2005 Chateau Peby Faugeres Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1x750ml

Vinous 92

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. [Stephen Tanzer, 01/05/2008]

Robert Parker 95

The new owners decided to change the name of the luxury cuvee from Peby-Faugeres to Cuvee Speciale Peby. The stunning 2005 is the finest example of this wine since its debut vintage, 1998. Yields for this 100% Merlot (from southeast-facing, limestone-based slopes) were a tiny 25 hectoliters per hectare. This cuvee receives a Burgundy-like upbringing of malolactic in barrel and aging on its lees. A flamboyant, fragrant perfume of blueberries, blackberries, plums, anise seed, and camphor soars from the glass of this extraordinarily concentrated wine. In the mouth, it is stratospheric in texture with abundant amounts of sweet, silky tannin, high glycerin, and a 60-second finish. This is a prodigious effort from 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025+. [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 04/24/2006]

Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025