Bordeaux 2005 - An Asian Perspective

There has been a ton of hype surrounding the recent Bordeaux 2005 vintage, and expectations are that as the en-primeur campaign gets underway, prices for some of the most sought after wines will be stratospheric, even malignant.

In the introduction to his review of the 2005 vintage, Robert Parker, hands down the most influential wine critic today, suggests that the vintage is most similar to 2000, because of its overall consistency of both high end and minor wines.

Andy Tan (pictured above) is a good buddy of mine that has dedicated his entire life to his passion - wine. A sommelier by training, he began his career more than a decade ago with the Marina Mandarin Hotel, followed by a period that saw him rise to the ranks of Chef Sommelier of The Regent and Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore. In 1996, during his tenure in the renowned Maxims de Paris @ The Regent, his wine list won Decanter Magazine's "The Best Wine List in Asia".

In 1995, he was invited to be one of the twenty judges @ the annual Sonoma Wine Harvest Fair, and again the following year as an echo judge.

He also co-wrote a piece called "Wine Trends of the World" with Terry Copeland, Michael Hill Smith MW, Anthony Dias Blue MW, Kim Maxwell and Lim Hwee Peng, which won the "Wine Article of the Year Award" at the World Gourmet Summit 2003.

Currently, Andy is General Manager of Auric Pacific Fine Wines. He is the exclusive distributor for some of the world's most sought after wines - Harlan Estate, Colgin, Abreu, Au Bon Climat, Arietta, Kongsgaard, Martinelli, Pahlmeyer, Ramey, Quilceda Creek, Soter, Spottswoode, Williams-Selyem, Philip Togni, Aldo Conterno, Braida-Giacomo Bologna, Falesco, Fanti, Feudi di San Gregorio, Isole e Olena, Tua Rita, La Spinetta, Franz Kunstler & Didier Dagueneau, to name a few.

Andy was recently in Bordeaux tasting through the 2005s, and has filed an extensive report about the wines and his thoughts on the vintage. Read it here. To be added to his mailing list, email andytan@auric.com.sg.