TN : Chateau Croizet-Bages 2005, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

This wine received 86 points from The Wine Advocate, 16.5 from Jancis Robinson, and 15.4 from Decanter.

This property lies  on Pauillac's Bages plateau, between the town of Pauillac itself and Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. Château Croizet-Bages also takes its name from its original creators, the Croizet brothers. One a court clerk, the other a local lawyer, the two men bought up parcels of vines from their neighbours duirng the first half of the 18th century and created their own successful vineyard.

At the time of the Revolution, and much involved in local government, the brothers sold the estate to a family from Gascony, the Puyteracs, who in turn sold it to a Bordelais, Jean Calvé, just two years before the 1855 classification of the Médoc. The current proprietors, the Quié family, acquired Croizet-Bages in 1942 from American entrepreneur Jean-Baptiste Monnot (he bought the struggling estate at the end of the first World War). The Château is today managed by brother and sister team Jean-Philippe and Anne-Françoise Quié.This chateau was classified as one of the eighteen fifth growths in the 1855 Bordeaux classification.

Colour : Red, blackcurrant

Aroma : Blackcurrant, plums, cedar, liquorice

Taste : Simple, watery texture, blackcurrant, green cedar, liquorice, talcum powder tannins and white pepper on finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 226 SEK (bought at Systembolaget 14th November 2008)

Mark : C