2005 Chateau Faugeres

[spikegrhm]

Had a disappointing experience earlier this week with an Aussie harlot of a wine. Thus , I felt the need for a nice Thursday night bottle. Had this wine while sitting on the porch overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida with my wife and another close couple. (No formal notes). Purchased on futures (I seem to remember mid $20's), cellared since release. Huge berry nose. Lots of blueberry and mineral with moderate acidity. Fully mature to my palate. A very nice, somewhat modern bottle ! Would not hold for more than a couple or three years. I post this wine here because this level of wine is important to me. I buy and cellar Pontet, Clerc Milon, LLC and other wines found much higher up the food chain. However, I am constantly looking for nice, fairly priced Bordeaux needing less age as weeknight pleasures . BWE does a fairly good job of discussing this level wine , please continue. Spike

[Nicklasss]

Hi Spike.

Thanks for the report. I always liked Faugères, a bit modern, but always well made with very good fruit concentration. Unfortunately, I never really appreciated their top cuvée Péby Faugères, too ambitious. Ambition is not always for good.

From the read, 2005 and Faugères seem like a great mix.

I too, like that level of quality (and price) red Bordeaux. I guess the only thing I would say that is missing to Faugères, is the calcaire minerals of the soil, in the wine.

Nic

[Claret]

I enjoyed the 95 and 98 years ago, not sure if they are still holding on.

[JimHow]

I remember Arv buying a bottle of this, the 98 I believe?, at that store north of the city.

[robertgoulet]

I remember their '05 Cap de Faugeres being a cracker on release.

[spikegrhm]

Stumbled onto a bottle of 2005 Cap de Faugeres earlier this year. My expectations were fairly low. Delivery level was fairly high!

[AKR]

I've drunk cases and cases of Faugeres in my life, but haven't bought much in recent years. I think I'm still chewing through some other older years. As Spike suggests, its a great example of fine wine to drink midweek, although I think the estate's ambition (after its sale) is to go for a higher price point.

Although a modern wine, I thought they got the balance between cab franc and merlot right at this estate. And it seems like all the estates that stuck to the old ways - l'Arrosee, Magdelaine, TrotteVielle, etc. -- usually ended up having some kind of struggle selling into the US and got sold/rebooted anyways.

It seems to me though that Barde Haut ages better than Faugeres.

[Claret]

Some of my favorite older St. Ems are l'Arrosee and La Dominique, both made in a lighter dare I say Burgundian style.

[stefan]

While I do not put Faugeres into the class of l'Arrosee and La Dominique, I like it. It is a good substitute for CA wines. The 1998 was particularly good, I thought.