Five first growths from 2005: Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Haut Brion and Margaux
This was a tasting of five 2005 Bordeaux first growths, hosted by Oeneo House in London.
Château Mouton Rothschild 2005 Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
This is savoury and gravelly, and it’s really spicy, with a savoury, woody edge. Ripe with some spicy oak in the mix and some firm structure. Quite drying, with notes of cedar, vanilla, tar and gravel. Has a fresh finish with good structure. 93/100
Château Margaux 2005 Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Aromatic, spicy, woody nose. It’s ripe with notes of black cherries, spice, iodine and tar, with a savoury edge to the fruit. Good structure on the palate with tar and herbs and nice cedar notes. Very fine and expressive, showing good structure and some olive notes. Finishes juicy and focused. 95/100
Château Haut Brion 2005 Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France
This is taut and linear with good concentration and structure, showing notes of olive, spice, tar and gravel. A little dry on the finish but with impressive structure and density. This has a bit of flesh, but the tannins clamp down on the finish, and there are hints of tomato and earth. Grippy and intense; unyielding but fine. 94/100
Château Latour 2005 Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Fresh and focused and linear, with taut, dense blackcurrant fruit and good structure. There are some firm, drying tannins, but also vivid fruit, with nice freshness. There’s a definite savouriness here and an almost unyielding structure that makes it quite firm, but I really like the fruit expression. 96/100
Château Lafite 2005 Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Complex and dense but also quite supple with sweet blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Shows some ripeness but also firm structure. There’s flesh here: it shows elegance and generosity, but also has some density. Notes of olives and fine herbs mingle with gravel, cedar and spice. 97/100
