As usual La Gomerie's 2005 is a sexy dense plum/purple-tinged effort. From a 7-acre 32-year old site planted with 100% Merlot it exhibits a sumptuous bouquet of white chocolate roasted coffee blackberries black cherries graphite and toasty oak. This is a modern-styled decadently rich St.-Emilion but because of the vintage's higher acidity and more tannic structure this offering possesses a more classic framework than usual. A sensational wine it should be drinkable in 3-4 years and age beautifully for 15-20.

Dark purple black in color showing intense aromas of blackberry licorice and Indian spices. Full-bodied with layers of velvety tannins and a long long finish. This offers loads of coffee milk chocolate toasty oak and ripe fruit with wonderful concentration and polish. Best after 2015. 915 cases made. –JS

Tasted single blind at Southwold. The Gomerie -05 seemed extremely cloying in barrel, but in bottle and tasted blind, the wine seems to have improved significantly. It has a very rich, slightly over-extracted nose with plum and boysenberry and earth but it gains a little definition with time. Medium-bodied, fine tannins, a little spice and dark cherry and briary, quite pointed towards the finish but retaining a good level of freshness and vitality. Drink 2011-2020+