Chateau la Conseillante 2005

THE WINE ADVOCATE: THE WINEADVOCATE:"Displaying spectacular aromatics of mulberry, blueberry and raspberry fruit, a dense ruby/purple color, and sweet floral notes, in the mouth the 2005 La Conseillante is not as broad and powerful as Petrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna or Lafleur, but it is gorgeously silky, elegant and stylish. This medium-bodied, savory wine is a graceful, provocative and compelling Pomerol to drink now and over the next 25 years."

JEB DUNNUCK: JEB DUNNUCK:"The 2005 La Conseillante is powerhouse effort that’s still youthfully ruby/plum colored and possesses a lively, vibrant style. Deep, concentrated, full-bodied, and incredibly well balanced, it offers a killer bouquet of dark fruits, kirsch, toasty oak, incense, and licorice. While just now at the early stages of maturity, it has another two decades of longevity and is certainly a match for the 2000 and 1990."

WINE SPECTATOR: WINESPECTATOR:"This is decadent and wild on the nose, with fresh cèpe, raw steak and wild berry. Full-bodied, with loads of velvety tannins, yet refined and caressing in every way. A beautiful, balanced red. The best young wine ever from this producer. Best after 2017. 4,165 cases made."

JAMES SUCKLING: JAMES SUCKLING:Constantly evolving in the glass, with notes of vanilla, berries, chocolate, and flowers. Full and very intense, yet compacted and beautiful. Pure class on the finish, focusing everything on the tip of your tongue. Wonderful stuff, subtle, almost Burgundian. How can a wine be so delicate and powerful at the same time? Don’t touch this for a couple years. Pull the cork in 2018."

DECANTER: DECANTER:"Beautifully creamy in texture, well balanced with some gentle white pepper spice, truffles and soft raspberries along with saffron and smoke edging. This is a great moment to drink, particularly because there was a little less density overall in La Conseillante during this era, and so it has reached a drinking window a little earlier than it tends to do in years from 2010 onwards. Effortless balance. A yield of 38hl/ha. 100% new oak."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER:"The wine continues developing in all the right ways. The floral and truffle nose with its plum, thyme and cherry notes is enticing. The soft, polished tannins and silky red fruits feels as good as it tastes. The wine is close to entering its drinking window. Give it a few more years and enjoy it for about 20 years after that."

WEINWISSER: WEINWISSER:"Dunkles Granat-Lila. Wuchtiges, umwerfendes Beerenbouquet, viel Cassis, roter Johannisbeergelee, mit toller reifer Süsse unterlegt, zarter Veilchenton, die Frische anzeigend. Im Gaumen rassig, tänzelnd und wiederum mit vollem Beerenpaket, Kokosnoten, roter Holunder, tolle Länge. Wie kann ein Wein so kraftvoll und dabei so verspielt und elegant sein? Die Tannine sind so fein, dass man seine enorme Konzentration nicht spürt."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. Harvested Merlot from 12 September to 16 September, Cabernet Franc on 23 September. Yields 38 hl/ha. Fermented in stainless steel, fully temperature controlled and vatted for 28 days. 100% in new French oak barrels. pH 3.82. Tasted blind – and correctly identified that this was the wine in double magnum. Deep, healthy crimson. Quite light nose of very ripe fruit and some ink. Quite a bit of acidity, and fine tannins. Less integrated than the first 2005 tasted (in 75-cl bottle). A bit of gaminess. Lighter tannins than the first 2005."

FALSTAFF: FALSTAFF:"Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, fast schwarzer Kern, violette Reflexe, in der Nase sehr intensives Beerenkonfit, würzige Noten, Cassis, etwas selchige Note. Am Gaumen sehr stoffig, komplex, elegant, nach Schokolade, dicht, sehr massig, die Tannine verschwinden förmlich hinter einem süßen Schokovorhang, bleibt gut haften, es fehlt jedoch etwas an Harmonie. Alles in allem etwas überkonzentriert im Moment."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: WINE ENTHUSIAST:"Tasted in early 2006, the barrel sample of this wine was disappointing. But the wine has now shown the sweetness and richness of its fruit, packed with juicy, ripe Merlot, and is held together by sweet tannins. Developing well; drink in another four years."