Le Désir
2005
Vintage
The 2005 vintage was a beautiful year across all three estates—California, Italy, France—something I have never seen before in my career. The cool weather started with rains in the spring and early summer, which helped to nourish the vines. Spring rains lasted into June, which made for a long bloom and a near-perfect crop set. Summer and fall were comfortable and consistent, allowing even ripening. Harvest took place September 22nd through October 6th.
– Pierre Seillan, Vigneron
Notes
The 2005 Le Désir is a dark to opaque ruby color with a rich nose of cassis, spicy licorice and rose petal aromas. The wine is very concentrated on the palate, rich, elegant and complex. A full-bodied wine with intense flavors of black and red cherries and licorice, followed by a long spicy finish. The elegant tannins will soften further with decanting.
Composition
50% Cabernet Franc
39% Merlot
9% Cabernet Sauvignon
2% Malbec
Very plush, it is the most evolved and silkiest of all three cuvées. This is another prodigious effort with fabulous purity, depth and overall harmony. This wine is just remarkable, and anyone lucky enough to own any of these wines is in for untold joy over the next 20-25+ years.