Château Lafite-Rothschild 2005

Beautiful, elegant red, blue and black fruits (89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot) as well as some graphite and spice notes jump from the glass of the 2005 Lafite Rothschild. Medium-bodied, with superb purity and texture, this is not a blockbuster by any means, but a meticulously made, lovely-textured Pauillac. Long and pure, this wine should drink well for 25-30 years. There is no danger in pulling the cork on it today.

Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry and mineral notes. The finish is long, with a coffee, almost meaty, aftertaste. Very beautiful and balanced. Best after 2013.

A wine worthy of superlatives, the 2005 Lafite showed incredible concentration yet a superb balance. The lovely blackcurrant and plum fruit shows a fragrant floral edge, hints of oak spice, and a firm, earthy underpinning. The texture is superbly elegant, with a lovely freshness and a lilting, silky finish, yet it does not lack a tannic grip, and the finish is satisfyingly long. Near perfection. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot with just a drop of Petit Verdot, aged in new casks.

An incredible nose, so subtle, with red fruits, mint, minerals, and all sorts of flowers giving way to Cohiba cigar tobacco. The palate has such freshness and density, with perfectly polished tannins. Slightly leathery, like a wonderful Hermès bag. What a wine, please leave this for another ten years. Pull the cork in 2020. 10% Merlot. Find the wine

The 2005 Lafite-Rothschild is a gorgeous wine, but it is also very young. Readers lucky enough to own it will find a very classic, gracious Lafite-Rothschild that still needs a few years to be at its best. Bright red-toned fruit, crushed rocks, mint and licorice open first, followed by darker aromas and flavors that develop as the wine gains volume with air. Tasted next to its peers, Lafite is so typical of itself and less marked by the year. And that is one of the signs of a truly great terroir. Lafite-Rothschild is not as showy as many other wines in this vintage, but it is so true to its own identity, and that is the highest compliment I can pay it. The 2005 is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, done in 100% new oak, which is not at all noticeable. At the time, the Cabernet percentage was quite high, but that has now become the norm. Tasted two times.

Youthful, classically styled, full-bodied, fresh, bright, crisp, chewy, and tannic, the red fruits offer purity, vibrance, and length, along with lead pencil, flowers, spice, cigar box, thyme, and oceanic characteristics. Still in its infancy, the wine needs time to soften, open, and expand, so if you are lucky enough to have a bottle, patience is a virtue here. Drink from 2030-2065.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, faint watery edge. On the nose somewhat restrained roasted aromas, delicate roasted plum, inviting berry confit, orange zest, fine tobacco nuances, smoky, cedary savouriness. On the palate dark berry fruit, cherry, vivid tannins, which are well integrated, but at the same time still demanding, at the moment somewhat closed, sweet roasted aromas, pleasant freshness. Future potential, great, complex wine.

The 2005 Château Lafite-Rothschild is a beauty, and it has that quintessential power paired with incredible elegance and complexity that this Château does so well. Based on 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, it has perfumed notes of red and black fruits, freshly sharpened pencils, saddle leather, graphite, and spice. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied 2005 that has a layered, balanced mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It stays relatively focused and tight on the palate, and benefits from air. Drink bottles any time over the coming 20-30 years.

Bright garnet with beautiful, deep intensity, still showing purple hues at the rim. A regal bouquet, delicate and multi-layered, with highly ripe, perfumed Cabernet, notes of cassis, blueberries, a blossoming blackberry bush, and a hint of vanilla and caramel filling out the aromatic picture. On the palate, a delicate temptation, truly silky tannins, finesse, and a focused finish. Rarely have I taken such a generous sip of a far-too-young Bordeaux without any remorse. A moving “youthful sin” experience!

88.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.7% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot. Very dark violet-crimson with black reflections at the core. Restrained, still defensive bouquet: plenty of black tea, licorice, small ripe black berries, dark malt and black noble woods; feels aristocratic but somehow just getting started. On the palate, very fine and perfectly structured, the whole aromatic profile in the black register—again noble woods, Darjeeling, tea notes—extremely concentrated yet delicate. A class of its own in Pauillac and currently the absolute leader in the northern Médoc. A dramatic Lafite that will write history for its own estate. (20/20). The last wine at midnight at the Lafite tasting in Klosters. Bright garnet with beautiful, rich depth, still showing purple highlights at the rim. Royal bouquet, delicate, multi-layered, showcasing highly ripe, perfumed Cabernet in the form of cassis notes, blueberries and blossoming blackberry bush; a touch of vanillin and caramel rounds out the nose. On the palate, a gentle temptation from the first moment, truly silky tannins and finesse, a focused finish. Rarely have I taken such an unregretted, grand sip of a Bordeaux far too young. A moving youthful-sin experience! (20/20). 17: Deep, dark red with still bluish, even violet reflections. The nose shows a straight, continuous line, perfect in every respect. Extremely dark-berried: cassis and blueberries, then complemented by many noble woods, dark chocolate and the finest traces of mint. The palate shows a very balanced, homogeneous astringency with a perfect frame, a focused, extremely long finish. Not a single flaw to be found. Apart from the fact that it is still far too young, even though it currently does not present as introverted at all. Once at proper maturity, its exorbitant enjoyment level will hold for many decades. Perfect! (20/20).

Closed, deep, complex bouquet: currants, black cassis, flint, black tobacco. Dense, multi-layered, closed palate with plenty of fine tannins, a finely muscular, concentrated structure, diverse dark aromatics, very long, dense finish. Can improve further. 19/20 2024 - 2060

Waves of saffron, truffle, black tea and earth set the pace for a remarkably balanced and aromatically complex wine. This is still a baby at 17 years old, but has reached the level of Lafite character when all is elegance and finesse – the perfect example of how in Bordeaux they don’t need excess to deliver something extraordinary. As things relax, you get a lusciously more concentrated core of cassis and bilberry fruit, with cedar, charcoal, violet, raspberry leaf and slate. Fine tannins hold it all in place; you could give this a long carafe to drink now, but the real magic needs another decade or so. Charles Chevallier technical director, and this was the last year with Emile Peynaud as consultant, before Jacques Boissenot took over in 2006. A pair of scales was chosen to decorate the bottle neck to reflect the balance of the vintage.

The 2005 Lafite is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot. Deep garnet-brick in color, it slips sensuously from the glass with eager-to-please scents of crème de cassis, Christmas cake, and cedar chest, giving way to hints of Indian spices, sweaty leather, and pencil shavings. The mineral-laced, medium-bodied palate is elegant and shimmery, delivering firm tannins and a soft-spoken finish. Delivering a mature, wonderfully evocative experience now, it is well within its drinking window and should cellar to 2045+. At this time the estate was managed by Baron Eric de Rothschild and Charles Chevallier was technical director.

Very powerful, virile, with an ultra-tight texture, it is beginning to reveal graphite aromas and hint at its considerable finesse.

What a wine! A true essence of Lafite: compact, powerful and deep, with exemplary refinement and sumptuous tannins. Immense length and a superb mineral signature.

Logo on the cork: JL (Lafitte Liège) We had to wait until this 11th wine to start swooning. Dark color. Normal intensity, slightly evolved. Intense nose, very fruity and not at all open. Round, juicy entry on the palate, immediately fragrant. The wine combines a silky touch while being generous at mid‑palate. Then it melts, juicy, on a noble texture, with a succession of twists and turns. Great, complex finish with fine grain and plenty of depth. Bravo!

96-98 Barrel sample. Deceptively soft, dusty tannins; underneath this velvet veneer, the wine is a powerhouse of dry firmness. It's a powerful expression of Cabernet Sauvignon with great ripeness and cassis flavors.