Costco Connection - February 2008

The 2005 Bordeaux

is called a vintage

for the ages

s^Ap^ve^rc^yial

year

By Annette Alvarez-Peters

THE WINE WORLD expectantly awaits news each year about the quality of “the Bordeaux”—wines from France’s fabled wine-growing region. This year, an incredible buzz is growing over the 2005 Bordeaux, which is gaining renown as one of the best vintages in the past two decades. If you’re a wine lover or collector, this is a vintage you will not want to miss.

We found out about the promise of this class during the first eight days of April 2006 during the annual “en primeur”—the weeklong futures campaign in Bordeaux. Top-rated wines Wines of power and richness from the best chateaux are sold as futures before Bordeaux is split by the Gironde River they’re bottled, some 18 to 24 months before into two main areas, the Left Bank and the they’re available to co nsumers. It’s a hect ic Right Bank. We toured all of the leg-week, with trade buyers and endary districts on both banks, journalists from around the including the main red-world descending on w i n e - p r o d u c i n g Bordeaux to taste areas of the Médoc unfinished wines and Graves on the from the previous _vintage _while _they_FranceLeft Bank and Saint-Emilion and Pomerol are still in the barrel. on the Right Bank. We journeyed from cha- We ventured north teau to chateau, tasting and of Medoc to Saint-evaluating hundreds of barrel Estèphe—home to rich, samples from the 2005 vintage. powerful Cabernet-Extensive tastings of extremely ^Bordeauxbased wines from young, yet-to-develop wines, favorites such as Cos coupled with palate fatigue, d’Estournel. And just can make the evaluations to the south, Pauillac is challenging. Still, our conclu- home to three first growths sions agreed with the press: This is (the top classification) and to the won-one of the best vintages in a long, long time. derful Lynch-Bages and Pontet-Canet. We found the wines to be fresh, ripe and rich, Likewise, the 2005 vintage in Pauillac was with superb texture and quality. expressive and powerful. Léoville-Las Cases

Why the great year? It all starts with the and Ducru-Beaucaillou, the storied chateaux weather in 2005, which was exceptional in in St. Julien, produced wines of power and Bordeaux. The grapes were fully ripened by richness for 2005. Margaux yielded classic long, dry summer days and a mild autumn and elegant wines from chateaux such as that yielded little rain until the harvest was Château Palmer.

completed. The growing conditions were On the Right Bank, where Merlot grapes

The Médoc vineyards (above), on the Left Bank, are home to rich, powerful Cabernet-based wines, while the Right Bank is dominated by Merlot.

ideal—and the chateaux took full advantage by producing many remarkable wines. After summarizing all of our notes and related experiences, we’ve concluded that the wines selected from Bordeaux’s 2005 vintage will offer Costco members a tremendous opportunity.

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The secret
behind a Bordeaux

BORDEAUX IS, ARGU-

ABLY, the most famous wine region in the world. It is located in an area of southwest

FRANCE FREEMAN

France close to the

Atlantic coast. The

Dordogne and Garonne _Annetterivers both feed into Alvarez-Peters the main estuary of the

Gironde River, which divides the region into two banks. Left Bank red wines are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and those from the Right Bank are produced with Merlot as the predominant grape.

SOPEXA USA

Red wine production in Bordeaux is limited (by law) to five principal grape varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon provides firm tannins, rich flavors and notes of black currant, cigar box and leather, while Merlot (the most widely planted red grape) is softer and fleshier, with hints of mint and plum. The remaining grapes are part of the blending component: Cabernet Franc is known for floral aromas and earthy, sweet herb notes; Malbec contributes deep color and softer tannins; and Petit Verdot produces spicy, perfumed aromatics and some structure.

Bordeaux wines are labeled according to the district where they are produced, as stipulated by France’s Appellation Contrôlée system. Several Bordeaux regions, including the Médoc, Graves, Saint Émilion and Sauternes, have developed lists that classify the hierarchy of chateaux within their appellations to help buyers. The most famous dates to 1855, defining the more prominent chateaux from the Médoc and Sauternes and Barsac regions. In the Médoc, the top wines are ranked in status from first growth to fifth growth, while in Sauternes and Barsac only the first growth and second growth wines are ranked.

thrive in the predominantly clay soil, I’m pleased to report that the top chateaux such as Pavie and Monbousquet offered up barrel samples of big, rich, well-balanced wines with lively acidity and the potential to become spectacular during the course of their long lives.