2005 Château Gracia

($175; 14% alcohol) Good bright ruby. Captivating aromas of dark berries, violet, coffee, cocoa powder and sexy oak. Chewy and thick but with terrific framing acidity; this really caresses the palate. Finishes with big but thoroughly ripe tannins and superb persistence to the black fruit, licorice and bitter chocolate flavors. |Wait seven or eight years,| suggested Michel Gracia, who made it clear that he doesn't like to drink 30-year-old Bordeaux. This must be the best Gracia to date. Incidentally, the second wine, Angelots de Gracia (89), offers a lovely sugar/acid balance and its gentler texture and sweet fruit make it very easy to drink right now.

Author: Stephen Tanzer

Issue: May/June 2008

Dark purplish crimson. Not too obviously sweet on the nose - quite fresh and energetic in fact. Only some rather too dry, grainy tannins on the finish spoil it. Shame! But as I liked it so much more when tasting it blind en primeur I will give it the benefit of the doubt.

Author: Jancis Robinson

This estate is a tiny micro-treasure in St.-Emilion. Owned by Michel Gracia and consisting of less than five acres of vines, it turned out a final blend in 2005 of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, but only 5,000 bottles were produced. A wine pushing for perfection, notes of blueberry and blackberry dominate, but also underlying the fruit is a strong core of minerality and flowers. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated, and absolutely pure, this is a tour de force and a prodigious effort in this great, long-lived, slow-evolving vintage. Forget it or another 5-10 years and drink it over the following 40 or more.

Author: Robert Parker