2005 Wine from France

Wine Spectator, 91 points: Aromas of mineral blackberry and licorice lead to a full body with lots of racy tannins and a long flavorful finish. There's plenty of character with a polished refined style yet tannic. Best after 2011. 9830 cases made...

Wine Enthusiast, 97 points: Power and elegance merge effortlessly in this superb wine. Its pure black currant fruit is tightly coiled supported by just the right amount of firm tannins. Great aging potential. A triumph. - R.V.

Decanter, 100 points: This stunning wine is still extremely young, with an amazingly expressive nose with tea leaf hints. The aromatics keep building and building in the glass, and the elegance and persistency shine through. This was a drought...

jamessuckling.com, 97 points: This appears to be the synthesis of the fabulous 2001 and 2003. It shows wonderful aromas of botrytis spice, honey and citrus rind. Lots of fruit with a tropical fruit undertone of mango and papaya on the palate. Intense...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 100 points: The 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion is pure perfection. It has an absolutely extraordinary nose of sweet blackberries, cassis and spring flowers with some underlying minerality, a full-bodied mouthfeel, gorgeously velvety...

Wine Enthusiast, 90 points: A full, firm, ripe wine that shows considerable style and richness. There are fine, dusty tannins, masking the full-bodied black fruits, licorice flavors, and a firm, smooth aftertaste.

Wine & Spirits, 100 points: How rare to confront a wine of this inner strength and perfect form. Grown at a 116-acre vineyard at the southern border of Pauillac, some of the vines now reaching 100 years of age on a gravel bar overlooking the...

Wine Spectator, 94 points: (92-94 points) Fabulous aromas of blackberry licorice and flowers. Wonderful nose. Full-bodied with racy tannins and a long finish. This is powerful and rich. This is very long and velvety. Gorgeous. The winemaker here...

jamessuckling.com, 97 points: This appears to be the synthesis of the fabulous 2001 and 2003. It shows wonderful aromas of botrytis spice, honey and citrus rind. Lots of fruit with a tropical fruit undertone of mango and papaya on the palate. Intense...

Wineanorak, 94 points: Ripe, aromatic dark fruits nose. The palate is dense with lovely sweetness to the fruit. Very approachable, but structured with it. Nice.

Wine Spectator, 95 points: Dark purple in color. Offers pure fruit with crushed raspberry blackberry and dried flowers on the nose. Full-bodied with supersilky tannins that touch every inch of the palate. Long and racy with elegance and beauty...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: This tastes of great Cabernet Sauvignon, with its black currant, cedar and herbs and fresh, juicy acidity. It is as fresh as it is rich, but it has a structure of dense tannins that balances the wine. This is one of the...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 98 points: Dense ruby/purple, with notes of crushed rock, blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with some licorice and chocolate, this full-bodied, massive wine from proprietor Philippe Cuvelier coincides with the resurrection...