Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2005

  • 98 Robert
    Parker
  • 98 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
4.2 Very Good (6)
Sold Out - was $169.97
OFFER Take $20 off your order of $100+
Ships Thu, Apr 4
You purchased this 3/2/24
0
Limit Reached
You purchased this 3/2/24
Alert me about new vintages and availability
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte  2005 Front Bottle Shot
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte  2005 Front Bottle Shot Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte  2005 Front Label Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte  2005 Back Bottle Shot

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2005

Size
750ML

ABV
13.5%

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Château Smith Haut Lafitte's great terroir of deep Gunzian gravel, with old vines sinking several metres into the soil, produced stupendous results: the wines have a concentration, texture, and class never before seen.

Blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet franc, 1% Petit Verdot

Professional Ratings

  • 98
    This sensational, opaque blue/purple-colored wine from Smith Haut Lafitte has a gorgeous floral nose with notes of graphite, blueberries, blackberries, and cassis that jump from the glass of this inky, very dense, yet strikingly pure wine. Light on its feet despite its stunning concentration and multi-layered mouthfeel, this wine has fabulous intensity, richness and length. Quite impressive, and still incredibly youthful, this is a superstar of the vintage, and capable of lasting another 25-30 years.
  • 98
    The 2005s from Bordeaux continue to show youthfully, yet spectacularly well! The 2005 Smith-Haut-Lafitte is a prime example of the vintage and offers a huge, rich, concentrated style as well as classic dark fruits, tobacco, scorched earth and graphite aromas and flavors. While this is a tannic vintage, the tannins here are sweet and polished and covered by fruit. With stunning purity of fruit, notable freshness, and a great, great finish, drink this beauty anytime over the coming two decades.
  • 95
    An impressive nose of spices, dark fruits, and fresh forest flowers. Full-bodied, this has a solid core of fruit and super polished tannins. A fabulous wine, showing great structure and harmony, and a long, long finish. Beautiful stuff.
  • 94
    The Cathiards have invested heavily in this property since they purchased it in the early 1990s. It is one of the great terroirs of the Graves, a raised plateau of gravel where the vines produce a rich and powerful wine. That power is amplified in a vintage like 2005 into a huge, cassis-driven red with the velvet feel of a favorite childhood pillow. The Cathiards do not spare the new oak, a character that dominates this young wine, while the fruit underneath feels healthy and clean, vibrating with tension, set for a long life ahead.
  • 93
    Very grapey, with black licorice and mineral character. Full-bodied, with hints of new wood and spices. Big and velvety. This is balanced and very silky, with harmonious yet chewy tannins. This is a different style from the 2003, but it's equally impressive. A wonderful young wine. Best after 2013. 8,000 cases made.

Other Vintages

2022
  • 98 James
    Suckling
  • 98 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 97 Decanter
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
2021
  • 97 James
    Suckling
  • 97 Vinous
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 94 Decanter
2020
  • 100 Robert
    Parker
  • 100 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 100 James
    Suckling
  • 98 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 97 Decanter
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
2019
  • 99 James
    Suckling
  • 98 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 98 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 97 Decanter
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Wilfred
    Wong
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
2018
  • 99 Decanter
  • 99 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 98 James
    Suckling
  • 97 Wine
    Spectator
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 97 Wine
    Enthusiast
2017
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 97 James
    Suckling
  • 96 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 95 Decanter
  • 95 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
2016
  • 100 Decanter
  • 98 Wine
    Spectator
  • 98 Robert
    Parker
  • 97 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 97 James
    Suckling
  • 97 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 94 Connoisseurs'
    Guide
2015
  • 99 James
    Suckling
  • 98 Decanter
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 96 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
2014
  • 97 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 96 Wilfred
    Wong
  • 96 James
    Suckling
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 94 Decanter
  • 93 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
2012
  • 96 Wilfred
    Wong
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 94 Decanter
2011
  • 95 Decanter
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
2010
  • 100 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 99 Decanter
  • 98 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 95 James
    Suckling
2009
  • 100 Robert
    Parker
  • 98 Decanter
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
2008
  • 93 Decanter
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 91 Wine
    Spectator
2007
  • 91 Robert
    Parker
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Wine
    Enthusiast
2006
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Wine
    Enthusiast
2004
  • 93 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
  • 91 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
2003
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 91 Robert
    Parker
2002
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2001
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
2000
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 93 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Decanter
  • 90 James
    Suckling
1998
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
  • 90 Wine &
    Spirits
1996
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
1995
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

View all products
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, France
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Winery Image

Thanks to its 55 hectares of superb gravelly vineyards, Smith Haut Lafitte is often referred to as the "archetypical Graves." The estate's history goes back to the Crusades, and a Scottish navigator, George Smith, who became the owner of the estate in the 18th century. He was followed by M. Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux, and then Louis Eschenauer, a famous wine shipper.

In 1990, Daniel and Florence Cathiard also fell under the spell of this beautiful estate. Since then, they have restored the 16th century tower, renovated the 18th century manor house, built two underground cellars, went back to traditional vine growing methods without chemical herbicides and set up their own cooperage. The perfect elegance, excellent balance and fine structure of Smith Haut Lafitte's red and white wines are the ultimate reflection of the current owners' total commitment to quality.

Image for Bordeaux Blends content section
View all products

One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.

Image for Pessac-Leognan Wine Bordeaux, France content section

Pessac-Leognan Wine

Bordeaux, France

View all products

Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.

Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.

Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.

The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.

Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.

LSB96221_2005 Item# 96221

Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
Please use a different browser like Edge, Chrome or Firefox to enjoy all that Wine.com has to offer.

It's easy to make the switch.
Enjoy better browsing and increased security.

Yes, Update Now

Search for ""