91+ Tasted single blind at Southwold. This is a little simplistic on the nose with a touch of the old blackcurrant wine gums but fresh and lively. The palate has some dryness: austere and backward with compressed dusty...

Hints of bricking around the edges of the wine, still firm ruby in the core. Sandalwood, cedar, liquorice and fennel aromatics, followed by gentle autumnal fruit, this has complexity and effortless charm. So much pleasure...

The 2005 Latour is made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-brick in color, it gallops out of the glass with incredibly youthful, powerful creme de cassis, blackberry pie, and plum...

The 2005 Château Le Pin is all Merlot from a tiny vineyard just across from Vieux Château Certain and was raised in new barrels. It has a massive nose of ripe blackberries, kirsch, saddle leather, smoked tobacco, and...

Harvested at the end of September and a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that saw 80% new oak, the 2005 Clos De L'Oratoire is a healthy ruby hue and reveals a gorgeous perfume of red and black fruits, white...

92+ The famous Côtes de Castillon from the Perse family, this wine is normally the reference point for just how terrific wines from this satellite appellation of St.-Emilion can be. The 2005 offers an impressive...

Firm plum in colour, this grabs you straight off the bat. A beautifully rich nose, still young with a relatively closed tannic frame, will open further over the next few years, but the silky depths to the texture are...

Medium/full bodied, richly textured with a lush character to the fruit and tannins. Silky, sensuous and charming, the fruit feels great, the finish offers freshness and length along with tension. You can drink this now...

Medium/full bodied, richly textured with a lush character to the fruit and tannins. Silky, sensuous and charming, the fruit feels great, the finish offers freshness and length along with tension. You can drink this now...

Needs coaxing out of the glass, as is true with so many 2005s even at 16 years old, but straight off the first nose you get the most beautiful nuance and turmeric-strewn spice. It's exotic if subtle, with a creamy...

Needs coaxing out of the glass, as is true with so many 2005s even at 16 years old, but straight off the first nose you get the most beautiful nuance and turmeric-strewn spice. It's exotic if subtle, with a creamy...

An incredible nose, so subtle with red fruits, mint, minerals, and all sorts of flowers give way to Cohiba cigar tobacco. The palate has such freshness and density, with perfectly polished tannins. Slightly leathery, like...

A gravel wash of tannin creates the structural base for this wine, spreading red currant and licorice root flavors through a long finish. The fruit is bold and supple, the mineral flavor providing tension that will...

A gravel wash of tannin creates the structural base for this wine, spreading red currant and licorice root flavors through a long finish. The fruit is bold and supple, the mineral flavor providing tension that will...

Very classy with plenty of raspberry, currant, and licorice character. This is dense and compacted on the palate. Leave it for at least two or three years from now.

Dark rich ruby, smoked campfire and grilled cedar aromatics, a brilliant Pauillac that is still full of tannic archicture and frame. I had this out of half bottle last year and it was tasting more approachable than this...

97+ This luxury micro-cuvée is made from 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from the best parcel on the large Fombrauge vineyard. The wine is aged 22 months in 100% new French oak and bottled with no pumping, fining or...

One of the strongest efforts I have ever tasted from Alain Vauthier, his small St.-Emilion estate, Moulin Saint-Georges, has turned in a gorgeous 2005 with an opaque purple color and a sweet nose of blueberry and black...

I think the 2005 Château Mouton Rothschild is pure perfection, and is has a ripe, powerful, yet weightless style not far off the 1982. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up...

As so often, Pétrus has the ability to charm and impress, to seduce and overwhelm. This 2005, one of the greatest vintages from this great chateau, is massive and concentrated, with flavors of ripe black figs, chocolate...

I'm not sure you need me to recap the weather conditions in 2005 as it's such a famous, and relatively recent, year. Suffice to say, it was pretty close to a perfect year, with spots of heat but generally cool evenings...

This lower pedigree wine represents undeniable quality/value rapport in 2005. This vintage is so deep in quality among the better run less heralded estates that these wines should appeal to readers looking for terrific...

The 2005 Troplong Mondot is a blend of 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. It was emotional tasting this wine, thinking of the late Christine Valette, who made this compelling wine while battling with considerable...