While the privilege of tasting great current wines is never lost on me, a chance to revisit older vintages is often so much more rewarding. It’s a time of reflection and revelation, and a review of ageing potential realised. All this unfolded at a recent tasting of Bordeaux from the acclaimed 2005 vintage.
Although 2005 was a hot vintage, the nights were cool, so fruit ripened evenly, acidity intact, while building flavour alongside plentiful tannins – all components for long-lived wines. It is Bordeaux, after all. There were 11 wines (listed below) set up in brackets and themed: three Pomerol producers and thus merlot-dominant, three from St-Émilion, still with a high percentage of merlot, and building to a crescendo with the more structured Left Bank cabernet sauvignon-dominant blends.
“I wanted to do this because 2005 is one of my favourite vintages,” says importer Daniel Airoldi, who planned the tasting. “I’ve been in the wine industry for 15 years and I’m lucky to have tasted these wines many times and see them evolve. Marking the 20th anniversary seemed worthwhile.”
Of course, he’s a Bordeaux fanatic and admits as much.
French-born, Melbourne-based Daniel heads Australia Wine & Spirits, a subsidiary of Elan Group, a negociant based in Bordeaux. It means a direct link to the châteaux, “and buying direct is the beautiful part of this; having access to good bottles is absolutely gold. I also wanted to show people the importance of provenance. I wanted to show the personality of Bordeaux.”
Given Bordeaux is part of the fine wine brigade, and most of us accept we can’t afford the wines (the 11 listed here would set you back around $30,641 all up), buying direct, especially older vintages, has value (don’t forget the Cru Bourgeois classification offers excellent wines at $100 or less). Appropriately, Daniel orchestrated the night over dinner, rather than a more clinical appraisal of wines only – they were highly regarded on release, and besides, it’s all about the joy of wine, right? The Botanical hotel in South Yarra, Melbourne matched a thoughtful if deliciously rich menu that allowed the ’05s to shine so we could gauge how well they were ageing. In three words, slowly, gracefully and evocatively.
“I was pleasantly surprised about the Pomerol flight,” says Daniel. “People think merlot ages quickly but, for me, these didn’t show their age. We talked about Petrus, Lafleur, Le Pin (all Pomerol highflyers, with the former the most expensive wine in Bordeaux) but Trotanoy is an incredible wine.”
His idea to begin with the merlot-dominant Pomerol then onto St-Émilion, with a high percentage of merlot, before tasting the cabernet sauvignon blends was to allow a transition of the palate, preparing for the sturdier, more structured and tannic First Growths. It worked a treat.
Of course, aged wines shipped direct will be in the best possible condition, so no surprise the tasting confirmed such an outcome. Only the Haut-Brion seemed a tad forward in comparison, more likely variability with cork, yet still a gorgeous drink. The rest were incredibly youthful and vibrant, with many retaining primary fruit flavours – crazy!
Apart from house styles, my picks included the beautiful and beguiling Trotanoy with its pomace-like tannins and depth of flavour, stamped with elegance and detail. So, too, the Cheval Blanc, which has years ahead of it – such a complete and fine-boned offering. The final bracket certainly was more structured with the Latour and Lafite vying for pole-position. Both complex with the former held together by such elegant if powerful tannins and the latter, a powerhouse yet balanced.
Wines from the night, in pouring order:
