2005 Château Le Dôme

The 2005 Le Dome showed beautifully, with a ripe, full-bodied, sexy style as well as terrific aromatics of ripe, chocolatey black fruits, loamy earth, leather, and leafy herbs, with a kiss of saddle leather emerging with time in the glass. A blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot, vinified in wood and aged all in new oak, it has beautiful overall balance, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. I love it today yet see no reason it shouldn’t evolve for another 15 years in cold cellars.

The 10th vintage of Le Dôme, and this remains dense, concentrated, intense, almost overwhelmed by fruit and tannins, still at the beginning of its evolution. Grilled sandalwood and cedar oak on the nose, then cocoa bean and espresso before getting to black cherry and damson fruit. Clear quality, a little overwhelming even at 17 years old, although coming back to it after an hour, you start to see the floral side of Cabernet Franc. A ton of estate signature, unquestionably, and evidence of just why this bottling caught the imagination of so many critics. 100% new oak.

It's been a few years since I tasted the 2005 Le Dôme, and it has only improved since then. A magical, thrilling wine, Le Dôme is off the charts gorgeous today. Time has softened some of the initial power and density, but there is still plenty of heft, all driven by gorgeous Cabernet Franc aromatics that lend energy, verve and a real sense of vitality. Like all of the wines here, Le Dôme is a rich, opulent wine built on texture. At sixteen years of age, it retains plenty of inky dark fruit, while the new oak has integrated beautifully. The 2005 is simply fabulous. It remains one of the very finest and most satisfying wines I have ever tasted from Jonathan Maltus. Oh, and it's also very clearly one of the wines of the vintage.