The October installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on the 2005 Bordeaux vintage. The purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar.
2005 is arguably the best Bordeaux vintage in modern times. Growing conditions were absolutely perfect. The weather was hot and dry and the rain that did fall came at the right time and in moderation.
The contenders in this version of Pick My Next Bottle should be drinking beautifully as they approach twenty years of age. They are all from Saint-Émilion as I have found the Right Bank to be slightly more approachable than the Left Bank in my limited experience with this vintage. Hopefully this data point will let all of us know whether we should pull the corks now or let them age a bit longer. Polls are open until Saturday morning.
The Contenders
- 2005 Pavie Macquin – A blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, from a cool limestone terroir on the plateau, the 2005 Château Pavie Macquin is extraordinary juice, and the finest vintage of this cuvee I’ve ever tasted. Sporting a saturated purple color as well as an off the hook bouquet of crème de cassis, blackberries, smoked earth, chocolate, and Asian spices, with a sensational sense of minerality developing with time in the glass. Deep, full-bodied, massively concentrated, and multi-dimensional, it’s just now at the early stages of its drinking plateau and it will probably keep for another 2-3 decades. Count yourself lucky if you have bottles of this in the cellar! (10/18). 98 points from Jeb Dunnuck.
- 2005 La Gaffelière – The finest La Gaffelière I have ever tasted, the prodigious 2005 boasts a dense ruby/purple color in addition to a flamboyant bouquet of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, blackberries, smoked meats, incense, and Asian spice. Fabulously deep and full-bodied as well as ethereal and exceptionally elegant for its explosive richness and intensity, its lightness of being reflects the vineyard’s sensational terroir. This succulent beauty appears to be approachable, but that belies some significant tannins (04/08). 96 points from the Wine Advocate.
- 2005 Canon-La-Gaffelière – This fragrant, lush, seductive wine offers up plum, Christmas spices and crème de cassis. This dense garnet/purple wine also has loads of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, terrific aromatics, a full-bodied mouthfeel, beautiful purity, texture, and a long, long finish. Once again, the Comte von Neipperg and his winemaking consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt have hit a home run in this vintage. This beauty is approachable, if not drinkable already, and should continue to evolve for 10-15 years. (06/15). 94 points from the Wine Advocate.
Loading ...Thanks for voting! I’d love to see a comment below on why you picked one bottle over another. Also, let me know if you have any suggestions for the Thanksgiving installment of Pick My Next Bottle.