The Great Bordeaux Hype?

HK Golfer wine editor Robin Lynam assesses the much-lauded 2005 Bordeaux and questions whether it lives up to its label as the vintage of a lifetime

Nick Pegna, Managing Director of Berry Bros and Rudd in Hong Kong, who, like Parker, tasted the wines as soon as they became available in 2006, formed a different view.

“Tasting the wines were six of us with a combined experience of a hundred years in the wine trade, and we all felt it was the best thing we’d ever tasted en primeur. I tasted it again the following year, and obviously we’ve followed its evolution since, and without a doubt it is the most complete vintage that I’ve tasted,” says Pegna emphatically.

One of those tasting with him was Master of Wine Alun Griffiths who also stresses the “completeness” of the wines.

“For me, after 20 years of tasting young Bordeaux en primeur at this stage, 2005 remains the most complete and impressive vintage I have tasted. It has perfect balance, great intensity, ripeness without stretching to over-ripeness,  density of fruit and a very high tannin content. Although the tannins are the highest ever recorded they are by no means aggressive as they are perfectly ripe. They will ensure the wines have a long life,” Griffiths observes.

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