Offering a kiss and volatility on the nose, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille offers a generous backbone of fruit, balanced oak and a juicy core. Full-bodied, lush and firm with a tannic edge, the wine is layered and complex. The 2005 vintage is marked by noticeably better integration of fruit and possesses more layers and complexity than the previous vintage (2004). Yet, the 2005 displays a long, food-friendly finish that will remain enjoyable for the next five years or so.

The fragrance is almost otherworldly; sweet, dense and lightly lifted. This is a sinewy wine, that begins with compact power and focused, tart red fruits—predominantly raspberry and currant. At first juicy and tart, with hours of breathing time the wine broadens out into a wider spectrum of Cabernet fruits; cassis, blackberry and black cherry.——P.G.(8/1/2008)—— 97