Wine Advisor
Rouget 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2005 is a delicious, complex, outstanding wine from this estate, which has been doing some great work of late. Loads of licorice, truffle, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit are present in this opulent, full-bodied Pomerol. It also has a beautiful texture and purity as well as a long finish. Just approaching full maturity, it has another 10-15 years of further longevity.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Now owned by the same company that runs the well-known Burgundian firm of Jacques Prieur, Rouget’s dense ruby/purple-colored 2005 exhibits abundant amounts of unrestrained black cherry fruit interwoven with notions of pine forest, impressive glycerin levels, medium to full body, and an opulent, fleshy, sexy personality with no hard edges. Consume it during its first 10-15 years of life.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The greatest Rouget ever made? A true sleeper of the vintage, this terrific 2005 exhibits tremendous opulence and power along with full body, and oodles of resiny black cherry fruit. It possesses tremendous glycerin, and the alcohol must be at least 14.5%. With good purity, enough acidity to provide definition, and abundant tannin, it can be consumed over the next 15 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The Burgundy firm of Jacques Prieur, who now owns this Pomerol estate, has fashioned an outstanding 2005 from one of the less prestigious terroirs of the appellation. It is a richly fruit, exuberant, flamboyant wine offering a sensual display of black cherries, sandy, loamy soil, subtle herbs, and spice. Lusciously textured with no astringency, it can be consumed now and over the next 10-12 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted single blind at Southwold. A poor showing. Rather muffled and alcoholic on the nose. A soft entry, lacks freshness and acidity. Very flat and lacking vigour with a touch of sloe on the finish. Short. Tasted January 2009.
About the Producer
Chateau Rouget, located in the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, France, is one of the oldest star wineries in the region. The history of Redfish Winery dates back to the 18th century. At that time, Redfish was owned by the Bayonne family and continued to grow under the management of the Bayonne family. By the 19th century, the winery was known as one of the five most outstanding wineries in the Pomerol region. In 1892, the Dupuy family acquired Redfish, which was subsequently acquired by Marcel Bertrand. After several twists and turns, the development of Red Fish Winery has also experienced slippage and stagnation. By 1992, the direct descendants of Marcel Bertrand had sold Redfish to the Labruyere family, a famous Burgundy winemaking family that also owned The famous Domaine Jacques Prieur. After the Labouille family took over the Redfish family, they spent a lot of energy to improve and renovate the Redfish winery, dedicated to restoring the winery to its former glory and building it into a wine leader on the right bank of Bordeaux. Redfish's vineyards are located in the northern part of the Pomerol appellation, near Chateau L'Eglise Clinet and Chateau La Croix de Gay. After the expansion of the Labouille family, Redfish now has a total of 18 hectares of vineyards and is one of the largest wineries in the Pomerol region. Redfish's vineyards are planted with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, with approximately 6,000 vines per hectare with an average age of 28 years. The soils in the vineyards of Redfish are dominated by gravel and loam, which are rich in iron and are very suitable for the growth of these grape varieties. After taking over Redfish Winery, the Labuille family not only expanded the area of the winery’s vineyards, but also equipped the winery with a series of modern winemaking equipment and established a modern wine cellar; at the same time, Redfish Winery also In 1997, the famous wine master Michel Rolland was hired as the winemaking consultant of the winery, which made Redfish Winery even more powerful and its winemaking ability was greatly improved. In the production of wine, Redfish Winery uses large wooden barrels of 5,000-6,000 liters and temperature-controlled stainless steel barrels. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, after which the fermented wine is aged in 50% new French oak barrels for 15-18 months. Currently, Château de la Rouge produces about 6,500 cases of wine per year, mainly including the original Red Fish dry red series and the second red fish dry red series (Vieux Chateau des Templiers, which was sold as Le Clocher de Rouget). These wines are rich in fruit aroma, rich in taste, delicate and silky tannins, and have good cellaring ability.
