Red Wines	Bordeaux Red Blends	Pauillac	France - Bordeaux

My Rating (circle) :

Date Printed: 1/9/2009

Château Lafite-Rothschild 2005

(search item no. 94582)
collectible wine
Wine Enthusiast rating: 99 points
Wine & Spirits rating: 98 points
PRICE ON 1/9/2009: $899.00

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2004 The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
2004 Wine & Spirits rating: 95 points
2004 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
2004 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
2003 The Wine Advocate rating: 100 points
2003 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
2002 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points
2002 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2001 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
2001 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 100 points
2000 The Wine Advocate rating: 100 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points
1999 The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
1999 The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
1999 International Wine Cellar rating: 91 points
1999 International Wine Cellar rating: 91 points
1998 The Wine Advocate rating: 98 points
1998 International Wine Cellar rating: 94 points
1997 Wine & Spirits rating: 94 points
1996 The Wine Advocate rating: 100 points
1996 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
1982 The Wine Advocate rating: 100 points

Winemaker's Notes:

"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. The finish is long, with a coffee, almost meaty, aftertaste. Very beautiful and balanced. Best after 2013."
-Wine Spectator

"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+."
-Wine Advocate 94-98

My Notes:

About Château Lafite-Rothschild:

Château Lafite-Rothschild is perhaps the most famous wine label in the world. The estate achieved wide popularity in the 1750s when it became the favorite wine of King Louis XV. Thomas Jefferson was also a steadfast customer and even visited the estate.

In 1868, Baron James de Rothschild became the owner of Lafite. He was a born dilettante, and it suited him to be the master of what, in 1855, was classified as first among the great wines of Médoc. Today, Baron Eric de Rothschild presides over this most famous Bordeaux estate.