Chateau Durfort-Vivens 2eme Cru Classe, Margaux

If you want to taste what Bordeaux from the 60s and 70s tasted like at 20 years old this is it. I loved this wine. Cool, leafy nose, cassis, currant, tobacco leaf. Fine red fruited wine. This is what claret is all about, understated charm with subtle complexity and nuance. Goes against the grain of its era and all the better for it. If I didn’t already own some I’d be buying this today

2005 vintage

At a 2005 Bordeaux tasting dinner. Broad tannic and acidic frame, quite thick textured and clumsy, like its flight mates. Despite this estate's mixed reputation I was hoping for better here…88 (13.5% abv)

2005 vintage

Bordeaux 2005 20 years on Part 2 (Piccolino, London) : Dark red. Floral, wood shavings, cedar and ash. This is undeniably classic, yet I stuggle with it. There is a high-toned element here, some nail varnish or something, boiled rice or lentils aroma, and it seems a bit lightweight. This is in some ways a pleasant contrast to some of the earlier wines in the tasting, definitely more elegant, but I find the austerity and green leafy notes here a …

2005 vintage

Decanted through Rabbit Initially …..the nose is lovely, delicate, sophisticated, red currants. To taste, as indicated by the nose plus some macerated strawberries. But also a certain amount of acidity/bitterness, which reduces the appeal of this wine. The same an hour later. Lets see how this evolves in the decanter. 2 hours in …… the burnt bitterness persists, the fruit is somewhat hollowed out. Certainly not improving.

2005 vintage

Much better on the second day, even with a long decant on the first. The tannins have died down but it's still very young and vigorous, quite rich and powerful, albeit in a very classical way. The fruit leans towards blackberry and red cherry, but with a lot of meaty, savoury touches. On the second day, this had calmed down a bit and fresher fruit flavours emerged, so still a work in progress. In any case, nothing like the idiosyncratic …

2005 vintage

Fantastic wine - still showing great primaries, red cherry, cranberry, cassis, blackberry and hedgerow, combined with forest floor, mushroom, cedar, tobacco and hints of liquorice and vanilla. Good acidity and supple tannins. Drinking very well - perhaps another 2-5 years left.

2005 vintage

Drank from magnum. Pronounced nose intensity with mushroom, wet forest, spices, toast, charr wood. Medium acidity and medium tannin.

1973 vintage

There seems to be a good deal of agreement on here about this wine. I bought a case EP. Stored for 10 years and been drinking since 2015. My view of this wine hasn't changed too much. First bottle for a few years. Opened and poured. Lovely colour, deep blood red. Dripping with legs. Lovely inviting, flowery perfume on the nose, followed by deep red fruits - not sure what fruits though, but you know what I mean. However, this …

2005 vintage

Agree with Fussyeater. It’s a fragrant, well balanced wine, but not much depth, length, or complexity. Floral notes and red fruit give it some Margaux character, but in a vintage like 2005, I was hoping for more energy, lift, depth and complexity.

2005 vintage

tannins resolved. smooth. long finish. good with steak. quite fragrant.

2005 vintage

Still singing - tannins, acidity and fruit integrated nicely, providing a full smooth mouthful beautifully paired with seven hour slow roast Easter lamb, bringing out the flavours and with a long extended finish. A nice bottle shared with great friends, I wish I had more than two left. Double decanted (back into bottle) half an hour before serving.

2005 vintage

Read some of the other reviews and the thing is this is classic claret and goes excellent with food. Good tears, a little Rust in color, light floral notes, cassis, a little pepper, paired with a bison ribeye and it was excellent. 2005 was also a great year.

2005 vintage

This wine didn't really do anything wrong, it just failed to excite, rose petal and red fruits on the nose, palate seemed quite thin and tannins lacked refinement, although it had a certain appeal to it so would be happy to drink a bottle over the course of a Sunday roast.

