2005 Clos l'Eglise (Cotes de Castillon)

I continue to absolutely love the 2005 Clos L'Eglise and it's in the heart of its prime drinking window today. Still youthfully plum/purple-hued, with a killer bouquet of ripe currants, black cherries, tobacco, and loamy earth, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, lush, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It benefits from air, so give it a short decant if drinking any time soon. It will hold for a decade and have a gradual decline thereafter. This is a stunning Pomerol.

The 2005 Clos l’Eglise has a fresh and vibrant bouquet with quite strong eucalyptus aromas, well defined and maybe a little New World in style. The palate is medium-bodied with thickset tannins, grippy brambly fruit, slightly viscous. Powerful, gutsy and bold, this is a big boned, brassy Pomerol; although, you might argue that it is missing a little finesse on the finish. Hedonists will get a kick out of this. Tasted at the Clos l’Eglise vertical.

Once again, the 2005 Clos L'Eglise is fabulous. Deep, bold and luscious, the 2005 delivers the goods, and then some. Sweet red cherry fruit, plum, cedar, tobacco, mint, mocha and spice fill out the layers effortlessly. Even with all of its intensity, the 2005 retains terrific brightness and verve. What a pleasure it is to see this juicy, explosive Pomerol in such fine shape. It's a superb wine from Hélène Garcin. (AG)