DESCRIPTION
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct 07
The 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres, which is aged in one-, two-, and three-year-old small barrels and larger demi-muids, is 100% Grenache in 2005. Dense purple to the rim, the wine displays superb concentration, with notes of creosote, blackberry, coffee, pepper, earth, meats, and smoke. A wine of massive intensity, fabulous purity, and a thick, unctuous texture, the tannins do kick in at the end, so this wine will probably require 5-7 years of bottle age and drink well for close to three decades. It does have the requisite concentration to balance out the wine’s structure. This estate has been on an outrageous run of successful vintages ever since 1998, no small thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the two brothers, Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio. For them 2005 is a very structured, concentrated, powerful vintage that will require significant cellaring..... 95 points
Wine Spectator, September 2007
This is formidably dense and structured, with lots of fig paste and currant confiture, layered with espresso, bittersweet cocoa, bramble and hoisin sauce notes. The long, tarry finish really pounds it out authoritatively, with fruit and minerality to burn. Has the power of the previous vintages, but with far better definition. Best from 2009 through 2030. 97 points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 07Inky violet. Room-filling bouquet of raspberry, cherry, candied plum, patchouli and exotic spices is utterly compelling. Smoked meat, floral pastille and anise notes accent deep, sweet red fruit flavors, with suave, silky tannins adding structure. Incredibly sweet but precise on the long, juicy finish. This is one of the sexiest wines of the vintage. 95-98 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Feb 2007
The limited production 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres (100% Grenache with considerable press wine is aged in 60% demi-muids and 40% in one- and two-year-old barrels) is certainly one of the Chateauneuf du Papes of the vintage. There are about 6,000 bottles (500 cases) of this wine, which exhibits an opaque blue/purple color and a beautiful nose of blueberry, blackberry, scorched earth, pepper, roasted meats, and smoke. It is full-bodied, viscous, with an inky richness and thickness, but terrific acidity and rather high tannins. I can’t see this wine being ready to drink before another 6-7 years of bottle age, but it should keep for 20+ years. 95-97 points
