All reviews from eRobertParker.com, #219, June 2015.

 

2005 Chateau Calon Segur, Saint-Estephe

 

The 2005 is a beautiful Calon Ségur, with sweet mocha, black cherry, leathery fruit, medium to full body, attractive purity, a gorgeous texture, and serious nobility, gravitas and density. Drink it over the next 20-30 years, yet it is surprisingly accessible. 93 points.

 

2005 Chateau Giscours, Margaux

 

The 2005 Giscours is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and the rest tiny dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from this huge estate. It has loads of blue, red and black fruits, licorice, spice, a touch of background oak and earth. It is medium to full-bodied, offering up sweet, velvety tannins and impressive purity and length. This wine is already showing quite well and should continue to evolve gracefully for another 12-15+ years. 91 points.

 

2005 Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse, Pauillac

 

Pure crème de cassis, licorice and spice are all present in this wine from Xavier Borie. Medium to full-bodied and ripe, with sweet tannin and a nicely textured mouthfeel, this is a beauty that should continue to drink well for another 15 or so years. 92 points.

 

2005 Chateau Pontet Canet, Pauillac

 

Possibly the youngest wine of all the 2005 Médocs in terms of its evolution, at age 10 the inky purple 2005 Pontet-Canet tastes more like a two-year-old wine. Loads of pure blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit are present along with a hint of licorice and background oak. It is full-bodied, ripe, and excruciatingly fresh, vigorous and exuberant. This is a tour de force, and a sensational effort that rivals the first growths. Give it another 5-10 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30-40 years. 97+ points.

 

2005 Alter Ego de Chateau Palmer, Margaux

 

The medium to dark ruby 2005 Alter Ego is a sexy, lush, up-front style of 2005, with loads of cedar wood, a fragrant and perfumed personality, and silky tannin. It is moderately endowed, but lusciously suave and seductive. Close to being an outstanding second wine, it will drink well for another 7-10 years. 89 points.

 

2005 Chateau Branaire Ducru, Saint-Julien

 

Floral nuances combined with lots of mulberry, raspberry and sweet blackcurrant fruit are followed by a medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure, textured, complex wine with soft tannin. It should drink well relatively early on (2-3 years) and last 15 or more. 93 points.

 

2005 Chateau Brane Cantenac, Margaux

 

A sexy, style of wine from the Lurtons at Brane-Cantenac, this wine (a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc) has a stunning nose of forest floor, licorice, blackcurrants, plums and spring flowers. Soft tannin, full-bodied opulence and beautifully textured, lush richness, make for a brilliant wine from this large, 180-acre vineyard. In spite of the wine’s stunning forward fragrance and lushness, the color still looks as if it is 3-4 years old, rather than a decade. This is a big-time winner in 2005 and should drink well for at least another 25+ years. 95 points.

 

2005 Domaine de l’A, Cotes de Castillon

 

The home estate of Stéphane Derenoncourt has produced a major sleeper of the vintage in 2005. This dense plum/ruby/purple wine displays beautiful cassis, black cherry liqueur and earth in a full-bodied, opulent, multi-dimensional style. Deep, pure, rich and impressive, this is a beauty that can be drunk now or cellared for another 10-15 years. 91 points.

 

2005 Chateau du Tertre, Margaux

 

This attractive deep ruby/plum/purple wine is supple, with notes of loamy soil, earth, underbrush and black and red currants. Very fragrant and medium-bodied, with relatively sweet tannin, this wine should continue to drink well for another 10-15+ years. 90 points.

 

2005 Chateau Haut Bages Liberal, Pauillac

 

The 2005 Haut-Bages Libéral offers loads of blackcurrant fruit, licorice, spice and forest floor. It is medium to full-bodied, with supple tannin and an expansive, textured mouthfeel and finish. Drink it over the next 15-20 years. 90 points.

 

2005 Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe

 

The 2005 Montrose has a saturated purple color. As backward as one would expect of a St.-Estèphe, it offers notes of sweet blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, earth, graphite and spice. It is medium to full-bodied, moderately tannic, and still a decade away from prime-time drinkability. This 30+ year wine is clearly outstanding. 94+ points.

 

2005 Chateau Leoville Barton, Saint-Julien

 

Léoville Barton’s 2005 has an inky ruby/purple color and shows fairly high tannin levels, but the balance is slightly better that the Langoa Barton, which is very hard. This is probably a 30-year wine and needs at least another 20 years of cellaring, and while the tannins are high, they are balanced more thoroughly and competently. With deep cassis and red currant fruit, the wine is earthy, spicy, medium to full-bodied, and needs at least another decade. Drink it between 2025 and 2050. 92 points.

 

2005 Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Leognan

 

A glorious wine from Domaine de Chevalier, this 2005 reveals notes of graphite, subtle charcoal, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, silky tannins, and a long, multi-dimensional finish. This is a killer effort from the Bernard family, who own this famous terroir in Pessac-Léognan. Drink it over the next 20-30 years. 95 points.