have in quality in their cellars. These are wines of poise, balance and purity that are now approaching the cusp of long and potentially spectacular drinking windows. With this in mind, we are delighted to present a lovely selection of blue-chip 2005 Bordeaux reds that are all new to our list.
The best wines of the 2005 vintage were rightly revered on release. Noted for their purity and classical structure, they have aged at a glacial pace, but it has been worth the wait. Jane Anson conducted a comprehensive horizontal in 2022 and thought it “one of the most enjoyable tastings of my year… many are tasting wonderful now: balanced, nuanced yet full of fruit.” 2005s are, therefore, wines to seek out and buy.
This selection is perfect if you’re looking to own wines from this top year. Included are excellent 2005s from Calon Segur, Cheval Blanc, Pichon Lalande, Conseillante and more that provide the ideal snapshot of a sublime vintage for the region.
If you missed out on release, or have a few gaps in the collection, now is the time to grab a case or two. Do take a look and let us know if you would like to secure any.
2005 Chateau Calon Segur
£1,050 per case (12*75cl OWC) in bond – 1 case available
95 points Jane Anson
The classic Gasqueton years, when Calon was for the initiated, and they held on fervently to their insider status. Beautiful ruby red colour, rapsberry puree and cocoa dusting aromatics, still young, a wonderfully embracing tannic frame, rapsberrry, blueberry and loganberry fruits, slate-scraping minerality, just a gorgeous wine that is bursting out of the glass and still has so much more to give. Balanced, mouthwatering, persistent, just at the start of its long and pleasure-filled life, showcasing so much that is wonderful about 2005. Get on board. This is a 2 point higher score than the last time I tasted in April 2021, reflecting that the 2005s are just right now beginning to open up. 50% new oak. (2022) www.janeanson.com Drink 2022-2045
2005 Chateau Cheval Blanc
£3,900 per case (6*75cl OWC) in bond – 1 case available
100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc, the 2005 Cheval Blanc has a deep garnet color. The nose is still so incredibly youthful, soaring out of the glass with notes of juicy black plums, Morello cherries, mulberries, and fragrant soil, plus nuances of rose oil, spearmint, and pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut and energetic, delivering a firm backbone of exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and shimmery. (2023) www.thewineindependent.com
2005 Chateau Conseillante
£2,550 per case (12*75cl OWC) in bond – 1 case available
97 points Antonio Galloni
The 2005 La Conseillante is a rich, heady Pomerol. Crème de cassis, lavender, chocolate, leather, espresso, licorice and sweet French oak infuse the 2005 with tremendous character. The 2005 is, naturally, a wine of its era. There is quite a bit of extraction and tannin, and yet the wine has aged impeccably. Time in the glass brings out energy and aromatic lift to round things out nicely. The 2005 just got better and better with time, so I suggest giving it a good bit of air. I would prefer to drink it over the next decade or so. (2021) www.vinous.com Drink 2024-2035
2005 Chateau Pichon Lalande
£1,550 per case (12*75cl OWC) in bond – 1 case available
96 points Jane Anson
This needs time in the glass, but unfurls to reveal cedar, cinnamon, tobacco, cassis and rose notes. It’s heady and confident stuff that I’ve tasted several times over the past few months and have been hugely impressed by, especially with food. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. (2016) www.decanter.com Drink 2018-2040
2005 Chateau Trotanoy
£1,500 per case (6*75cl OWC) in bond – 2 cases available
99 points Jane Anson
A wine that famously takes its time to come around, and the colour remains robust ruby at 17 years old, with pale sunrise red around the edges. Still plenty of ripe and young berry fruit on the nose, followed by melted tannins and gently-smoked caramel – showcasing the generosity of Pomerol in a way that Trotanoy sometimes hides when young. Cigar box, Christmas spice, liqourice, edges of bitter black chocolate, tapenade, mocha and menthol, still building in power over the palate, on the precipe of tertiary truffle and rose petal flavours. Just so engaging. Last tasted a few years ago, and it has noticeably stepped into its tasting window. A wine that makes you smile, and immediately reach for another glass – and a friend to share it with. Owned by the Moueix family, and a moment at the property when they had introduced smaller tanks in the cellar, and more precision in harvesting with small baskets. 50% new oak. (2022) www.janeanson.com
Offered subject to final confirmation. Lead times on request. Offer expires 7th December 2024.
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