WELCOME BACK, BORDEAUX. Some collectors had let their gaze wander to Australia, California and Tuscany, while others smugly shut their wallets to protest the nosebleed prices of the top châteaux. But news of a blockbuster 2005 vintage has melted moral resolve. “Could 2005 be the best vintage ever?” Vintages teased in announcing its futures offerings last summer. The result was a tsunami of demand that netted the LCBO more than $10 million in sales. But you don’t have to wait until the 2005s are released two years from now to fi nd excellent bordeaux. Well-made examples have unimpeachable elegance and complexity achieved through long experience blending the fi ve red grape varieties used in the region: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cab franc, petit verdot and malbec. That seamless structure coddles fi ne cuisine and promotes long, graceful aging. And recent tweaking of vinicultural techniques has helped achieve pinpoint ripeness, even in the lesser crus bourgeois and petits châteaux, even in the not-so-good years. So don’t forget the under-sung 2002s, the super-ripe 2003s and the classic, though not showy 2004s. Another batch of mixed vintages is being released September 30, with three reviewed below. And sit tight. Though great now, they’ll be peaking around 2010.