2005 Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux Blend

Bordeaux Blend - 6L
$10,500.00
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REVIEWS

JS 100 DC 99 WE 99 JR 98 JA 98 JL 98 W&S 98 WS 98 WA 96 TWI 95
JS 100

jamessuckling.com, February 2011

An incredible nose, so subtle with red fruits, mint, minerals, and all sorts of flowers give way to Cohiba cigar tobacco. The palate has such freshness and density, with perfectly polished tannins. Slightly leathery, like...
DC 99

Decanter, June 2021

A wine worthy of superlatives, the 2005 Lafite showed incredible concentration yet a superb balance. The lovely blackcurrant and plum fruit shows a fragrant floral edge, hints of oak spice, and a firm, earthy...
WE 99

Wine Enthusiast, June 2008

This wine is initially dense, almost thick enough to be cut with a knife. But then it becomes apparent that this is beautifully integrated and balanced, bringing together power, with the hallmark Lafite style and poise...
JR 98

Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages, May 2018

(19.5/20) This was the star of the tasting for pure, inherent quality – a truly glorious wine that will presumably continue to impress those lucky enough to taste it for many decades to come. Very dark, shaded crimson...
JA 98

janeanson.com, August 2022

Waves of saffron, truffle, black tea and earth set the pace for a remarkably balanced and aromatically-complex wine. This is still a baby at 17 years old, but has reached the level of Lafite character when all is elegance...
JL 98

TheWineCellarInsider.com, July 2022

Youthful, classically styled, full-bodied, fresh, bright, crisp, chewy, and tannic, the red fruits offer purity, vibrance, and length, along with lead pencil, flowers, spice, cigar box, thyme, and oceanic characteristics...
W&S 98

Wine & Spirits, October 2008

Lafite is the most elegant of the firsts in 2005; it also may be the most romantic. The wine's heady scent of new oak rises in harmony with the succulent red fruit. Then the tannins come on with a gentle roar, layering...
WS 98

Wine Spectator, March 2008

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...
WA 96

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, July 2016

Having tasted the 2005 Château Lafite-Rothschild several times both blind and non-blind, it comes across as a First Growth politely requesting more time to "settle". Here, from an ex-château bottle tasted in Bordeaux, it...
TWI 95

The Wine Independent, July 2022

The 2005 Lafite is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot. Deep garnet-brick in color, it slips sensuously from the glass with eager-to-please scents of creme de cassis, Christmas cake, and cedar chest, giving...

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type Red
Varietal Bordeaux Blend
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Sub-region Pauillac
Vintage 2005
Size 6L

Chateau Lafite, the famous Pauillac property of the Left Bank of the Medoc, began to earn its reputation as a great winemaking estate in the 17th century. Acquiring a strong following in London in the early 18th century, Lafite found its way to the Versailles court, receiving acclaim as the “The King’s Wine”. The reputation did not diminish, achieving a pinnacle when it was ranked a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.

On August 8, 1868, Baron James de Rothschild purchased Chateau Lafite, although he died just three months later leaving Lafite to his three sons. The years that followed were considered a golden age for the estate, producing a rich legacy of remarkable vintages.

Fortunes turned at the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, which were turbulent years. The vines suffered both a phylloxeric crisis and mildew. Then there was organized fraud, World War I, followed by the Great Depression, and finally the occupation of France during World War II. After this difficult period, Baron Elie de Rothschild was entrusted with the recovery of the Lafite estate, leading programs to restore the vineyards and the buildings, as well as becoming an active participant in tasting events and the founding of a regional guild.

The recovery and renewal period at Chateau Lafite was continued by his nephew, Baron Eric de Rothschild, who made great strides forward in the management of the estate and in the replanting and restoration of the vineyards. He also extended the horizons of the Domaines through new acquisitions both in France and abroad.

This famous First Growth is often described as perfumed, elegant and delicate, and one of the finest wines in Bordeaux. According to Baron Eric de Rothschild, Chateau Lafite has a beautiful, generous, and kindly soul that turns bare earth into heaven. The blend for this grand vin varies from vintage to vintage, but is typically 80-95% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5-20% Merlot, with the balance from Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.