2005 Château Palmer, Margaux, Bordeaux

Awesome. Showstopping. Remarkable. Palmer is all of these things in 2005. A stunning, full bodied expansive beauty of a wine, it is quintessentially Margaux with a Pomerol-like richness. It is silky and gorgeous with unbelievably pure, firm and precise fruit on the palate. With multiple layers of complexity, the finish was so long we could still taste it - without any exaggeration - 15 minutes after leaving the château. The 78-year-old former winemaker said the only vintage to compare to the 2005 was the 1945 and in his view the 2005 surpassed the legends of 1961, 1983 and 1989 at the same stage.

Berry Bros. & Rudd