2005 Lafite Rothschild
Buying options
Tasting notes
Classic. Uncoils from glass gradually, revealing kirsch, blackcurrant, graphite, perfume. Pencil shavings. Hint of cloves. Grippy, very tightly knit still but layered and with huge potential. Classy, polished and refined. Everything in virtually perfect harmony, all in check. Once it gets into its stride and opens up over the next decade, this will be a very, very special effort.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Relatively pale garnet and relatively ethereal as usual. Savoury and fresh. Extremely distinctive. Mix of ink and cheese biscuits and very refreshing. Sui generis . (JR)
Effortless, balanced, fine elongated tannins, mouthwatering and moreish. Walking the tightrope of concentration and uplift, as Lafite does so well, and is a wonderful example of this vintage, still with decades ahead of it, delivering cassis, slate, mint leaf, sea spray, crayon and joy. 100% new oak Ignace-Joseph Vanlerberghe 1855, Baron Joseph 1868, scales on the bottle. Charles Chevallier technical director for this 2005 vintage, in the last year with Emile Peynaud as consultant. 43hl/h yield.
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.
About the producer
Ch. Lafite Rothschild is one of the most famous wine estates in Bordeaux and the world. One of the Left Bank’s five First Growths, the Pauillac property is renowned for producing wines of finesse and elegance that age beautifully.