Category:
 
Red Wines
Sub-Category:  
 
Red Wines
Producer:
 
Lafite
Label Name:
 
Pauillac 1er Cru
Vintage:
 
2005
Country:
 
France
Region:
 
Pauillac, Bordeaux
Volume:
 
750ml
ABV:
 
13%
Grape(s):
 
Cabernet Sauvignon 89%, Merlot 11%, Petit Verdot trace
Acidity:
 
3
Tannins:
 
5
Sweetness:
 
1
Body:
 
4
Length:
 
5
Aroma Intensity:
 
4
Best Temperature:
 
16-18°C

Awards/Ratings
Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) ~98, Wine Spectator 98, Wine Enthusiast 99, Jancis Robinson 19. 5/20; widely cited among top 2005 Bordeaux (long-term cellaring potential)

Tasting Note
Reserved, elegant blackcurrant and black cherry with cedar, graphite, tobacco and violet notes; firm, polished tannins, bright acidity, mineral core and a long, refined, saline finish.

Food Pairing
Western: roast lamb, grilled ribeye, beef Wellington, aged hard cheeses. Asian: Peking duck, Korean BBQ (bulgogi/marinated beef), char siu, Cantonese roasted meats, Sichuan braised beef.

Production Method
Hand-harvested, parcel vinified in wooden vats, malolactic fermentation in barrel; aged ~18–20 months in new French oak (classic Bordeaux Grand Vin methods).

Vineyard Info
Château Lafite Rothschild, a historic Pauillac First Growth owned by the Rothschild family since 1868; ~112 ha of gravel soils producing the Grand Vin and second wine Carruades de Lafite.