In a past post, I talked about how it’s important to revisit wines, producers, vintages, etc., so I want to check in on the 2005 Bordeaux vintage but also compare it to a similar Bordeaux wine 10 years younger.
2005 Bordeaux
2005 Bordeaux was one of the great vintages on the shelf when I first started collecting wine, so I’ve tasted several at a young age and a few here and there over the years. It was a powerful, tannic and classic styled vintage that needed a lot of time to soften up, but many consider it the greatest ever. Therefore, I wanted to check in on it at 15 years of age. Being a new collector at the time, I unfortunately couldn’t afford to invest more in 2005, so I only have half a dozen left.
Young vs. Aged Bordeaux
Certainly this is an imperfect science experiment since each producer makes different levels of ageability, so the last 2005 I had from a different producer may not indicate how a higher level 2005 Bordeaux is doing today. For example, I have a 2005 Haut Brion that has decades more life in it than the 2005 I’m drinking today.
Plus, I’m going to make this experiment even more imperfect by comparing it to another Bordeaux wine that’s 10 years younger. 2015 was also a great vintage, especially on the Right Bank (where these two wines are from), but the style of the vintages were different. 2015 is richer, more elegant and has softer tannins than 2005 was at the same age in general. 2005 was more powerful and structured. Although both wines were under $30 at release and both are made mostly from Merlot, they have different terroirs and winemakers.
Ideally, I would have several bottles of the same exact wine from the same exact vintage and taste it at different ages over decades, but it’s still an interesting experiment nonetheless to try two comparable wines at different ages side by side. I wouldn’t be able to do that with the same wine without a time machine. Instead, I would have to compare the wine I drank 10 years ago based on memory to the wine I’m drinking today. Can you remember what a $25 wine that you had 10 years ago tasted like? However, I actually did have this exact 2005 Chauvin in 2015, so that’s why it’s important to keep a wine diary to help you remember and have benchmarks for current wines you’re drinking.
Tasting Notes
2015 Clos du Roy Fronsac
85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Mostly clay with some limestone soil. Michel Rolland is the consultant, so it should be representative of modern styled Bordeaux.
Dark fruit forward on the nose and palate with some well integrated oak and spice. It’s fruit-forward but it’s still Bordeaux and not Napa. There’s still restraint and tension. The mouthfeel, however, is silky smooth. Very approachable wine at this stage although still primary. On the second day, there are definite floral notes. 90
2005 Chauvin St. Emilion
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. It’s located close to Pomerol not far from Cheval Blanc, which also means that it’s closer to Fronsac than most other parts of St. Emilion. Sand, gravel, clay and iron soils. This is now owned by one of the owners of Lynch Bages in Pauillac, but in 2005 it had different ownership.
Much more advanced than last time I had this wine 5+ years ago. Aged nose of mushroom, leather, dried fruit and spice. The palate initially had a youthful streak of acid but after that it was super silky with notes resembling the nose more. This is at a ‘drink now’ stage although this bottle was at room temperature for about a year at some stage a few years ago, so maybe your well-stored bottle is less advanced. 91
Conclusion
It’s funny that both wines have about the same level of smoothness despite being 10 years apart. This is probably the difference between vintages and current winemaking style trends. 2015 was a richer vintage and Bordeaux today is less tannic (at least less astringent tannins) than they were in 2005, in addition to 2005 being a structured vintage for its time. Hence, the 2015 is already as soft as a 15 year old 2005 but with completely different flavors. The age of the 2005 shows what happens when tertiary notes dominate and there’s less fruit. Depending on how much fruit you like, it might be past its prime for you. Can I conclude other 2005s are ‘drink now’ too? No. Maybe I can say that for other Bordeaux at its price point and style, but of course top-end Bordeaux are still evolving at a glacial pace according to other reviews I’ve read. On the other hand, this 2015 Fronsac is in a good spot now with plenty of fruit, oak and floral notes unless you’re looking for tertiary notes.
