TN 2005 Ampelia (Cotes de Castillon)

[Jon Burdick]

95% merlot, 5% cab franc. Night 1 this was very disjointed. A glossy purple-black appearance, the nose was a mixture of vanilla, plum and strawberry. Fruit forward, medium bodied, with a somewhat course mouth feel of oak and tannin that has a slight bite to it. On nights 2 and 3 (overnight in refrigerator) it pulled together and the rough texture dissipated, showing a modern right bank profile of not overripe purple fruits, stawberry, cassis, and a hint of rocks, with less prominent tannin. For $14 this is a fair value, and should be better in a couple of years, although certainly not shut down now. RP rated this as 88, and I'd say at its peak that is about right.

[Houndsong]

I had the 2000. Not a bad wine at all.

[AlexR]

Interesting wine.

The Côtes de Castillon is Happy Hunting Ground for good value wines, of which Ampelia is not really typical
(not saying it's bad, just not typical).

All the best,
Alex R.

[Jon Burdick]

I enjoyed Ampelia after the first day. Like many '05s it is ripe, yet a refreshing balance of acidity.

I purposely acquired a few wines from many of the Bordeaux AOC in 2005, and for Cotes de Castillon ended up with this along with Joanin Becot and d'Aiguilhe.

Alex, do you have some recommendations on what wines may be more typical?

[Houndsong]

I had the Joanin Becot courtesy of Blanquito. I thought it was very good and not quite as described by hwnsnbsh.