Parker rates the 2005 vintage 100/100 for 12 Bordeaux châteaux

At the beginning of the year, Robert Parker decided to retire from grading Bordeaux Futures. From now on, his collaborator, Neal Martin, will take on this gentle task. He is not retiring from tasting, however, and will now devote his time to rating wines already in bottle.

Visit 2005 vintage now counts 12 Bordeaux wines rated 100/100 - Right bank and Pessac in the spotlight.

> Order a great wine from 2005

Until last week, only Ausone and Clinet church were rated 100/100 on the 2005 vintage.
10 châteaux complete this list, for a total of 12 bottles, making 2005 the second best vintage in terms of 100/100 ratings, just behind the 2009 vintage, which has 19:

• Angelus - 1er Grand cru classé A de St Emilion
• Ausone- 1er Grand cru classé A de St Emilion (previously noted)
• Cheval Blanc - 1er Grand cru classé A de St Emilion
• Pavie - 1er Grand cru classé A de St Emilion
• Larcis Ducasse - 1er Grand cru classé B de St Emilion
• Troplong Mondot- 1er Grand cru classé B de St Emilion
• Peby Faugeres- Grand cru classé de St Emilion
• Bellevue-Mondotte - St Emilion Grand cru
• Eglise-Clinet - Pomerol (previously noted)
• Lafleur - Pomerol
• Haut-Brion - Pessac-Leognan
• Mission Haut-Brion - Pessac-Leognan

 

Some of the Medoc and Pessac-Leognan Grands Crus Classés have also been renoted: Château Margaux a 98+/100, followed by Palmer and Latour a 98/100, Pope Clement a 99/100 .

Note the entry into the closed circle of 100/100 de Angelus, Larcis-Ducasse, Troplong Mondot , Peby-Faugere and Bellevue-Mondotte (owned by Gerard Perse, who achieves a double with Pavie and Bellevue-Mondotte).
Ausone, Haut-Brion, Pavie and Lafleur remain the 4 wines that also received the Ultimate 100/100 rating from Wine Spectator for the 2005 vintage.

Parker said:
" I thought that the 2005 Bordeaux wines were surrounded by excessive and unprecedented hype and that's why my initial assessments were so low, but at the same time, I considered that this is a vintage that would require a lot of patience for the wines to evolve. This vintage looks solid and impressive at 10 years. I still think it will remain slightly below the 2009 and 2010, by a very small margin! "

Robert Parker has also reviewed the 2005 Napa Valley wines and confirms that this vintage is fabulous, like 2001, 2002 and 2007. He handed out nine 100/100s in this region.

► See the full list of French wines rated 100/100 by Robert Parker ◄