How good is the 2005 vintage? Opinions and wine guide

Find out more about 2005 vintage for French wines? We share our opinions on this year's wines, a wine news not to be missed! Here's the complete 2005 wine guide.

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• THE 2005 BORDEAUX VINTAGE

Exceptional, mythical or fantastic vintage. Journalists and critics will have no shortage of superlatives to describe the wines of the 2005 vintage. Whether in Bordeaux or the rest of France, winemakers will long remember the vintage, which is undoubtedly THE vintage or one of the vintages of the century. So why is 2005 an exceptional vintage? First and foremost, thanks to very clement weather, as Mother Nature decided to help the winegrowers this year. From January to September, the weather was perfect. Warm, but not to the point of heatwave, with little precipitation - just what was needed, where it was needed... Winter unfolded in the best possible way, being cool and dry. The vine's cycle begins slowly, without getting ahead of itself. Then, after a good and very uniform bud-break, flowering took place between the end of May and the beginning of June. Flowering was rapid and enabled the vines to have an early veraison. July and August were simply perfect. Lots of sunshine and almost no rain enabled the grapes to reach maturity very quickly. Then, the month in which anything can happen, gave even greater satisfaction to the winegrowers, as the already very ripe grapes were in danger of becoming waterlogged and over-ripe. But the lack of rainfall, combined with the grapes' already excellent ripeness, led to a water drought. The vine will then go into stand-by. All the grapes will stop their vegetative cycle at full ripeness. This led to lower yields, but above all it helped to make 2005 a vintage to remember. The winegrowers were able to bring in grapes in perfect health, for all grape varieties. Harvest measurements are also perfect, with a perfect balance between sugar, alcohol and acidity.

And to top it all off, whether the wine is red, dry white or sweet, none will be left out. The 2005 vintage is so exceptional, it will give everyone quality grapes. Even in these conditions, sweet wines will benefit from good weather and the influence of the Cérons grape to produce great wines.

To discover the magnificent 2005 vintage, we have many interesting references that reflect the vintage and their appellation. We start with the Château Ausone 2005, Grand Cru Classé A in Saint-Émilion. Rated 100/100 by the Parker Guide, this is THE château of Saint-Émilion. Owned by the Vautier family, it covers just 7 hectares. The wine expresses itself perfectly after 15 to 20 years in the cellar, giving you a few more years before you decide to taste it. Then, with a more powerful, spicy structure, we have the Château Latour 2005 and Château Lafite Rothschild 2005two Premier Grand Cru Classé de 1855 from the Pauillac appellation. These wines should also be kept a little longer, and enjoyed with more powerful dishes such as game or mature meats. You're going to tell us, OK, the wines are necessarily good because they're quite expensive and are Grand Cru Classé. That's why we also have a few nuggets for you to discover. In Pomerol to be precise, it's the Clos du Clocher 2005 which may surprise you with its notes of mushrooms and undergrowth that characterize the region's wines.

In white wine, we're left with just one reference, but not an insignificant one. Half a bottle of Château Yquem 2005. The master of the house, the appellation's finest reference. Alternating light rain and high temperatures helped botrytis to develop, resulting in unprecedented aromatic complexity.

 > Find our fine bottles of Bordeaux

 

• THE 2005 VINTAGE IN BURGUNDY

It's the same story in Burgundy, where the 2005 vintage is being hailed by winemakers and critics alike as a "top model", a vintage that will live long in the memory and offer wines for very, very long cellaring. As in the rest of France, the winter went well in Burgundy, even if it did have its ups and downs, with occasional periods of very cold weather and slight rises in temperature, but without worrying the winegrowers. The rest you know... Burgundy mirrors the 2005 vintage, with a perfect vegetative cycle. Budburst was even, but not too early, thanks to a month of April with little rainfall. Then, between May and June, flowering was in full swing, also within the norm but slightly ahead of schedule. The only slight deviation in Burgundy occurred in July, with a short period of hail, which fortunately had no effect on the vines. August and September were perfect. The sun completed the ripening process, and as in Bordeaux, the lack of water triggered a cycle of drought, slowing down the ripening of the grapes and allowing the last grapes to ripen perfectly without producing too much juice. A few days before the harvest, a light rainfall was forecast, but the northerly wind did its job and kept the vines in perfect health. As a result, the grapes entering the winery are of the highest quality. The Pinot Noir grapes are fruity and greedy, with thick skins, a sign of substance and structure. The Chardonnay is also perfect, with an excellent balance of fruit, sugar and acidity.

Unfortunately, we have no more Burgundy wines from the 2005 vintage. The only advice we can give you is that, if you come across any bottles, check the level of wine in the bottle, the quality of the cork and enjoy what is sure to be a little marvel...

> Discover our beautiful bottles of Burgundy

•  THE 2005 RHÔNE VALLEY VINTAGE

The 2005 vintage is a very good example of how it takes more than sunshine to make great wine, and how concern about global warming is not going to help some regions produce great wines. 

While Bordeaux, Burgundy and many other regions are celebrating, the Rhône Valley is a little less so. The region will experience a severe drought, which will lead to water shortages, and vines don't like that very much! Now, we're not saying that the 2005 vintage is a bad one in the Rhône, but the winegrowers are going to have their work cut out in the cellars to produce great wines. It has to be said that since the end of 2004, the region has hardly seen any rain. After a scorching 2003, 2004 had replenished reserves a little, but not enough, as the vines quickly drew on all they could. There were a few periods of rain in March and September, but the winegrowers, and above all the vines, will have to cope with a real water shortage. Fortunately, in both north and south, the heat will be a little less summery than in the rest of the country, which will enable the ripe grapes to retain a certain freshness without reaching too high an alcohol content. As a result, very ripe, fresh grapes with thick skins will enter the winery. The winemakers will then have to work hard to avoid over-extracting during vinification. The same goes for the white wines, which will benefit from a good freshness to obtain an interesting balance.

We still have some great Rhône wines in our possession, and not the least, as these are rated from 97 to 100 out of 100 by Parker. We can therefore offer you a Hermitage de Jean Louis Chave 2005 then two Côte Rôtie de Guigal 2005, La Turque et la Landonne. No need to present them to you, they are quite simply the region's finest success stories.

 

 

• THE 2005 VINTAGE IN THE REST OF FRANCE

Across France, the 2005 vintage will be a great success. The very good weather and low rainfall will enable the grapes to produce juice of excellent quality. 

In ChampagneUnfortunately, the picture is somewhat mixed. The weather will be a little more capricious at times, with a few showers between August and September. The Chardonnays harvested between the drops will be the best of the vintage, and sometimes exceptional.

L'AlsaceAlsace, too, will suffer a few mishaps. Grape ripeness will be more heterogeneous, and we'll have to rely on the best terroirs and the greatest winemakers to produce great things in Alsace.

In the LoireThe 2005 vintage will leave nothing but fond memories. Although vegetation will not start at the same time everywhere, the grapes will reach maturity in September, enabling the winemakers to produce great red wines with good ageing potential, very complex whites and very intense sweet wines.

 

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