First 2005 Bordeaux

I just picked up a bottle of 2005 Chateau Tour St. Bonnet, Medoc Cru Bourgeois at Costco for ten bucks. Beyond all the hype surrounding this Bordeaux vintage, this is a real value. If it is a harbinger of what's to come, look out! Loaded with raspberry fruit upfront, it follows through with a medium dose of tannin and acid. It will benefit from ageing for a few years. Not complex, but interesting enough for the price. Buy a case and start drinking it in a year. For some of us , this could be our everyday wine. For the rest a great splurge. Might be at it's best in 2011. In the bad old days it might have rated a 75, which was not bad, but now we must give it an 84. If the French could produce this level of quality at these prices consistently, they might actually succeed in the global market. Here the French finally have the raw material for Ten Buck Charles.