Jim, Andrew and Tom are fresh back from the Union des Grands Crus tastings in Bordeaux. In a region where (unusually in France) sales professionals are not thin on the ground, the hard sell was refreshingly absent. Smugness was the more likely adversary. For the first time since 1990, it`s a vintage that`s hugely acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic. And, of course, way beyond.

From Pessac to Pomerol, Sauternes to St-Estephe, the sentiments were the same: purity, concentration, balance, freshness. At chateau after chateau, there were quietly confident owners and winemakers. Many reported never having had a vintage like it; others said it was what they want every year.

The plum tweeds, red cords and suede brogues of the English merchants were out in (almost unruly) force; in France there`s civil unrest; America and the Far East let the money talk... it`s screaming.

Competition to secure the most coveted wines at the best prices will be fierce. The top two dozen or so will open a new chapter on pricing. It will be necessary to buy across the board to secure them. But there are dozens of wines whose price increases will be pedestrian, but whose quality is exemplary. There`s quality in depth, and there`ll be bargains galore.

We shall shortly be displaying the wines we are purchasing on the 2005 Bordeaux page on our website. Please let us know what you are looking to buy. This will inform us of your interest prior to general release; it does not place you under any obligation to buy but nor does it guarantee that we can supply the wine. Priority will be given to those who have bought the 2004s and who buy across the board. Prices will be posted on the website and emailed as they are released. For those whose interests lie elsewhere, we now have the facility to exclude from Bordeaux en primeur email offers.

At a glance:-

Commune performance
Margaux: unusually consistent, high standard; very difficult to select only three values for the following summary
Pomerol: amazingly consistent high quality
Pauillac, St-Julien, Pessac-Leognan: quality as high and consistent as expected
Sauternes: consistently good; excellent performance by all the big names
St-Estephe, St-Emilion: more variability but with extraordinary highs
Haut-Medoc, Listrac & Moulis: disappointing in the context of the vintage

St-Estephe
Top 3: Cos d`Estournel, Lafon-Rochet, Montrose
Top 3 values: Phelan-Segur, Les Ormes de Pez, Les Pagodes de Cos

Pauillac
Top 3: Latour, Lafite, Lynch-Bages/Pichon-Longueville Baron
Top 3 values: Pontet-Canet, d`Armailhac, Haut-Bages Liberal

St-Julien
Top 3: Leoville-Barton, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville-Poyferre
Top 3 values: Gruaud-Larose, Talbot, Lagrange

Margaux
Top 3: Margaux, Palmer, Rauzan-Segla
Top 3 values: d`Angludet, Labegorce-Zede, Siran

Haut-Medoc, Listrac & Moulis
Top 3 values: Cantemerle, La Lagune, Chasse-Spleen

Pessac-Leognan
Top 3 (reds): Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Pape-Clement
Top 3 values (reds): Domaine de Chevalier, Larrivet-Haut-Brion, Haut-Bailly
Top 3 whites: Haut-Brion Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pape-Clement Blanc
Top 3 white values: Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc, Malartic-Lagraviere Blanc, Olivier Blanc

St-Emilion
Top 3: Cheval Blanc, Angelus, Figeac
Top 3 values: Larcis Ducasse, Pavie-Macquin, La Dominique

Pomerol
Top 3: Le Pin, Vieux Chateau Certan, La Conseillante
Top 3 values: Beauregard, La Croix de Gay, La Cabanne

Sauternes & Barsac
Top 3: Rieussec, de Fargues, Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Top 3 values: Rabaud-Promis, Sigalas Rabaud, Doisy-Vedrines

Best of the rest
Top 3 values: Domaine de l`A (Cotes de Castillon), La Tour de By (Medoc), Les Grands Marechaux (Premieres Cotes de Blaye)