By The Glass Jay Kam

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Bordeaux '05 vintage likely to be fabulous

I JUST returned from a weeklong trip to Bordeaux, France, to taste barrel samples of the 2005 vintage. The tastings, usually held in late March or early April, are the first opportunity for restaurateurs, retailers, distributors and press to preview the newest vintage.

Prior to leaving on the trip, I heard early rumblings from multiple sources that 2005 may be better than the extraordinary 2000 vintage. After my tastings, I have not come to that conclusion -- yet.

The year 2005 was gentle and natural -- the weather allowed the grapes to ripen, so wineries didn't have to work hard to encourage that. In the cellar, the wineries didn't have to manipulate fermentations or macerations much to achieve great wine.

As a result of this natural wine making, some processes took a little longer than expected. They were slow and gentle. Many of the wines I tasted were just finishing or had just finished their malolactic fermentations, which makes them difficult to taste.

So while I sampled some great wines, many just weren't representative of their potential, because of the awkward tasting stage.

Having said that, the best areas for the 2005 vintage were Pomerol on the Right Bank and Pauillac, St. Julien and St. Estephe on the Left Bank. The Margaux from the Left Bank district was the best of them all, displaying power and grace you only see in classic vintages. Sauternes, the incredible sweet wines from this area, also enjoyed an excellent vintage.

MY FAVORITE 2005 wines are Margaux, Palmer, Ducru Beaucaillou and Lafite Rothschild. While these are no doubt super collector items, expect prices to be very high -- perhaps the highest ever!

Trophy wines aside, those looking for value will find the 2005 vintage to be a treasure trove. I tasted some amazing wines that cost as little as 5 euro (about $6 at the current exchange rate). You can find good values in all price ranges if you are willing to be adventurous and experiment with unfamiliar labels.

The year 2005 will likely go down as a blockbuster vintage, very popular among wine consumers around the world. I'm not ready to anoint 2005 better than 2000, but it is certainly in the ball park.

P.S.: I also had the opportunity to taste some 2004 wines that are still developing in the bottle and many were showing very well. This was not a hyped vintage, and in fact saw very little action in the futures market. It might behoove consumers to take a look at some of these wines. They are surprisingly good and available at good prices.

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