2005 vintage

Magnum. Good with food, less good on its own. A bold, quite intense wine, strongly tannic, mild astringency. We loved this wine, from bottle, 5 years ago, even 3 years ago. I had wondered whether to buy more, but won't after this magnum. Another 8 to go.

2005 vintage

PnP through Rabbit…. delicious. Restrained. Rather elegant w/o being thin. Well cooked blackcurrant mouse, but definitely not jammy. Lovely evolution in the glass …. Within the hour so much rounder. A real cracker. Drinks so easily. No need to wait - a real treat, right now.

2005 vintage

Singing now. This has filled out nicely, and with a butterfly lamb bbq was the epitome of a good aged Margaux. Wish I had resisted the first few years and had more than three left

2005 vintage

Supple and lithe margaux from an excellent year. Classic floral quality that is hard to pin down other than to say it smells and tastes delicious. Still holding up but drink up on this one, CT consensus is accurate.

2005 vintage

Mature and refined, so easy to drink. Dark fruits and perfumed pencil shavings. Criminally popped and poured as I pottering in the kitchen - this is what a pandemic-induced January lockdown does to a person. I judge that it is perfectly ready to drink now, a complex and smooth wine with that floral lightness that the commune of Margaux seems to always do so well.

2005 vintage

Very good, ready now.

2005 vintage

The old adage, “only great bottles” came to mind. After a really good tasting a few weeks ago, this bottle was back to the slightly light style. It is a perfectly pleasant wine with all the standard attributes and style of a Margaux but that meant it was part of the crowd rather than standing out from it.

2005 vintage

Have to agree with the previous reviewer, NickUK, this wine has put on weight over the last few years since I have tasted it. In doing so, it has become a much more complete wine. cedar and graphite on the nose, but some dark fruits came through on the palate and with that extra bit of oomph came a longer and more satisfying finish.

2005 vintage

Had with Easter lamb and very much a surprise package! My previous bottles had all seemed quite ‘light’ - but a couple more years in the cellar has filled this out and it was a deep throaty (for a Margaux) lovely glass. Cigar notes and a hint of fruit and tobacco with a looong finish. Great with the roast and easy five or more years on this tasting

2005 vintage

Give it time. Either decant now or keep. Drink with food. Paired well with duck & lentils.

2005 vintage

Another Hawksmoor wine. There is something so carnal about the mixture of flavours of perfectly cooked prime rib and an aged claret. It made me feel like Cypher in the steak scene in The Matrix. I have no formal notes here but this was from a magnum and was excellent. All the classics on the nose, leather and cassis, wonderfully concentrated red fruits on the palette and a decent length that harmonised perfectly with the charred meat. Wine alone 90-91. …

2005 vintage

Deep ruby red. Prunes and light Indian spices on the nose. Tart and slightly chalky raspberries dominate. A bit thin-bodied but pleasant.

2005 vintage

We have already consumed 24 half bottles of this wine, and in that format it has been ready to go for a year now. This was our first 75cl bottle. Whilst it is certainly ready to drink, it did benefit further from some air, and may still have more to give in this format. Very well balanced, good fruit, satisfying and reasonably long. Little or no sediment, excellent with food and on its own. Last glass was the best. Perfect …

2005 vintage

for a wine that is too old, from a not great vintage at a time when the chateau was underperforming, this is remarkable. The colour is, of course, old, and the aromas fully mature - earthy, cedary etc, but with a nice seem of what is now soft, sweet red fruit. The finish is certainly a bit short, but this is am elegant, classic old Bordeaux and a lovely wine to drink now by any standards. I have drunk half …

1981 vintage

this is a real nice wine, it is way better than i expected, light in color transparent. the nose is quite Margaux, a bit sweet with notes of toast, leather and hazelnut. its taste is refined, lots of finesse, so to speak, lichtly fruited vegatables some pepper and well covered fruit. this is quite sensational! this is not a full-, fleshy or opulent spicy wine but a feminin wel figured beauty that realy invites your palate to drink more.

1976 vintage

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Chateau Durfort-Vivens 2eme Cru Classe, Margaux

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