Saint Pierre 2005

Good red-ruby color. Superripe aromas of plum, mocha and graphite. Silky-sweet, deep and broad, with terrific concentration of currant and licorice flavors complicated by leather, herbs and pepper. Finishes with thoroughly ripe, broad tannins and noteworthy length and power. Costanzo says this wine needs another six months in bottle to gain in nuance.

Big, meaty, even gamey bouquet. Quite rich, new wood still evident, rich, almost velvety fruit, attractive, quite forward. Drink from 2014. Awarded 3 stars.

Came 33rd out of 184 wines

Because of this estate’s small size, only tiny amounts are available in the marketplace, which is a shame as the wine has been superb in recent years. Under the same ownership as Chateau Gloria, the 2005 Saint-Pierre boasts dense creme de cassis aromas and flavors. This tannic, backward, almost primordial wine possesses fabulous fruit, high tannin, full body, and plenty of muscle as well as structure. Like many of the 2005 northern Medocs, it should only be purchased by patient connoisseurs. Give this impressive, classic St.-Julien 8-10 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades.

A dense ruby/purple color along with superb black cherry, currant, forest floor, herb, and new saddle leather aromas, huge ripeness, massive structure, and tremendous concentration emerge from this broodingly backward, formidably muscular St.-Julien. It will require 6-8 years of cellaring, but should keep for 25-30. A top-notch effort, the 2005 may be the finest wine I have ever tasted from Saint-Pierre.