February 15, 2013 – Wine: 2005 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint Julian

Back in 2006, after hearing rumors about how good the 2005 vintage from Bordeaux was expected to turn out, I placed my first futures order for a number of half-bottles based entirely on price and ratings resulting from barrel tastings.  At the time, I had very minimal experience with Bordeaux wines, so this was the best I could figure out.  Most of the wines arrived a few years later, and this one arrived last (which is more than I can say for one of the wines I ordered).  My research suggested holding onto this until 2012, so I figured I had satisfied that requirement.  I decanted the wine for nearly an hour beforehand.  The wine had good balance, a nice, floral nose, and an interesting palette featuring a kind of stewed cherry and plum mixture with baking spices, followed by sturdy minerals.  Throw some pastry around this wine and you’d have a terrific dessert, but barring that, you have an interesting wine to say the least.  I have one more, so I’ll hold onto it another few years to see what happens.

2005 Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint Julian