Lagrange - Saint-Julien 2005

Wine Advocate

87 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/06/2015

The 2005 Lagrange comes across as somewhat masculine, tannic and austere. The oak is under control, which is always good to see, but the wine lacks charm and sweetness, although there is some nice concentration and body. Give it another 4-5 years and drink it over the next two decades.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 09/02/2015

Dark crimson. Scented, mineral nose. Really quite aromatic. Lively and relatively light but with excellent tannins and life to it. Not an extreme 2005 but a wine with the concentrated dryness of the vintage. Solid. Impossible to imagine drinking this without food!  13% Drink 2022-2038

La Revue du Vin de France

15,5 / 20

le 20/10/2014

S'il a pour lui une jolie finesse et un côté digeste, il n'affiche pas la constitution et le volume des meilleurs. On peut commencer à le savourer dès maintenant.

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

par Neal Martin le 11/08/2014

Tasted at the château for a 30-year vertical tasting. The 2005 Lagrange is a blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot picked between 21 September and 10 October. It has a lifted, much more concentrated bouquet with blackberry, cedar, mint and cigar box, leaning slightly to Pauillac in style. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, intense red berry fruit laced with cedar and tobacco, building nicely to a structured, extremely well balanced finish that frankly puts previous vintages in the shade. There is a lovely spicy tingle on the aftertaste with that faint coffee tinge. This is the first vintage you could drink now, but I would prefer to cellar for 3 or 4 more years. Drink 2016-2030+ Tasted March 2014.

Jamessuckling.com

96 / 100

par James Suckling le 23/07/2014

Stunning now. A fabulous nose of currants, crushed raspberry and blackberry. Full- bodied, with perfectly integrated tannins and a long, caressing finish. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

par Neal Martin le 13/06/2009

Tasted single blind at Southwold. A very fresh, well-defined nose with blackberry, damson, graphite and cedar – natural and elegant. The palate displays superb concentration even compared to the strong line-up of Saint Julien 2005s. Cedar and blackberry on the entry, a little earthiness that I have not notice previously but still that superb balance and focus with a harmonious finish. Succinct. Wonderful. Drink 2012-2030. Tasted January 2009.

Wine Enthusiast

94 / 100

le 04/12/2008

The tannins dominate this dark, brooding wine. At this stage, it seems to have closed up, leaving the fruit and acidity buried. But with this concentration, the future looks promising. There is long aging potential here.

Decanter Magazine

5 / 5

le 13/10/2008

Lean, deep, rich. A very good wine, very young and tight, with so much to come. Good richness, power and spice. From 2015.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 30/06/2008

Medium red-ruby. Reticent but sweet nose offers plum, black cherry, minerals and bitter chocolate. Thick and powerful but with excellent vinosity and sweetness as well as a slightly exotic character to the red fruit and spice flavors. Deep, slow-mounting wine that builds impressively on the back end. The tannins here make those of the 2006 seem a bit rigid by comparison. I was struck by the thought that Lagrange has done consistently well in the last three vintages, and that each effort is an accurate reflection of its year.

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

par Robert Parker le 07/05/2008

Sweet, toasty, oaky notes interwoven with hints of black olives, blackberries, cassis, and spice box are found in this densely saturated ruby/purple-hued 2005. While rich, with impressive concentration and purity, it is also tannic, full-bodied, and painfully backward and foreboding. This is another long-term prospect that will require patience. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2027.

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

par James Suckling le 22/02/2008

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 21/11/2007

Crimson. Very slithly soapy topnote on a well balanced whole. Round and succulent. not a showy wine but nothing out of place. not especially big or long but classic St julien .Fresh, long finish. Made to drink rather than win points. Has mellowed a little in bottle.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

par Robert Parker le 04/05/2007

Different samples of Lagrange appeared to be at various stages of development, but none of them revealed the flamboyance and richness I tasted last year. The tannins are extremely high, but the wine is big, full-bodied, and slightly rustic with less oak than last year. There are plenty of olive, blackberry, cassis, and cedar characteristics as well as a hint of barbecue smoke, good freshness and precision, and a long, pure finish, but, wow, what an excruciatingly high level of tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030?

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

par Robert Parker le 27/04/2006

Once again the provocative words “the best ever made” appear in my tasting notes. In twenty-eight years, I have never tasted a Lagrange as amazing as this 2005. Its dense ruby/purple color is accompanied by pure notes of creme de cassis, cedar, spice box, and a hint of cherries. Full-bodied, powerful, and opulent, with high tannin as well as extract in addition to great freshness, definition, and length, this long-lived beauty should be at its finest between 2012-2030.

Wine Spectator

92-94 / 100

par James Suckling le 28/03/2006

Aromas of currants, berries, licorice and spice. Full-bodied and very velvety, with wonderful, high quality tannins. Long finish. Balanced and classy. —J.S.