2005 Red Bordeaux

There is a completeness that is evident in 2005 Clarets, and this is what immediately strikes with 2005 Cantemerle. It has bags of fruit, tannin and acidity, all tied up in an impeccably-balanced, polished package. Sweet cassis fruit is accompanied by a spicy edge and a long, fresh lift. This is very pretty now but ideally wants another five years to really get going, and will easily keep for another five after that.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager

Potensac's 2005 is a firm, gutsy wine with elegant but very firm tannins and intense earthy flavours. The pure cassis and blackberry nose gives it considerable class, while the extra intensity and structure in 2005 makes it really rather good. Reminiscent of a top St Estèphe, this is classic Claret at a great price.

This is a stunning wine, epitomising St Julien's breed and elegance but with an extra dash of generosity. A fabulous rich nose leads to a structured palate with a lovely weight of ripe, creamy raspberry and loganberry fruit with liquorice and toast hints. The fruit quality is outstanding, with real energy and freshness, topped off by a long, pure finish. The harvest was very late here so the Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Merlot (30%) were able to really blossom. Given their reasonable pricing policy this is one of the wines of the vintage for value as well as quality.

Domaine de Chevalier is one of the few Graves estates to produce both first class reds and whites. The property was purchased by the Ricard family in 1865 and remained in their hands until it was bought by the Bernard distilling company in 1983.

I fell in love with this, first in barrel then in bottle. The best wines of 2005 show an irrepressible energy and, as soon as the aromatics of the Chevalier hit you, you can feel the vigour in the rich, intoxicating black fruit and the mineral, gravelly overtones that only great Graves can offer. The seemingly endless finish and perfect harmony of this wine, combined with the firm yet supple tannins, immensely concentrated fruit and life-giving acidity look set to make this a legendary Domaine de Chevalier.
"Rich, ripe, intense and complex nose. Generous, full, concentrated palate with rich fruit, vanilla and spices."
Pessac & Graves Tasting Panel - Highly Recommended 4/5 Stars- Decanter Dec 08

This is truly a masterpiece.A majestic, complex, rich, intoxicating nose with exciting, racy,pure cassis notes leads on to a sublime, multi, multi-layered palate with a precise, cool, silky core of the ripest blackcurrants with a generous dollop of double cream.This really is a spectacular, flawless wine that not only rivals the other 2005 First Growths but surpasses 2 or 3 of them. Whether this is as great as the 1928 or 1945 is just too soon to call, but this will definitely be one of the greatest cases you might ever have in your cellar. Awe-inspiring!

This case contains one 75cl bottle of each of the following wines:

1 x 2005 Ch. Petrus, Pomerol
1 x 2005 Ch. Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac
1 x 2005 Ch. Lafite, Pauillac
1 x 2005 Ch. Latour, Pauillac
1 x 2005 Ch. Maragaux,  Margaux
1 x 2005 Ch. Cheval Blanc, St Emilion

Unlike Right Bank Bordeaux properties, Special Cuveés are a rare phenomenon in the Médoc. Ch. Palmer do a limited XIXth Century blend (but that incorporates grapes from the northern Rhône as well) and though there have been occasional experimental releases from a few other châteaux there is certainly nothing we know of that compares with this very fine, limited production special cuvée from Ch. Sociando-Mallet - Cuvee Jean Gautreau.

Jean Gautreau purchased Ch. Sociando-Mallet in 1969 and rescued it from a period of inconsistency turning it into one of the most popular Cru Bourgeois on the market today. In 1995, driven by a quest for quality, Jean Gautreau and his team decided to select the fifteen best barrels from the vintage to make a special cuvée blend made with a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (approx. 80%) than the regular château bottling (approx. 60%). The total volume is only 1% of the production of the whole estate and hence is very rarely seen in the market 

The wines of Ch. Sociando-Mallet are traditionally weighty, firm and well-structured, rich in fruit with excellent ageing potential and Cuvée Jean Gautreau is simply a different expression of this style but with an extra step up in quality and ageability.

As Jean Gautreau says: "I have a superb terroir which I want to express in the wine. I try to make a classic Médoc for long keeping."

