93 Points, The Wine News - Deep purple hue. Light aromas of walnut, black cherry and a whiff of cassis. Dusty tannins on entry accent mocha, clove and blackberry fruit flavors. Tart close of Bing cherry and minty overtones.

92 Points, Wine Enthusiast - Always pretty, always polished, St. Jean's '05 Cinq Cépages is a solid red wine that drinks well now and should develop with a few years in the cellar. It's dry and firm in tannins, with flavors of blackberries, cassis and new smoky oak, marked by a soft texture of finely ground tannins.

Winemaker Notes:
Cinq Cépages (“Five Varieties”) is a Bordeaux-style blend consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon (83%), Merlot (11%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Malbec (2%), and Petit Verdot (1%). Each component is aged separately for two years in small French oak barrels (57% new) before blending. Once the wine is assembled, it spends six months in the bottle before release.

This classic Cinq Cépages opens with generous aromas of boysenberry, black cherry and violet. Deep, dense and highly extracted, this wine offers layers of black raspberry, mocha and hints of blueberry. The palate offers a graceful balance between fruit extract and fine-grained tannins. This wine has beautiful oak integration and a lushness throughout that leads to a lingering finish.