Château Péby Faugères 2005 is a limited-production Saint-Émilion Grand Cru from Bordeaux’s Right Bank, made as a luxury cuvée from old-vine Merlot (the estate is widely cited as working with 100% Merlot for Péby). The style is unapologetically modern and concentrated, shaped by very ripe fruit and élevage in new French oak. Wine Spectator also notes the scale of production, reporting “915 cases made,” underscoring how tightly this wine is allocated.

The critical record for this vintage is unusually strong, led by an exceptional review from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Robert M. Parker, Jr. calls it “a perfect wine in this vintage,” awarding 100 points and describing “the classic liqueur of blueberries and spring flowers,” alongside “unbelievable richness” and a “skyscraper-like mid-palate and finish.” He even likens the impact to “a great Napa Cab from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard,” while emphasizing that “there’s no Cabernet Sauvignon in it.” It’s the kind of endorsement that clearly marks 2005 Péby Faugères as one of the estate’s reference wines.

Other reviewers largely echo the theme: depth, plush texture, and stamina. Wine Spectator (94 points) describes it as “black in color” with “a very extracted nose of new wood, blackberry and sweet tobacco,” calling it “a full-throttle style” and “a big juicy Merlot,” with guidance to wait (“Best after 2014”). James Suckling (93) highlights polish—“layered and velvety,” “soft and silky”—with “chocolate, blueberry, and raspberry” and recommends pulling the cork “after 2016.”

With bottle age, the wine appears to gain nuance without losing drive. Jane Anson (95) notes “elegantly integrated tannins,” “lush density of fruit,” and a “minty freshness,” plus developed tones of “undergrowth and worn leather.” Jeff Leve (97) similarly emphasizes youthful energy and hedonistic texture—“licorice, truffle, smoke and chocolate drenched black and blue fruit”—adding that an hour of decanting “added a lot,” and projecting strong drinking “over the next 20 years or so.”