| The phones may have been ringing off the hooks all day with Bordeaux enthusiasts wanting to get their hands on Robert Parker's favourite wines, but the fine wine team of the London merchants Berry Bros & Rudd have reacted with surprise and concern to the eagerly awaited document, says a company release posted on www.bbr.com.
The news of Robert Parker's scores of the 2005 vintage spread like wildfire across the world sending Bordeaux into a mixture of joy, confusion and, in some cases, outrage. Berrys' Fine Wine Director, Simon Staples, says he is bewildered at some of his preferences. "While we largely agree with Parker's assessment of 2005, we are slightly bewildered that he has given very high ratings to many wines, most of them on the Right Bank , which we found over-extracted, over-oaked and totally un-Bordeaux in style," says Staples. "Some of his scores for these wines are at the same level, or in some cases way above, some of the marks for those which we consider to be the truly great classics of this vintage. We are concerned that wine lovers who buy solely on Parker's points are going to be desperately disappointed if they are expecting traditional Bordeaux ."
Parker writes that " Bordeaux has produced something very special in 2005" with pride of place going to the previously under-performing Margaux commune. "I have never tasted better Margauxs than the 2005s," he says.
He also enthuses about the 2005s from Pomerol, St-Emilion and Graves: "In short, for Margaux, Graves , Pomerol and St-Emilion, this is a singular vintage of compelling greatness. Moreover, most of these wines will also possess 25-30 years of longevity." Berrys sent two experienced teams of people to Bordeaux to taste the 2005s and "the combined opinions of the group form the essence of the opinions posted onto our website," the company release says.
"Perhaps, this form of appraisal results in a more balanced and objective assessment than the views of someone working alone, but we would emphasise that many of the differing views on wines are the outcome of stylistic rather than qualitative judgements.
"On many wines we see totally eye-to-eye with Robert Parker, and in raising an eyebrow at the style of some of the Right Bank wines we are in no way suggesting some brilliant wines have not been produced in those areas. Our website reveals those we rate most highly," the release adds.
Staples concludes: "It is true that Parker's tasting notes do communicate the different character of the wines, but the reliance upon and the influence of his scores mean that this will not solve the problem of confusion. Given the vastly divergent styles now available in Bordeaux , we don't feel Parker is always comparing like with like and our concern is that consumers will suffer as a result. Perhaps is would be helpful if Parker differentiated his notes between 'traditional' and 'modern' wines."
Extracts from some of the rating notes on the Berry Bros & Rudd website may interest you, so we'll stick to the names familiar to the Indian audience. For the complete text, you'll have to log on to www.bbr.com.
Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé
Consistently one of our (and our customers') favourite château, this wine is really sleek and elegant in 2005. Increasingly this feels like a 5th Growth performing at the level of a 2nd or 3rd Growth. Drink 2012-2020.
Berrys Points: 17/20
Wine Spectator: 89-91/100
Robert Parker: 90-92/100
Price Estimate: £100-£250 (en primeur per 9-litre case)
Haut Bages Libéral, 5eme Cru Classe
Wine Spectator's James Suckling managed to raise eyebrows when he described this wine as "breathtaking" and said that it was just a whisker away from receiving 95-100, his top mark. On this occasion we are rather inclined to agree with him.
Neighbouring First Growth Ch. Latour, the estate's undeniably fine terroir has been coaxed out of it by the dynamic, irrepressible, petite owner Claire Villars and her team. This magnificent effort with its sleek cassis fruit, velvety tannins and gorgeous grip is one of the bargains of the vintage. Drink 2015-2030.
Berrys Points: 17/20
Wine Spectator: 92-94/100
Price Estimate: £100- £ 250
Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac
Carruades is normally a bit harder to get into but when you taste it you feel you want to take this home and drink it straight away on your own. This more open character is partly due to the 45% Merlot that accompanies the 48% Cabernet Sauvignon. When you taste it blind you would easily take this for a 2nd or 3rd growth, but hopefully it will remain at Second Wine prices. Drink 2013-2030.
Berrys Points: 17.5/20
Wine Spectator: 88-91/100
Price Estimate: £250-£500
Les Forts de Latour
Old vines have helped give this wine backbone to go with the intense, mouthwatering cassis fruit and pure minerality. The finish is quite incredible. This is so good that you can also understand how the Wine Spectator's James Suckling marked it 95-100 points. Drink 2012-2020.
Berrys Points: 17.5/20
Wine Spectator: 95-100/100
Robert Parker: 92-94/100
Price Estimate: £250-£500
Grand Puy Ducasse, 5ème Cru Classé
Back in the limelight following the success of its 2003, this little-known Fifth Growth is making waves again with its delicious 2005. This is extremely robust with concentrated, weighty fruit cloaking impressive tannins. A classic weighty Pauillac that displays the hallmarks of this outstanding vintage. An excellent buy. Drink 2012-2025.
Berrys Points: 16/20
Wine Spectator: 92-94/100
Robert Parker: 89-91/100
Price Estimate: £100-£250
Pontet-Canet, 5ème Cru Classé
Owner Alfred Tesseron ( delWine Editor's Note: He was in India in December 2005) is one of the friendliest, most down-to-earth proprietors in Bordeaux , so it's especially nice to see him make this utterly extraordinary wine in 2005. This was not a wine to divide opinion - the verdict was unanimous: it was without question the best Pontet-Canet anyone could ever remember tasting.
