Château Lafite Rothschild 2005 - Pauillac

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/06/2015

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.

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

par Neal Martin le 28/02/2015

The Château Lafite-Rothschild 2005 has that telltale pencil-shaving bouquet that is wonderfully defined with red berry fruit moving gracefully towards secondary notes of mint, Seville orange marmalade and leather. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, utterly graceful in the mouth, classic in style with a gradual build towards the pencil-lead finish that contains enormous persistence. This is not a powerful Lafite-Rothschild – there is no need. Graceful and elegant, this is an intellectual, sophisticated Pauillac that will age for an extraordinarily long time. If you can splash the cash, why not?

Jancis Robinson

19 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 09/02/2015

The sticker on the bottle suggests this came from Asia. Really very haunting nose: complex already, high toned, rich fruit in the middle and a dry finish. Everything that top red bordeaux should be in fact. A lightly marine-iodine thread. Racy and not at all heavy but I bet it will last forever. There are tannins but they are very fine. 

La Revue du Vin de France

19 / 20

le 20/10/2014

Décanté quatre heures avant la dégustation, ce Lafite se livre à peine. Son nez est profond, avec cette typique note de graphite qui signe les grands Lafite et une petite touche de methol qui lui confère une superbe fraîcheur. En bouche, ce vin "bulldozer" impose sa matière, sa puissance et sa persistance, sans aucune fantaisie aujourd'hui, mais avec une énorme race.

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/06/2009

Tasted blind and tasted twice in the same month, this is a perplexing Lafite that as yet, has not lived up to its show stopping performance in barrel. There is more Cabernet, more graphite on the nose here with wonderful definition – just pure, unadulterated blackberry and cedar. Conservative, tightly coiled and beckoning considerable cellaring. Very smooth on the entry, no hard edges here, polished new oak, very fine tannins, great focus but I would like a little more depth on the finish. Broody, sultry and compelling. Drink 2020-2040+ Tasted January 2009. 96+

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

97 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 30/06/2008

Bright medium ruby. Knockout nose combines black- and redcurrant, minerals, graphite, licorice and lavender. Wonderfully suave and seamless, but with great purity and precision of flavor and terrific inner-palate perfume and lift. This dances over every square millimeter of the palate. Almost painfully young today, with an impression of fresh acidity serving to intensify the wine's flavors. About as austere a wine as I tasted from this vintage in April and yet it's not hard. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and a whiplash of minerally perfume. I'd forget about this one for about 15 years.

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

par Robert Parker le 07/05/2008

While the 2005 is another brilliantly classic Lafite Rothschild, for my taste, it comes in slightly behind their extraordinarily opulent 2003 as well as the dramatically powerful 2000. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, the 2005 boasts a dark ruby/purple color in addition to that exceptional Lafite perfume of graphite, spring flowers, crushed rocks, and sweet black cherry and black currant fruit that exudes class and nobility. The wine is medium-bodied with extremely high levels of tannin in addition to sensational purity, length, and overall harmony. However, it is exceptionally backward, and even more tannic than either the 1995 or 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050+

Wine Spectator

98 / 100

par James Suckling le 22/02/2008

La Revue du Vin de France

19,5 / 20

le 29/08/2007

Sur des notes de fruits noirs mûrs et d'épices, d'une richesse fantastique et d'une puissance maîtrisée hors norme, il possède un sève magnifique et une finale interminable, mais il n'est pas encore tout à fait en place. Enorme potentiel, à oublier en cave.

Wine Advocate

94-98 / 100

par Robert Parker le 04/05/2007

Made in an ethereal style, the 2005 Lafite is composed of nearly 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, just under 11% Merlot, and a tiny fraction of Petit Verdot (representing only 40% of the total harvest). It is a deep, structured, linear style of Lafite Rothschild that is in total contrast to the opulence and extravagant richness of the 2003 and the bold, dramatic power of the 2000. The dense ruby/plum/purple-tinged 2005 offers up scents of graphite, flowers, crushed rocks, and loads of berry fruit. Medium-bodied and sweet with high tannin, it represents the quintessentially elegant style of Bordeaux. Another brilliant effort made under the auspices of administrator Charles Chevalier, it should be at its finest between 2015-2050+.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

93-96 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 30/06/2006

(88.8% cabernet sauvignon, 10.7% merlot and 0.5% petit verdot) Bright ruby-red. Discreet aromas of crushed cassis, cedar and cool licorice. Juicy, very tight and penetrating, with brooding black fruit, graphite and mineral flavors. At once suave and austere, with very firm but fine-grained tannins and slowly mounting flavors that go on and on. This has an IPT of 70, like the 2003, but has a slightly lower pH and higher acidity (3.3 grams, vs. just 3 for the 2003). And the alcohol here is just 12.9%. My score may prove to be conservative. This wine is a cinch to develop in bottle for three decades or more, and should probably not be broached until at least 2017.

Wine Advocate

93-96 / 100

par Robert Parker le 27/04/2006

The 2005 Lafite is a lighter-styled effort than I expected, but of course, this estate is renowned for its delicacy and finesse. After the world-beating, off-the-charts 2003, which is a modern-day clone of the 1959, the 2005 seems pretty and restrained, but very noble as one would expect. Remarkably, the alcohol is actually higher in 2005 than in 2003, topping out at 13+%. The final blend was 88.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.7% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot. Production represented only 40% of the harvest. The wine’s dark plum/ruby/purple color is followed by Lafite’s tell-tale aromas of lead pencil shavings intermixed with flowers, minerals, sweet berries, and black currants. Medium-bodied, quintessentially elegant and finesse-styled with high but ripe tannin, it is an impeccably pure, exceptionally well-made effort. Despite its obvious charm, my instincts suggest it will shut down after bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+.

Wine Spectator

95-100 / 100

par James Suckling le 28/03/2006

Fabulous aromas of currant, tobacco, mineral and cedar with licorice undertones. Muscular wine with firm yet velvety tannins. Full-bodied, with lots of fruit yet reserved and long. Wonderful balance yet plenty of strength. Extremely well-toned and long. 2000 again? —J.S.