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Jean-Marc QuarinCarnets de dégustationsAn independent buyer's guide to the wines of Bordeaux www.quarin.com Chronicle n° 11 (November 2 nd, 2005) RED BORDEAUX 2005:FIRST TASTINGS AND ALREADY TWO EXTRAORDINARY WINES I have just tasted the vats of about twenty wines of the 2005 vintage. Taster’s pleasure, joy and happiness guide me as I write the following lines. No-one could hope for so much freshness given the sun and the drought. And, if 2003 seems to me to be a conventional, somehow foreseeable, vintage, 2005 reveals itself more with each passing day to be a stroke of genius. In the taste of wine, harnessing strength and refinement is always a question of squaring the circle. In 2005, strength shows itself through the natural richness of the degree of alcohol and a strong concentration of tannin. Refinement is seen in ripe tannins, with no rough aspect, nor greenness, and, above all, accompanied by an extraordinary aromatic presence. Here is the main point. As a rule, in young Bordeaux wines there is an opposition between the aroma and the tannin: a young tannic wine is rarely aromatic and vice versa. Well, 2005 associates marvellously these two components of potential greatness and pleasure. To crown it all, a good acidity precludes any impression of breaking down of the structures, which would lead to flabbiness. The wines show great energy, an impression of life which makes them highly sapid and already unspittable despite their richness. How difficult the futures tastings will be! This balance necessarily arouses the desire to swallow, which is very difficult to control. Now, with such high alcoholic content, repeated tasting causes fatigue and even drunkenness. For the time being, 80% of the wines tasted have gained remarkably high scores. And if I transpose these scores of vats tasted before blending to a blending, the high standard of the score appears to be the best ever given to these wines. The principal dividing line for quality comes from the harvesting date of the Cabernet. Apart from the well-known exceptions of earlier terroirs (especially the Left Bank) the best Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon tasted were harvested late. Already these wines seem to me to be riper than others. They will keep this advantage. To be plain, I feel very strongly, especially for the Right Bank, that parcels of well-ripe Cabernet Franc will enrich the Merlot superbly on blending. On the other hand, vats of less ripe Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon risk reducing the quality. Many wines will be good to very good. For the time being, I am looking for those which will be great. With this in view, and even before malolactic fermentation has taken place, here are two wines which have aroused my passions. Château Margaux I taste this wine before blending on a regular basis since 1995. Since 1998, I have detailed tasting notes on many of the château’s plots tasted after alcoholic fermentation, then after maceration and again after malolactic fermentation. In 2000, the average score of the Cabernet Sauvignon was 97; in 2003, it was 96. So far, I have been three times to taste different parcels of 2005. On October 13th, the average score of the Cabernet Sauvignon reached 99. On October 17th, it was 98. That day, vat n° 8, containing one of the highest quality plots of Château Margaux, le Puy Sem Pere and especially the higher part called Les Tombes, scored a historical 110/100! Finally, on October 26th, I tasted vats 8 and 5 blended together after running off, with a perfect score of 100, while vats 13 and 21 blended together also scored 100 as against 98 and 98-99 in separate tastings on October 17th. The Merlot tasted were given an average score of 91 as against 92 in 2003 and 93 in 2000. The seven vats of Merlot will be kept separately until before blending. May I remind you that the amount of Cabernet in the blending of this great wine has exceeded 80% for several years. At this stage, these wines have never been so coloured. The vats of Merlot have an alcohol content of between 13.6° and 15.6°, and the Cabernet between 12.5° and 13.5°. The acidities of the Cabernet before malolactic fermentation are at an average of 4.7 as against 5 for the 2000 vintage. Paul Pontallier likes to say that he never looks for high indexes of total polyphenols, and yet 2005 are among the vintages with high indexes. The average is 71 before the addition of press wine. It is equal to 2003 and higher than 2000 which was 70 with the press wine added. Finally, the yield in 2005 is 45 hectolitres per hectare. From an aromatic point of view, I generally appreciate the nose of Château Margaux for its fresh and often floral dimension. In certain vintages (1998 and 2003) this floral presence scarcely exists. In 2005, I consider that the wine recovers its very lovely signature. Many Cabernet show a fine, bright nose through notes of flowers, violet, raspberry and liquorice. These refined elements are coupled with creamier and deeper impressions which already evince the density of the mouth. For pleasure’s sake, here is my commentary on the Cabernet Sauvignon formed by the blending of vats 8 and 5, which scored 100. Grand colour, intense, vivid and lovely. A nose to dream of, intense, delicate, complex and sophisticated. Very floral, pure and precise. A marvel. Indescribable entry, wonderfully soft and perfectly pulpy. This refined flesh continues to mid-palate, really dense, blooms and fades, displaying more aroma than the 2000. For a Cabernet Sauvignon, the quality of the texture is extraordinary. Great strength in the finish with a magnificent grain, coupled with a potent retro-olfaction. For the time being, and as is the case every year, I have not had access to the blending. I will discover it only in March after having tasted these parcels again after malolactic fermentation next January. Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse The great vintage of this property remains the 1990. Can it be done again? I thought so for a while with the 2003, but later I realised that it would not be possible as the vineyard has since then lost 10% of Cabernet Sauvignon vines, pulled up because of black measles and eutypa dieback. Today, then, there is 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 65% Merlot. I went to the property on October 19th. Jean-Michel Dubos had organised a tasting for me of five parcels representing the entirety of the production. Before tasting, he described the vintage to me as follows. For him, 2005 is the year of all the records: drought; quality of the grapes; quality of the foliage; maximum worries during fermentation due to a very high degree of alcohol. The Merlot overall are at 15°. Contrary to habit, he stresses the need to use selected yeasts rather than natural yeasts so as not to risk accidents due to breaks in fermentation. As part of the bewildering impressions of the year, he also mentions the huge variations between the acidity measured in the must before fermentation (pH 3.5; total acidity 3.1) and after (the same pH but the acidity increased to 5.5). Bewildering indeed! He says he took his time over the harvest: the end of September for the Merlot, then 5th, 6th and 7th October for the Cabernet. "We tried", he said, "and we made it". For the first time, he has been able to separate Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc. The yield is low, between 35 and 38 hectolitres per hectare. The indexes of total polyphenols are very high, between 90 and 110. The volatile acidities are also higher than usual, though without affecting the flavours. In short, for him, as for others, this vintage is truly without comparison. Modestly, he concludes: “we have made a wine to lay down.” Here is the detail of the vats tasted before malolactic fermentation followed by a blending with the fair proportions of the vats in question. Young Merlot vines; 3 to 8 years old; score: 91 The colour is superb, the nose is very elegant. The mouth is caressing but has a slightly unripe hint before offering a goodly taste of Morello cherry as it develops on the palate. Merlot from slopes and hill bottoms; score: 94 A remarkably aromatic vat. The Morello cherry is totally dominant. A meticulous fat spreads over the palate with a royal texture. Lovely aromatic finish. Old Merlot from the plateau; score: 99-100 Amongst the vines of the Great Classified Growths planted on the Saint-Emilion plateau, the grapes of this plot are regularly those with the most flavour. A superb colour. I am surprised by the purity and finesse of a delicately aniseed nose. The velvet of entry is remarkable. Mid-palate is very rich, and, at the same time, highly nuanced. Above all, this wine seems to speed up as it develops in the mouth and ends with an immensely long finish. Cabernet Franc; score: 99-100 The nose is difficult to distinguish from that of the preceding vat. Surprising. Very fresh, very intense and very mature, it offers a really fatty mouth, an incredibly rich, full and delicate mid-palate. The finish is bewildering, it is so lengthy. This vat accounts for 15 to 20% of the blending. Cabernet Sauvignon; score: 95 Also very dark, it has a ripe nose, slightly smokier than the Cabernet Franc, with a note of ink and blackcurrant. Entry is remarkable, mid-palate a little less full than the Cabernet Franc, but this wine is still in the process of maturation and may fill out. After mid-palate, it lengthens, tightens, takes on another dimension, remains aromatic and is always accompanied by a fine grain. Superb. Blending; score: 98-100 As is often the case, the different elements buoy up and reinforce each other. Here the nose is extraordinary by its freshness and delicacy. If we were in Burgundy, I would rebaptise what I am tasting: “Griotte Beauséjour”! (griotte is Morello cherry). The mouth has an unprecedented scope, really full and very aromatic. The most surprising thing is to note that this wine does not want to leave mid-palate, as if it did not want to end. Little by little, it offers the finish, tight, potent, and still full, with a unique tannic grain. I immediately reserved some cases at the property. The natural alcohol content of the Merlot is 15°, of the Cabernet Franc, 13.9°, and of the Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.4°! At the end of this tasting, I asked Jean-Michel Dubos how he compared this wine to the 1990 which I had not known so young. He answered simply: “this 2005 is way above.” We are still far from the futures tastings and from the selling of the wines. Nevertheless I recommend you not to wait until the last moment to make sure with your usual suppliers that you will not miss the best wines. It is highly likely that prices will be speculative. Jean-Louis Triaud, owner of Château Saint-Pierre told me: "The drama of 2005 is that we will not be able to supply all our customers". SALE OF VINEYARDS - Château Camensac has just been sold by the Forner family to Mr Jean Merlaut and Ms Céline Villars-Foubet, manager of Chasse Spleen. - Terrey Gros Cailloux, a Saint-Julien Cru Bourgeois, has just been bought by Ducru-Beaucaillou. Will the name remain or will this land be integrated in Ducru-Beaucaillou? - Following on my article about the Château de Suronde in Quarts-de-Chaume, Mr Francis Poirel has written to me to let me know of his intention of selling the vineyard. My recommendation is not to miss the vintages already bottled. Jean-Marc Quarin My next chronicle will be published on November 15th, 2005.AN ENJOYABLE TIME Within the framework of your business relations, company seminars or end-of-year dinners, think of creating an enjoyable time around wine with Jean-Marc Quarin. Feel free to contact Mr Quarin to devise your plans. And why not offer the chronicle to your friends: subscription form available by attached file. © Copyright : All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author: Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, BP 40, 33320 Le Taillan-Médoc. France. Tél. 00 33 (0)5 56 35 83 93. Fax 00 33 (0)5 56 35 86 50. E-mail : jmquarin@wanadoo.fr

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