The Tasting Panel magazine

December 2012

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STEVEN SPURRIER���S LETTER FROM LONDON 2005 M��doc ���Super Seconds��� I n October, Michael Broadbent conducted a tasting of 12 M��doc ���Super Seconds��� from 2005, a vintage that has only 2009 to rival it as the year of the decade. After over ive years in bottle, these wines can be considered to be showing their true potential. All wines came directly from the ch��teaux some months previously. I had selected three from each commune, the wines being tasted from south to north. While my personal favourites from each commune are evident from the notes below, all these wines will continue to evolve in a very positive way for years to come. PHOTO: DECANTER Ch. Brane-Cantenac, Second Growth Margaux (~$110)* Good deep red, some maturity on the rim; really good sweet fruit with fragrance, lift and depth, quite supple and almost ready to drink but will last well. 2013���25. 17/20 Ch. Rauzan-S��gla, Second Growth Margaux (~$165) Deep colour, very good vibrant fruit; quite meaty and quite irm with good length and grip, tannins still showing and still needs time; a really classic Margaux with great potential. 2015���35. 18.5/20 Ch. Palmer Third Growth Margaux , (~$300) Dense colour, lots of richness of fruit, lots of depth; still young and quite tannic with the Merlot element showing broad almost sweet lavours; more powerful and less elegant than expected but will always be impressive. 2014���30. 18/20 Ch. L��oville-Poyferr��, Second Growth Saint-Julien (~$150) Very dark red, quite spicy and herby nose; still a little green, but then quite broad and rich on the palate with leathery tannins on the inish and will need time to gain complexity and perhaps a risk of drying out a bit before that. 2014���25. 17/20 Ch. L��oville-Barton, Second Growth Saint-Julien (~$135) Dense young red, ine fragrant nose with a touch of spice and really good natural sweetness; clear and clean with lots of depth, purity, long inish and perfect balance; just beginning to open up with a great future. 2014���35. 19/20 Ch. L��oville-Las Cases, Second Growth Saint-Julien (~$400) Rich purple-red, very young; wonderful Cabernet nose with 24 / the tasting panel / december 2012 purity and almost Latour-like intensity, rich yet contained on the palate, still closed but great potential complexity; a classically structured wine of First Growth standard. 2018���45. 19.5/20 Ch. Pontet-Canet, Fifth Growth Pauillac (~$150) Very dark red, spicy and fragrant nose; quite broad and leshy on the palate, quite big and meaty with naturally sweet fruit; still a bit briary and irm but just beginning to open up and showing ���lovely refreshing acidity��� according to Broadbent. 2015���35. 18+/20 Ch. Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Second Growth Pauillac (~$175) Deep colour, some maturity on the rim; good Merlot ripeness evident, soft and plummy, (���sweet and sexy��� ���Broadbent), a bit thickly textured; will certainly gain inesse as it ages, but perhaps not for the very long term. 2013���25. 17.5/20 Ch. Pichon-Longueville Baron de Longueville, Second Growth Pauillac (~$175) Rich red, very good Cabernet nose; still quite irm and concentrated on the palate, with a hint of over-ripeness and already showing some maturity; a big broad wine, approachable now. 2012���22. 17/20 Ch. Calon-S��gur Third Growth Saint, Est��phe (~$100) Deep red, some maturity on the rim; loral and fragrant nose with a lovely sweetness that develops on the palate, quite meaty, even a little ���gamey,��� fragrance dominating at the end; a really charming and classy wine. 2014���30. 18/20 Ch. Cos d���Estournel, Second Growth Saint-Est��phe (~$225) Full meaty red with some browning on the rim, good rich spiciness on the nose; ripe sweetness and lots of depth and lavour on the palate, rich and robust; already approachable with tannins to help it develop. 2013���30. 17.5/20 Ch. Montrose, Second Growth SaintEst��phe (~$150) Dense young red, perfect Cabernet nose leading to a leathery, powerful but controlled palate with elegant and fragrant fruit starting to emerge; a classic wine of great density, purity and length with a great future. 2015���40. 19/20 *U.S. prices re���ect a national average retail price and are not of���cial.

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