The vintage is singular for several reasons, of which the most obvious is that weather conditions were as near to perfect as it is possible to get in Bordeaux throughout the year, which means that excellent wines were made everywhere in the region.
“All areas were exceptional apart from Sauternes, which wasn’t bad, but then equally the 2005 Burgundies were wonderful. It’s not just Bordeaux,” Pegna recalls. “We went to the Union Des Grands Crus tasting, which we don’t usually do, quite late in the day, and even tasting samples which had been drawn that morning were still looking so good. Take Margaux, for example, which is notoriously unreliable as a commune, with inconsistencies from chateau to chateau. Again everything was very good.”
Perhaps the most remarkable other aspect of the 2005 vintage is how well it is drinking now. Great vintage Bordeaux, after all, does not usually come into its own without a decade or more of cellaring. Quite apart from the waste of its obvious future potential, however, it might be unwise to buy 2005s with a view to consumption in the near future.
Pegna, who sees similarities between 2005 and 1996 , warns that while vintages of this type show an attractive youthful exuberance, they subsequently “go to sleep” and then need to be cellared for around another 15 years. Although 2005s at the moment are displaying considerable charm, they are, he believes, on the verge of “shutting down”.
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