2005 Rhône Vintage (JLL / drinkRhone.com)
Summary
2005 is a major vintage across the Rhône Valley — chunky, tannin-laden, dark-coloured, with energy and boom. JLL places it “in the realm of 1978” for the Northern Rhône, praising its fullness, acidity, and balance. It is the fullness combined with acidity and harmony that wins the day — a wonderful year for lovers of Syrah. In the South, a great vintage led by ripe, well-knit Grenache, with even the small wines (simple Côtes du Rhônes, Costières de Nîmes, Ventoux) performing reliably.
These are wines of character demanding cellar time — not for the boulevardier consumer, more for the philosopher. High-intervention winemaking in the South means the North edges it overall. JLL rates the vintage NR 9, SR 8, Whites 7.
Northern Rhône
Overview
JLL was persuaded of 2005’s greatness from his first encounter in December 2005 at Chave’s cellar, tasting just a few recently fermented vats. Nothing deviated since — “the wines are classy, complete and suitable for a Year of the Comet.” The best locations delivered wines of probing depth and remarkable harmony. The tannins are prominent early but will gradually meld into the wines.
By Appellation
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Côte-Rôtie — “Dances with delights,” both in standard cuvées and in highly impressive, subtle old vine wines. For lovers of Burgundy, this is a vintage to know: “Put your dainty Pinot feet in the granite soil of the Rhône, dear northerners: you will feel at home.”
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Hermitage — The wines are classy, complete. JLL’s earliest tasting chez Chave in December 2005 confirmed a Mighty Year. The Marsanne-led whites are quite solid, more intense than the 2004s; white Hermitage is an oak-fest before 5-6 years of age.
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Cornas — Wines of structure with fruit well evident. Clape 1978 was more closed in its youth; today’s wines show greater refinement thanks to destemming and better vigilance. Not the blackstrap merchants of yore.
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Saint-Joseph — Usual quota of tannins and intense black fruits, requiring a little longer in the cellar. Both northern and southern zones performed well. As the reds aged, they showed style and clarity, especially from the southern zones around Tournon (e.g. the Bernard Faurie 2005 tasted in November 2011).
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Crozes-Hermitage — Fruit-forward wines show well already. The oaked, older vine or granite-location reds need a couple of years to come together. Best whites possess content and harmony, more potent than 2004 but not detrimentally.
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Condrieu — Balance less assured than the 2004s — ripening was not harmonious between sugars and polyphenols. Not big show wines, but full of compact flavour. Wines for food rather than aperitif, and can live.
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Saint-Péray — Top wines have a solid heart and are long.
Northern Rhône Whites
Solid, a little more intense and assertive than the fabulous 2004s. This is an obvious Marsanne vintage — Marsanne character dominates the Roussanne strongly. The best St-Joseph whites were a mixed bag when tasted in a group of 30 in December 2006, with too many showing interventionist winemaking.
Southern Rhône
Overview
A very successful vintage. One of the great joys is how good and reliable the small wines are. Stepping up the ladder, there are real bargains from the Rhône Villages. The whites and rosés are also good.
By Appellation
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Tradition reds) — A great vintage. Many tradition wines were drinkable in December 2006 thanks to ripe tannins and round fruit-sugar content. Colours throughout are fine, the Grenache-dominated wines showing a good, bright red. The best wines hold decent acidity leading to clear-cut fruit, with a great mixture of muscle and elegance. Tannins are quietly present, rarely prominent. Syrah performed well. For the Prestige reds, 2005 is a genuine notch or two up — the best are Mighty Wines with profound core, glorious charm, and excellent length, somewhat in tune with 1990 but with greater balance.
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Gigondas — A very good vintage. Clear-cut, persistent fruit with crispness and wholesome, rich palate flavours opening a potentially long life toward 2019-22. The best wines are rich, harmonious, and rounded, standing up against any recent vintage back to 1990.
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Vacqueyras — A vintage to buy. The best domaines have made wines that will live well. Greater width to the flavours than usual, with open aromas suggesting pebbly plum fruits.
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Vinsobres — A very successful year and a great vintage to launch their young, fully-fledged appellation. Quality is very consistent across the reds, with marked tannins requiring cellaring.
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Lirac — A very good year again. With increased participation from CdP domaines (Roger Sabon, Gardine, Marcoux, Alain Jaume, Mont-Redon), winemaking standards have risen.
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Beaumes-de-Venise (reds) — Good Grenache density, chunky, tighter knit than the 2004s. Chocolate flavours indicating deep-seated ripeness. Alcohol levels lower than 2004, helped by fresh nights.
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Côtes du Rhône Villages — Good fruit quality as a rule. The best villages such as Rasteau assembled excellent, long-lived wines. A very good Grenache vintage in Sablet and Séguret.
Southern Rhône Whites
Châteauneuf-du-Pape whites are solid, reserved, with balance that can be questionable. Degree 14° plus often. Those with the right balance between varieties — notably using Clairette and Roussanne as fresheners — will show well from spring 2007 and could live 10-12 years.
Key Themes
- A Syrah year for the ages in the North — JLL’s comparison to 1978 is significant. The combination of depth, persistence, and balance recalls that fabled vintage, though ‘78 had superior rich intensity.
- Tannin management the dividing line — In both North and South, the tannic structure rewards patience. In the South, late-picked Grenache combined with big oak can be oppressive.
- High-intervention winemaking more problematic in the South — Oenologues’ formulae of late picking, lower yields, cut-back sulphur, and new oak sometimes overwhelmed the terroir, especially in Prestige cuvées. The North’s more restrained approach shades it overall.
- Reliable across the pyramid — From simple CdR to top Hermitage, the vintage delivered. Small wines are a great joy at excellent value.
Sources
sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— 2005 Northern Rhône, 2005 Southern Rhône (JLL / drinkRhone.com)