With incredible silky tannins, and perfect balance, this had everything you could ever want from a wine. Creamy strawberries and blackberries, great structure, incredibly precise shape led to a spellbinding finish that made your tongue tingle. Unmissable. Drink 2020-2050.
Berrys Points: 19/20
Wine Spectator: 95-100/100
Robert Parker: 94-96/100
Price Estimate: £250-£500
Lynch-Bages, 5ème Cru Classé
At its very best, Lynch Bages is as good as the Super-Second Growths. This is a sublime masculine heavyweight Lynch with a wonderful finesse and elegance, floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.
This is classic Lynch Bages - as approachable and open as ever - but with everything just better than usual. This is set to be a legendary Lynch so don't miss out. Drink 2020-2050.
Berrys Points: 19/20
Wine Spectator: 92-94/100
Robert Parker: 91-93/100
Price Estimate: £500-£1000
Pichon-Longueville-Baron, 2ème Cru Classé
The fairytale château at Pichon-Baron is a fitting venue for this hedonistic wine. The beaming winemaker, Jean-Réné Matignon, has once again made a sleek, sexy wine in 2005. With an intoxicating perfumed nose and a powerful, velvety palate of black cherries, this ripe, polished, minerally wine is pure Pauillac.
Everything about it is beguiling, with its modern style expressing real terroir supported by lovely fresh acidity. This is another fine performance set to confirm Pichon-Baron's position at the top of Bordeaux's echelon. Drink 2015-2035.
Berrys Points: 18.5/20
Wine Spectator: 92-94/100
Robert Parker: 92-95/100
Price Estimate: £500-£1000
Réserve de la Comtesse
The Réserve de la Comtesse has once again produced a cracking wine, albeit in a very different style to the Grand Vin. With so much Cabernet going into the First Wine, the Reserve has been left to benefit from some outstanding Merlot grapes that would normally have already been used.
The result is a wine of enormous charm, with the fresh acidity that characterises the vintage. Enjoy this while you wait for the Grand Vin to mature. Drink 2010-2025.
Berrys Points: 15.5/20
Wine Spectator: 85-88/100
Price Estimate: £100-£250
Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, 2ème Cru Classé
With the Queen of Pauillac, Ch. Pichon-Lalande, experience has shown us that her decadent, sensual, feminine wines always improve markedly after they are shown en primeur .
This is true again in 2005 with the wine resembling a precious flower waiting to open. But if you look closely at the firm cassis fruit and fine tannins you realise everything is perfectly in place. It is very restrained, its true colours begin to reveal themselves on its incredibly long and aristocratic finish. This is one of the must-buys of the 2005 vintage. Drink 2015-2040.
Berrys Points: 18/20
Wine Spectator: 92-94/100
Robert Parker: 89-91/100
Price Estimate: £500-£1000
Lafite-Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé
The Grand Vin, as you might expect, is very closed at the moment, but the immense class is clear to see. Made from 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, the silky, incredibly concentrated and elegant brambly fruit is wonderfully fragrant with lovely minerality and hints of cedar. Super-ripe tannins are accompanied by layers and layers of fruit alongside a freshness and firm acidity. This is like a sleeping giant with many of its glorious elements hiding from view, like hidden treasure. Even so it is utterly compelling, with each taste like a PhD of Claret, such is its complexity.
It may not have the immediate appeal of the legendary 2000, but we all agreed that it is unquestionably a better wine. One of the wines of the vintage. Drink 2020-2050.
Berrys Points: 20/20
Wine Spectator: 95-100/100
Robert Parker: 93-96/100
Price Estimate: £1000 plus
Latour, 1er Cru Classé
Five minutes after you swallowed this wine you could still taste it in its entirety. Even by Latour's lofty standards this is remarkable. "This is a more intellectual Latour," says the man responsible, Frédéric Engerer, whom we've interviewed on his company's quality standards on www.indianwineacademy.com. "It is at the crossroads of elegance and refinement and power and richness."
You wouldn't go as far as saying this is a feminine Latour. It is certainly more complex and subtle and less of a powerhouse. Made with 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, it has less Merlot (12%) than usual, which seems to have contributed to that extra elegance. The style also seems partly a characteristic of the vintage. This is still a huge, dense, closed wine packed full of cassis, cream and minerals of truly awesome intensity. As you might expect, the tannins here are phenomenally rich and ripe. It surely has a long and glorious future ahead of it, with no sharp edges and a wonderful grace and balance. This will be one of the all-time great Latours. Drinking 2020-2050.
Berrys Points: 20/20
Wine Spectator: 95-100/100
Robert Parker: 98-100/100
Price Estimate: £1000 plus
Mouton-Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé
The good news is that in 2005 Mouton is a sensational wine that is once again worthy of its exalted status. Back up to its more familiar assemblage of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, this has a pure creamy cassis nose, followed by immensely enjoyable black fruit with hints of cream, mint, coconut and dark chocolate.
With an incredibly long intense finish, this is unquestionably better than their 2000 and is the best Mouton in years. Back on form with a vengeance. Drink 2015-2040.
Berrys Points: 19/20
Wine Spectator: 92-94/100
Robert Parker: 94-96/100
Price Estimate: £1000 |
