2005 La Lagune Red Bordeaux Blend

2005 La Lagune

95 RP

From the critics:

93 WE

92 VM

92 DEC

91 WS

91 JG

This is very tight and closed still but shows a beautiful line of tannins and freshness. It’s full-bodied,with structure and length. Light tea. Powerful and long. Needs a year or two to open and soften. Better in 2016.

James Suckling | 95 JS

A final blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot from the Frey family, the 2005 is a gorgeous La Lagune, and one of the first great ones under the Frey administration. This wine has a dense ruby/purple color, a beautiful nose of sandalwood, black raspberries, and cassis, silky sweet tannin, medium to full body, and a textured, long, pure mouthfeel and finish. This wine is probably 3-4 years away from prime-time drinking, but it should evolve gorgeously for another 20-25 years.

Robert Parker | 94 RP

Homemade blackberry jelly fruits are the beauty of this powerful but elegant wine. The acidity frames the fruit like an aura, giving a complete picture.

Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

The 2005 La Lagune has an attractive bouquet with plenty of blackberry, raspberry, minerals and dried flowers, the oak neatly integrated. This blossoms nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but firm tannin, just a little chewiness on the front end but considerable weight and concentration at the back. Like many 2005s there is a solid backbone to this wine, to wit, a La Lagune built for long-term ageing. There is firm grip on the finish and as such it needs another two or three years in bottle. Tasted at the La Lagune vertical at the château.

Vinous Media | 92 VM

(Château La Lagune, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Red) Surprisingly engaging, the La Lagune showcased accessible blackcurrant fruit on the nose with stylish hints of smoke, pepper, and fresh leather. The texture was silky and plump, with enough tannic grip to give it a lingering finish. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. (Drink between 2021-2040)

Decanter | 92 DEC

Black in color. Blackberry, currant, sweet tobacco and hints of coffee follow through to a full body, with supersilky tannins and a long, chewy yet polished finish. The best in a long time from this producer. Best after 2014. 8,330 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 91 WS

(Château La Lagune) I had tasted an example of the 2004 La Lagune in New York in September and I was really very worried that the dense and charmless ’04 was indicative of a new direction for the property, rather than simply a swing and a miss. However, the 2005 is excellent and a terrific vintage of La Lagune in the making. The blend in ’05 here is fifty-five percent cabernet sauvignon, thirty-five percent merlot and ten percent petit verdot, and the vintage was raised in fifty-five percent new oak. Fermentation techniques here remain fairly traditional, and the wine’s malolactic is done in tank. The nose on the ’05 La Lagune is deep, cool and classic, as it offers up notes of dark berries, black cherries, leather, tobacco, a fine base of dark soil tones and a fair bit of well-integrated new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep, complex and nicely reserved on the attack, with fine mid-palate depth, ripe tannins and good length and grip on the complex and classic finish. Another château to believe in. (Drink between 2016-2050)

