2005 Soleil

Bright, deep red. Wild aromas of black raspberry, mocha and truffle. Lush and sweet if a bit simple, with flavors of sweet raspberry, mocha and truffle. Finishes with plenty of tannic spine, but the tannins arrive late. This is fatter than the '07, but the younger vintage is finer.

(80% merlot and 10% each cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, from vines averaging 25 to 30 years of age planted on a limestone-rich plateau in Puisseguin-St.-Emilion) Bright ruby-red. Cherry, mint, menthol and a rocky note on the nose. Sweet and juicy, with fresh dark berry flavors lifted by minerals and flowers. Denser than the '06, finishing with building tannins and sound acidity.

(80% merlot and 10% each cabernet sauvignon and franc; cropped at 20 hectoliters per hectare, from 30-year-old vines) Bright ruby-red. Wild aromas of dark berries, smoke and roasted meat. Sweet but lively, with very fresh flavors of blueberry and blackberry. Fairly large-scaled, structured wine, finishing with slightly rustic tannins. Still finishing its malolactic fermentation. This property, now owned by Stephan von Neipperg, is on a clay and limestone plateau in Puisseguin-St.-Emilion; the wine was vinified in concrete vats.