Château Chasse-Spleen 2005

2005 is a great vintage in Bordeaux, a view I have held from its first appearance in bottle. 18 years’ of age is a good time to taste a few of the cru bourgeois from this vintage that may be close to ready. In this case, the answer is emphatic: it is both ready to drink and providing compelling drinking. Despite a name not entirely suited to the English reader, the 2005 Château Chasse-Spleen is a textbook example of aged Bordeaux in every respect. As might be expected by this description, it has aromas of blackcurrant and pencil. Tasted blind, it could be nothing other than Bordeaux and is therefore a terroir wine by taste rather than assertion. The palate has a little spice, flesh, sublime balance and a classical sensibility, together with deep blackcurrant notes. Ready to drink now, this vintage of Chasse-Spleen is comfortably comparable to a grand cru classé. Rating: Outstanding (★★★★★, 96 points). Website: Château Chasse-Spleen. Tasted: June 2023.