John Gilman | 91 JG

Type of Wine	Bordeaux Red : Picture in your mind a combination of cedar, lead pencil, blackcurrant, plum and mineral aromatics, and texture that caresses your palate like a playful lover. The experience is thrilling from the first whiff to the final seconds of a tannic, generous finish - that is what you'll get from a Bordeaux Red
Varietal	Red Bordeaux Blend : The inhabitants of the Bordeaux region of France have been cultivating wine-grapes for thousands of years. Ancient Roman ruins litter the vineyards from Saint Emilion to Graves where the art of blending Bordeaux varietals has been practiced and perfected over a very long history. Bordeaux’s climate, terroir and soils, though varied, provide the optimal growing conditions for the red grape varietals planted in the region. Rarely listed on the labels as “blend,” the red wines of Bordeaux are perhaps the most artfully designed and celebrated in the world. The calculated art of blending the native Bordeaux varietals is impressively accomplished in the most famous winegrowing region in the world. The phrase Bordeaux Blend which seems to have been coined by British wine merchants in the 19th Century relates as much to wines made from the blend as to the grape variety combination itself. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and occasionally Carmenere are the lead characters in the creation of Red Bordeaux Blends. Each plays a part in their own fashion and implemented in various combinations and percentages in each appellation within Bordeaux. Red Bordeaux Blends are majorly composed of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, roughly making up 90% of all Bordeaux Blends. Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec (occasionally Carmenere) are also important components and vital to the production of the region’s red wines. For simplicity, the winegrowing region of Bordeaux can be divided into three main appellations producing Red Bordeaux Blends; the Left Bank (Medoc), Right Bank and Pessac-Leognan (Graves). The Left Bank has a terroir comprised of a wide variety of gravel, stones, sand, limestone and clay soils on a natural terrain of gentle slopes. This sets the stage perfectly for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the dominant grape of the Left Bank. For example, Chateau Lafite (Paulliac) is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Right Bank is dominated by clay and limestone with sand and gravel, but the clay in the Right Bank is distinctly its own and adds to the health, growth and vitality of the vines of the varietals grown here. Right Bank wines are typically 80% Merlot-based, which are often denser, richer and mature earlier than those of the Left Bank (with exceptions – Petrus for example). Merlot is a vital component to Pomerol winegrowing and making. Cabernet Franc also plays a major role in the Right Bank, most notably, in Saint Emilion, where the infamous vineyards of Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval Blanc are planted to 55% and 52% Cabernet Franc, respectively. Chateaux that produce wines with a majority of Cabernet Franc are considered “old school” producers, but have perfected the use of Cabernet Franc, which was originally used as a blending grape. Pessac-Leognan (Graves) enjoys a temperate climate, natural hygrometry influenced by the ocean, and has a terroir composed of gravelly soil over a clay subsoil on sloping, hilly terrain. Natural drainage due to the hilly terrain as well as the gravelly soil structure are perfectly attuned to the Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine, which prospers under these conditions. Pessac reaps the benefits of having the terroir of both the Left and Right Bank as it contains gravel and clay. The clay sub-soil allows the growth and success of Merlot, as well as Cabernet Franc. It is home to the only First Growth not in the Medoc. The 50-hectare vineyard of Haut Brion is planted to 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The percentage of Petit Verdot and Malbec may be lesser in quantity, but not in quality. They are vital to the region’s creation of Red Bordeaux Blends. The combination of Bordeaux varietals is legendary in the region, around the world and has influenced winegrowers worldwide to plant and vinify wines which resemble those of Red Bordeaux Blends.
Country	France : Wine is the lifeblood that courses through the country of France, pulsing with vigorous pride and determination. Viticulture is not just a hobby or an occupation in France; it is a passion, a cherished tradition that has been passed down through generations of wine stained hands. Winemaking is a beloved art that has been ingrained in the culture, an aptitude instilled in sons by fathers and the hallmark for which France’s reputation was built, allowing it to be renowned as, arguably, the most important wine producing country in the world. For centuries, France has been producing wines of superior quality and in much greater quantity than any other country in the world. It boasts some of the most impressive wine regions, coveted vineyards and prestigious wines on earth. The regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Sauternes and Champagne have become the benchmark, for which others aspire to become. Legendary producers such as Chateaux Margaux, Domaine De La Romanee Conti, Chapoutier, d’Yquem and Dom Perignon are idolized world-wide. France has stamped its name on nearly every style of wine, from the nectar-like sweet Sauternes to hedonistic Chateauneuf Du Papes classic Bordeaux and Burgundy, to its sparkling dominance in Champagne. Many of the most infamous grape varietals in the world, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay originated in France and are not only beloved, but utilized in the creation of some of the greatest wines on earth. French wine production commands the attention of the wine market year after year. With over 860,000 hectares under vine, and numbers close to 50 million hectoliters of wine produced annually, France dominates the market and sets the standard for not only product quality, but also quantity. France’s many contributions to the world of wine have been absolutely indispensable. The country is the originator of the term “Premier Cru,” coined the term Terroir (a French term so complex there is no literal translation) and has laid the blueprint for a structured appellation system, which others have implemented in their own countries. French vineyard techniques and winemaking practices are mimicked world-wide. California vintners have been replicating Rhone style wines for decades, South America has adopted the French varietal of Malbec and countries around the world are imitating Burgundian styled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With vast diversity in terroir, France is home to some of the most hospitable winegrowing locations on earth. The combination of topography, geology, climate, rainfall and even the amount of sunlight combined with the long historical tradition of winegrowing and making, has allowed the vintners of France to not only hone their skills, but learn from nature to create a product that like the world in which it resides… is very much alive.