Bordeaux En Primeur

One of the greatest vintages of all time for the wines of Bordeaux…

There can be no doubt that 2005 is one of the greatest ever vintages to be produced in Bordeaux. The Farr Vintners team have recently returned from extensive tastings in the region and were stunned both by the consistency of the vintage (we barely tasted a bad wine all week) and by the overall quality of the wines. The best wines in 2005 are certainly among the greatest young wines we have ever tasted - on a par or exceeding the quality of other great vintages like 1982, 1989, 1990, 2000 & 2003.

Some old hands are making comparisons with 1949 and 1959. One highly respected expert, who has extensively tasted every vintage from barrel since 1970, told us that, for him, it is a vintage without reference points and that he has simply never tasted wines like these before. They have the power of 2003 with the tannins of 1996 but, really this is an incomparable "once-in-a-lifetime" vintage that has no peers. Furthermore, unlike 2003, which is truly outstanding only in the Northern Medoc, this is a vintage that is successful in all the red wine appellations and is also superb for dry white wines and is a great botrytis year in Sauternes.

James Suckling of the Wine Spectator comments: "The reds are some of the best I have tasted in my career, and they have a unique character. They are rich and powerful, with loads of juicy, opulent, ripe fruit and powerful tannins, yet they also have a wonderful freshness due to their bright, crisp acidities. This is a rarity for a ripe vintage in Bordeaux; most of the time, acidities are lower in such mature years. The dry whites are equally exciting. They are solid and fruity, with good backbones of acidity...Meanwhile, the sweet wines are balanced, with plenty of sugar and spiciness from the noble rot...honestly, I think that many people have made their best wines ever with 2005. And I am not sure that some of them can ever make better wine than they have in 2005."

2005 is a vintage created by nature. For the wine-makers it was easy to manage thanks to perfect weather conditions throughout the growing season and harvest. It was a dry year (48% less rain than average)  with record-breaking amounts of sunshine but, unlike 2003 and 1976, it was not particularly hot - only 0.6 degrees over the average. Consequently, the red wines have exceptional concentration yet good balancing tannins which differentiate them from the more loose-knit 2003's. These are wines that are rich, heavy and dense yet are structured and fresh with an equilibrium that has perhaps never been seen before.

Thanks to this perfect September weather - dry and sunny by day and cool by night, the harvest of the red wines took place over a long four week plus period with individual properties able to choose when to pick rather than being forced into action by rain or rot. For example, Pétrus picked Merlot on September 7th whilst Pavie picked on October 7th.

An important consideration for buyers of 2005 is that it is not only a great vintage for the very best and most famous names but a vintage which is remarkably successful both across communes and across the price spectrum (from Cru Bourgeois level upwards). Although we expect the top wines to be highly sought-after and expensive, we also anticipate there being plenty of more moderately priced wines which will appeal more to drinkers than speculators.

quelle: http://www.farrvintners.com/

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