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2005 Bordeaux horizontal night...plus a sauternes - Printable Version

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- TheEngineer - 12-13-2008

This was being staged at a friend's house and it was both surprising and enjoyable.

First Flight: in general medium plus bodied wines that were more approachable but still were tight.

Beychevelle – St. Julien 4th Growth.: Black garnet in color, ripe red and dark cherries, berries, spicy/peppery, nice rounder mouthfeel, good persistence, medium plus body. B+

Grand Puy Lacoste – Pauillac 5th Growth: Black garnet in color, ripe red cherries, hint of tartness, slightly higher tone, lacking some of the roundness of the others. B

Lafon Rochet – St. Estephe 3rd Growth: Black garnet in color, ripe dark cherries good acidity levels, higher tone, slightly rougher tannins, more structured and complex than the others in the flight, medium plus body A-

Prieure Lichine – Margaux 4th Growth: Black garnet in color, slightly more muted nose at the beginning but gained a ton of weight with air, ripe red and dark cherries, minerally, powerful for its weight, medium plus body. B+

Wine of the flight was the Beychevelle with second being Lafon Rochet.

Second flight was a definite step up from the first. The noses were in general very nice on wines opened only for 2 hours in small decanters. The wines were also in general tighter than the first flight

Calon Segur – St. Estephe, 3rd Growth: Deep dark garnet in color, opaque, very ripe dark fruits, blueberry, coffee, good acidity, elegant but powerful, spices, cinnamon, long finish A

Giscour – Margaux 3rd Growth: Deep dark garnet purple black in color, opaque, again, very ripe dark fruits, berries, cedar, tobacco, coffee, very pure fruit, tannic, chewy, needs more time but solidly structured as are the others. long finish A

Lagrange – St. Julien 3rd Growth: Deep dark garnet purple black in color, opaque, ripe dark fruits, berries, toasty, cedar, tobacco, coffee, very pure fruit, tannic,. long finish A

Rauzan Segla – Margaux 4th Growth: slightly higher toned than the others, blueberries, elegant, softer mouth feel, very tannic and powerful, not quite the same level as the other three: B+

Wine of the flight was Lagrange and the second was the Giscours. I had picked the Calon Segur as my second wine of the flight so it was my first score departure from the group which remained surprisingly consistent. The Rauzan Segla, Wine Spectator’s number 2 wine of the year was loudly beaten by all the wines in this flight. Many people wondered out loud if it was us or the bottle. So far the underdogs were showing up the generally better wines in the flights.

Third Flight was again a step up and even tighter. Very hard to evaluate these wines so early in their life. This flight was also much closer in quality so the call was tougher.

Leoville Barton, St. Julien 2nd Growth: deep dark broading wine with a feminine quality, ripe tannic, tight, cherry pie, dark fruits, floral, chocolate, very good depth, full bodied plus wine. Very sweet fruit, great structure. A+

Leoville Poyferre, St. Julien 2nd Growth: sweet dark fruits, slightly more approachable than the others, tannic, long finish., lush full bodied. Showing better than others now. A+

Montrose: deep dark broading wine, ripe tannic, tight, cherry pie, dark fruits, floral, very good depth, full bodied plus wine. Very sweet fruit, very very pretty. A

Pichon Baron, Pauillac, 2nd Growth: deep color, opaque, very ripe with dark fruits berries, solid, tannic very tight, slightly hot at end but super finish. Slightly higher toned than others. A

Wines of the flight were closer but number 1 was Poyferre and number 2 was Barton.

Fourth flight was all right bank and I had not expected yet another large jump in quality, and yet there it was again! This was my favourite flight by far. I know that Merlot shows better early but these wines were ethereal. Great noses, lush caressing and strucutured. I know know why WS rated right bank higher than left.

Beausejour becot – St. Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classe B: Deep dark purple garnet in color, very ripe berries very sweet, serious wine, great acidity balancing the wine, rounder smoother tannins but still tannic, super long finish A+

Canon La Gaffeliere – St. Emilion Grand Cru: deep dark garnet purple in colour, super lush mouthfeel, ripe, sweet sweet berries, smooth soft tannins but tannic, super long finish. A+

Gracia – St. Emilion Grand Cru: very dark sweet fruits, berries, coffee, cedar, floral and just pretty. Great wine incredible nose. A+

Le Gay – Pomerol : Glass of the night!! What a nose, very pure haunting yet powerful, very ripe fruits, chocolate, coffee, cedar, very floral, lush, smooth, rounded tannins, just amazing. A++

Wine of the flight was the Beau-sejour Becot and the runner up was the Le Gay. I had it the other way around but really all four were all very very good.

Finished evening with a 2005 Guiraud – Sauternes – 1st Growth:golden in color. Nose of honey, chrysanthemum, ripe and slightly dried lychee, apricot, very clean, pure, great mouthfeel good acidity, but not the same level at 2001.


- hotwine - 12-13-2008

Nice notes, Eng. And bravo for your persistence.... I'd have faded after the fourth.


- Kcwhippet - 12-14-2008

Sure, you're drinking really nice wines in a warm, toasty home while I've been freezing my butt off.


- TheEngineer - 12-15-2008

[img]http://www.wines.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]


- winoweenie - 12-15-2008

I've no interest in the 05s. By the time them dudes come around my tongue will be petrified. I'm killing a bunch of babies I own from the 2000 vintage and it looks like I'll never open a mature 1st. WW


- Thomas - 12-15-2008

Nice to see that Merlot-type wines dominated the A+ and above.


- wondersofwine - 12-15-2008

Thanks for the notes. Now if I could only afford to buy some of them...

(I hear Lagrange is usually reasonably priced.)


- TheEngineer - 12-16-2008

Foodie, that was the consensus too for those in the tasting which was conducted blind.

WoW, Lagrange is up in the $60's this year. If I was buying now, I would go with Poyferre which can still be found for $84 (jj buckley) or Giscours for around $50. The rest are too expensive now. Barton etc are all above $100+ and in many cases much higher.


- wondersofwine - 12-16-2008

I do have some Poyferre from other vintages (and a couple Leoville Barton also.) I may have to pass on 2005 entirely.