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A Bordeaux to Set the Evening's Mood
Château de Pez St.-Estèphe 2005
While sharing a condo with friends in Maui, we cooked dinner for a chef friend and his wife, who were visiting the island from Honolulu. I told them that we had the wines covered and not to bring any, but they could not arrive empty-handed. They walked through the door with a bottle of Château de Pez St.-Estèphe 2005 for us. We saved it for our final evening, but since Maui does not permit BYOB at restaurants, we pulled the cork on it to sip while watching the sun turn bright orange as it sank into the clouds over Lanai.
I have to admit I don't drink a lot of Bordeaux these days. Most of my favorites have shot out of my reach on price, and I tend to prefer less angular wines anyway. But this one, from a classic vintage, could turn me back into a Bordeaux man. Supple, sexy and spicy, it had gorgeous currant and plum fruit, medium weight and polished tannins. 90 points, non-blind. The whole bottle disappeared before the sunset faded, and we headed out to dinner in a fine mood.
WineSpectator.com members: Read the original blind-tasting review for Château de Pez St.-Estèphe 2005 (88, $39).
• Plus, get scores and tasting notes for more recently rated red Bordeaux, along with our quick list of Top Values.