A result of the remarkable 2005 vintage, this wine offers the hallmarks of the year with excellent concentration of fruit, ripe yet structured tannins and a lovely freshness throughout. Eleven years on and this is starting to display some secondary characteristics, yet there remains a lovely core of black berry fruit, complemented with notes of bramble and damson.

A slight creaminess to the texture, there is great richness across the palate which holds through to a long finish. Great structure with integrated tannins which will carry this for years to allow greater evolution in bottle.  Approachable now, but I would enjoy this from 2018 - 2028.
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager

As big as ever, Montrose has made a real tour de force in 2005, although it is very much an iron fist in a velvet glove. It is a dense wine with enormous tannins, but the latter are cloaked by sweet, concentrated, ripe cassis and plum fruits. It is only on the incredibly long finish (a real feature of the 2005s) that they really reveal themselves, but even then they are very fine. This is not just a brute though, it has great charm and grace. The 65% Cabernet Sauvignon really comes through and helps give the wine that wonderful earthy St Estèphe personality.
Simon Staples, Asia Wine Director

The winemaker at Lagrange is the brother of the winemaker at Léoville-Las Cases, so family Christmases must be quite a treat. Unusually for the Médoc, this ever-impressive wine has been made with more Merlot than usual (45%), rather than more Cabernet (46%). The yields are down to a lowly 40hl/ha, which bestows the wine with great concentration. The keynote here though is the incredible ripeness. The attractive nose is elegant and pretty, while the wine itself is pure and generous with polished blackberry fruit and real sex appeal. Another great wine from this Berrys' favourite.
Simon Staples, BBR Sales & Marketing Director - Aug 08

"Gazin's superb 2005 is equal to their brilliant 2001. Its dense purple color is accompanied by sweet plum, cherry, and cassis fruit, a touch of pain grille, full body, sweet tannin, and a persistent, 45-second finish. This beauty will be drinkable in 4-5 years, and last for two decades or more." Drink 2010-2026, Robert Parker (92-94 points)

Words can't convey how good this is. It is an extraordinary Margaux, with a perfume to die for and an astonishing level of concentration and complexity. The tannin levels are the highest ever here but you would never know; they are like velvet on the tongue cloaked with rich, suave and voluptuous forest fruits and crushed raspberries. The finish goes on forever with coffee, mocha and bitter chocolate hints enhancing the intense pure, creamy cassis. This is a classic Margaux that starts slowly and then just builds and builds to a deafening crescendo that engulfs the senses. This is a legendary Margaux.

Ch. Ormes de Pez, St. Estèphe is a well known chateau that the Cazes family (Ch. Lynch Bages etc) has given more attention to in recent years. It shows the concentration and balance of 2005, a great year, as well as a sweetness of fruit which gave it real appeal.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager - Dec 09

The Jean-Michel Cazes estates have had a great year in 2005, and this one is no different. This is benchmark St Estèphe, with lots of earthy minerality, this has far more generosity than usual. Extremely accessible, the spicy nose with notes of licorice and pepper leads on to a rich balanced palate with lashings of sweet loganberries and cassis with tobacco hints. This is at once classy, concentrated and quaffable, but with great ageing potential too.
Simon Staples, BBR Fine Wine Director

Consistently one of our (and our customers’) favourite châteaux, Batailley produced a wine that is particularly sleek and elegant in 2005. This is a classic Batailley in every sense of the word and represents another huge leap forward for the property. Increasingly this feels like a Fifth Growth performing at the level of a Second or Third Growth.

Everything is there in spades: body, texture and fruit concentration. Very ripe Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, with beautifully ripe tannins, cassis and a spicy edge.

This underrated estate, located next to two First Growths, Mouton and Lafite, is the most forward and easy to appreciate of the Baroness Philippine properties. But alongside its sweet lush fruit and exotic crowd-pleasing style is some real Pauillac grip and substantial tannins and structure. Like the d'Armailhac, this has real life and energy to it but the fruit is more minerally and concentrated and the wine is more serious. Made from 48% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot this is one of the sleepers of the vintage.