Black in color, with a very extracted nose of new wood, blackberry and sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with raisin, spice and coffee bean character. A full-throttle style. This is a big, juicy Merlot. Best after 2014. 915 cases made. — JS

Layered and velvety, with beautiful chocolate, blueberry, and raspberry aromas and flavors. Soft and silky. Delicious already but needs another couple years to come around. Pull the cork after 2016.

Ruby-red. Superripe black cherry, chocolate and coffee liqueur on the nose. Lush, sweet and superconcentrated, with an almost port-like richness to its exotic berry liqueur flavors. Underlying minerality gives shape to this outsized wine, which finishes with big, fine-grained, building tannins. This and the Faugeres are both at the extreme of ripeness in 2005 without quite crossing the line. Fans of sheer size may rate these wines even higher.

A perfect wine in this vintage, the 2005 Péby Faugères has the classic liqueur of blueberries and spring flowers. Dense purple and full-bodied, with unbelievable richness, this tastes like a great Napa Cab from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, even though there’s no Cabernet Sauvignon in it. This is a sensational wine – rich, full and multi-dimensional, with a skyscraper-like mid-palate and finish. Kudos to Péby Faugères for producing one of the perfect wines of the vintage. Drink it in about 3-4 years as well as over the following two decades. WA#219 - 29th June 2015