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Notes from a tasting of 2005 Bordeaux wines - Saturday, December 13, 2008, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-one wines were poured for a tasting fee of $29. Prices per Winex the day of the tasting. Overall impressions: Winex presents 3-4 current-vintage Bordeaux tastings per year, containing wines with a variation of price ranges - all to keep the tastings affordable. This tasting featured a really nice lineup of moderately-priced Bordeaux that included several very nice wines under $40, and all apparently imported by Liquid Link. Several wines tasted represent excellent pricing, notably the Chambrun and Clos René- both under $40 and excellent values. I should also mention the Domaine de Valmengaux and Margalaine as relative bargains as well. On the down side, I was surprised that the Sociando Mallet didn't perform better. I suppose this could have been a bottle variation, but for $53, I expected a whole lot more. |
2005 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc - Pessac-Léognan. $39.99. Light
gold color. Lovely nose of pure fruit, and goosseberry with an almost a creamy scent. Rich and smooth on the palate, yet crisp and lively through the long finish. 2003
Château Brown - Pessac-Léognan. $21.99. Medium gold in color. Nose here was more mature than the Larrivet - almost plusher, with a light toasted grain quality. Smooth, but a bit less rich on the palate, yet still lively, with a lengthy finish. 2005 Le Tours Seguy - Côtes de Bourg. $11.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby in color. Cassis, some toasted herbs, and a floral almost buttery nose that to me marks a less expensive oak treatment. Off-sweet fruit, full on the palate, good tannins, with a slightly drying finish. Not bad, especially considering its price-point. 2005 Domaine de Valmengaux - Bordeaux. $22.99. Medium garnet ruby in color. Lots of toasted herb and cigar tobacco in the nose, and very Cab Franc-like. Flavors matched on the palate, with very good mouthfeel, nice balance of fruit and acids, and long finish. Nice! 2005 Château Puygueraud - Côtes de Francs. $22.99.
Medium-dark ruby in color. Surprisingly reticent nose, but some undertones of dark fruit and toast noted. Full in mouthfeel, plenty of dark off-sweet fruit, and long finish. Nice, just not open for business yet. 2005 Château le Conseiller - Bordeaux Supérieur. $26.99. Dark ruby color. Bit closed in the nose, with notes of cassis and spice. Big mouthfeel, very nice structure, though quite tannic throughout. This baby needs some time to smooth out those edges! 2005 Château Joanin Becot - Côtes de Castillon. $30.99. Dark
ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis and a fairly big dose of oak. Big mouthfeel, with flavors of slightly off-sweet dark fruit, tobacco, leather, and,..oak. Nice, but could use some serious cellar time. 2005 Clos le Lunelles - Côtes de Castillon. $49.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Huge nose of dark ripe fruit that's pushing 'over-the-top' in its sweet ripeness. Fruity, almost freshly crushed berries, full on the palate, with a hit of oak on the back end and a slight drying quality to the long finish. Interesting bookend with the other CdC above. Tasty, though I'd have to describe this as decidedly UN-old-school in style. 2005 Château de Chambrun - Lalande-de-Pomerol. $31.99. Very dark
ruby color. Beautiful nose of dark fruit, spice, toast, tobacco and leather. Delicious flavors of dark cherry and berry, with nicely integrated toasted herb and spice. Rich, full and smooth on the palate and through the finish. All right! 2005 Clos René - Pomerol. $35.99. Dark
dark garnet ruby color. Nice effusive nose of black and red fruit, cigar tobacco, and toasted herbs. Big, rich mouthfeel, with dark cherry and blackberry, lots of smoky notes, and an old-vine sappiness. Picks up a little bitterness on the long finish. 2005 Les Angelots de Gracia - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. $64.99. Medium
dark garnet ruby color. Very fruit-driven nose of fleshy dark cherry and light spice. Somewhat chewy mouthfeel, with excellent balance of fruit and acid, nicely integrated flavors, and a smooth sweet finish. Lovely! 2005 Château Monbousquet - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. $71.99. Dark ruby color. Wow! Huge roasted coffee infused nose of dark fruit and spice (can you say Fançois Frères?). Beautiful flavors of dark fruit, spice and toast. Smooth throughout, with fine-grained tannins and a lingering long finish. VERY nice! |
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2005 Château Caronne Ste. Gemme - Haut-Médoc. $21.99. Dark ruby color. Good nose of dark fruit, tobacco and leather. Decent mouthfeel and flavors, but not at all mouthfilling, and the flavors don't seem particularly interesting. This is the 3rd time I've tried this wine, and while it has some nice elements, there just isn't much "there" there. 2005 Château Sociando Mallet - Haut-Médoc. $52.99. Dark
ruby garnet color. Nose more of toasted woods than of fruit, with varying degrees of spice and herb. Slightly underfilled in mouthfeel, good dark fruit, but a bit thin and sour through the otherwise long finish. Disappointing. 2005 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion - Pessac-Léognan. $65.99. Medium
dark ruby color. While not effusive, this had a very nice nose of dark berry, toast, pipe tobacco and leather. Good centration, yet also seemed rather monolithic on the palate at present. Good flavors, long finish, and I imagine (hope) will develop well over time. 2005 Clos Margalaine - Margaux.
$34.99. Medium
dark ruby garnet color. This one was charging out of the gate. Big open nose of dark toasty fruit, pipe tobacco and leather. Large framed, rich in mouthfeel and carrying some major tannins. Puckery long finish. Nice! 2005 Château d'Issan - Margaux Grand Cru. $84.99.
Very dark ruby color. Gorgeous nose of dark fruit, toasted spice and herbs, Pipe tobacco, fine leather, and scents of espresso and mocha. Smooth across the palate, beautiful integration, excellent balance and long luxurious finish. Wow. 2005 Clos du Marquis - Saint Julien.
$56.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Nice nose of dark fruit, spice and toast, but nothing exciting. Good mouthfeel, some sense of being underfilled on the palate, very good balance, and long finish. I frankly expected more. 2005 Château Haut Batailley - Pauillac Grand Cru. $49.99. Dark ruby color. Beautiful nose of red and black berries, pipe and cigar tobacco and saddle leather. Full and rich on the palate, with beautiful dark fruit, chewy mouthfeel, and long smooth finish. Yum! 2005 Château Calon Segur - Saint Estephe Grand Cru. $99.99. Dark ruby color. Beautiful nose of cassis, toast and dried floral aromas. Complex but not overbearing flavors translate to palate, with a ovely texture, excellent balance of fruit and acid, and long seemless finish. Calon Segur wines have always seemed a bit backward to me. Not this one! 2005 Château de Fargues - Sauternes. $34.99 (375ml). Yellow-gold in color. Big, rich almost yeasty nose of crisp lemon curd - if there were such a thing. Lively mouthfeel, not overblown with sweetness, and altogether enjoyable. |
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