Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2005 Clos de Sarpe has an absolute blockbuster nose of liquid licorice, violets, Chinese five spice and chocolate box with nuances of smoked meats, cigar box, cast iron pan and Marmite toast—really incredible intensity! The palate is full-bodied and rich yet with the most incredible freshness, giving very fine, velvety tannins and an incredibly long, very layered finish. Wow!

The 2005 Clos de Sarpe is super-concentrated and rich, but a minor touch of oxidation is disquieting. The color is an opaque purple, while the wine offers up lots of blackberry and blueberry fruit along with some truffle and floral notes. It is massively concentrated and rich, but that slight oxidative note could come back to haunt future owners. It should be forgotten for another 5-7 years, but do monitor it if you own it. Anticipated maturity: unsure. 2020-2035.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #215, Jun 2015)

Full, bright ruby. Brooding aromas of kirsch, black licorice and minerals. Sharply delineated and very tightly wound, but with superb intensity of black fruit, chocolate, earth and mineral flavors and excellent inner-palate energy. This mounts very slowly on the back, finishing with a youthfully sappy quality, firm tannins and impressive length. This wine from a chalky hillside on the Cotes east of the town of St. Emilion is typically high in acidity (the pH of the 2005 is 3.55), austere and downright unsexy in its youth, but this especially juicy 2005 boasts richer fruit than any recent vintage. Still, it will require at least 10 to 15 years of bottle aging.