Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar,
Jan/Feb 2007
Deep ruby color. Intensely floral nose features vibrant red and dark berry aromas complicated by smoked meat, garrigue and coffee. Deep, supple and sweet, showing superb depth and sweetness to the concentrated raspberry and cherry flavors. Expands and grows spicier on the back, finishing sweet and smoky, with incredible length. 94-97
points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The three lots of 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee (again, no Cuvee da Capo was produced in this vintage) had not yet been blended. Tasting through all of them, they scored between 91 and 94, so I suspect this offering will be similar, qualitatively, to the 2006. But, it is a very different style of wine. It reveals a dark ruby/purple hue along with notes of tar, roasted meats, and Provencal herbs, which give it a certain savage/animal character. The wine is ruggedly constructed, concentrated, full-bodied, tannic, and firm in the finish. For comparison purposes, it comes closest to 1995. The 2005 will need time to come around, and the Ferauds were leaning toward bottling it in late 2007 or early 2008. 92-94 points |
