Stately ruby red, raspberry and cassis fruits, still young, needs another few years to fully open and integrate, but everything is there for a brilliant wine with pleasure. This is a château that always takes its time...

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...

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...

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...

The purity of fruit in this is fascinating with plums, currants and other dark fruits. Then there is another layer of spices and chocolate. So much cassis. Full and very layered with chewy polished tannins and a long...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

A beautiful, pure wine that combines freshness and intense richness. It seems to float while still giving a huge mouthful of plums, coffee and sweet, juicy tannins. A straight line of pure flavor all the way to the...