Lafite Rothschild

“Lafite has a soul, a beautiful, generous, kindly soul. Lafite turns bare earth into heaven. Lafite is harmony, a harmony between man and nature, because without our magnificent winegrowers, nothing would be accomplished.” - Baron Eric de Rothschild

In 1815, Guillaume Lawton said of Château Lafite, “I consider it to be the the most elegant and delicate, with the finest substance of the three (Premier Crus). The location of its vines is one of the finest in the Médoc”. In 1855 the Château was ranked as a Premier Grand Cru in the famous classification that was prepared for the Universal Exhibition of that year.

Winemaker notes

2020: Deep black color. The nose offers a broad palette of intense and well-defined aromas, with spicy black fruits like blackberries and black cherries on a background of subtle notes of cocoa and tobacco that accentuates the aromatic richness of this wine. On the palate, the attack is frontal, dense, and velvety, accompanied by fleshy and powerful tannins that result in a very complex, long, and extremely tasty structure. A wine of superb balance and subtlety that embodies this vintage at best.

2000

Wine Advocate 98+: Since I gave this wine a perfect score, I suppose some could see this as a downgrade. I found everything still there for a perfect rating, but I was just struck by how tight and backward the wine was. A blend of 93.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, the wine still has a dark ruby/purple color and an extraordinarily youthful nose of graphite, black currants, sweet, unsmoked cigar tobacco, and flowers. The wine is rich, medium to full-bodied, but has that ethereal elegance and purity that is always Lafite.

James Suckling 100: The nose is fresh, bright, and dense. With aromas of violets, minerals, spices, cool stones, mint, dark fruits, and plum skins, this is beautiful. Very much still a baby right now, it needs much more time. This is a wine for the next generation. Finesse and elegance, truly a wine that makes you contemplate life. This is not about power, there is really nothing like it. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vinous 97: The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is deep in color. It has a beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, cedar and mint, still quite closed but very focused. There is a lot of power here, but maybe not the same level of elegance as other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, firm grip, very nicely judged acidity and good density on the finish. This is quite backward and muscular at the moment, although aeration/decanting shaves some of its edges. It’s just beginning to open and improves with time in the glass. Drinking dates: 2023-2060.

Decanter 98: The bouquet is amazingly open and forward at this stage, with a ripe black fruit character on the nose just beginning to open up and reveal savoury notes of leather, earth, and roast coffee. The texture is lush and dense, and there is plenty of body and structure to make this a wine for the long term. I visited the Château in July of 2000, and it was pouring with rain; that week, there was plenty of spraying for rot. Fortunately, it was hot and dry for the rest of the summer, and the fruit ended up healthy and ripe, although only 36% of the harvest made it into the grand vin, which was 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot.

Wine Enthusiast 99: Perhaps of all the first growths in the totally un-classic 2000, this retains most of the classic Bordeaux. It is certainly almost black in color, while the new wood flavors are very present. But it shows an impressive restraint, leaving the power of the wine to be revealed over the years rather than immediately. This could well be the longest-lived of the Pauillac first growths.

2006

Wine Advocate 95: Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London and then blind at Farr Vintners tasting. The 2006 Château Lafite-Rothschild offers impressive fruit intensity on the nose, although it does not have the precision of the 2006 Mouton-Rothschild. Red berry fruits intermingle with rose petals and sous-bois scents - very typical Lafite bouquet where less can be more. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and a keen line of acidity. It is certainly very well balanced with graphite-tinged black fruit, but whereas Mouton-Rothschild possesses that peacock's tail, Lafite remains linear. Nevertheless, the sophistication really comes through here. It is a Lafite-Rothschild that may spring a few surprises down the line, one of those wines that keeps drawing you back. Understated class.

James Suckling 95: The aromas of blue fruit, iodine, sweet tobacco and lavender follow through nicely to the palate that’s medium-bodied with fine, firm tannins and a long, cool finish. Still a little tight, but show great finesse and pedigree.

2008

Wine Advocate 98: A candidate for the -wine of the vintage,- the 2008 should have been purchased before it began to soar in value because of the significance of the number 8 in the Chinese culture (denoting good luck). Representing 40% of the production, this blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc offers aromas of high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, earth, cedar and asphalt. Full, rich and stunningly concentrated, I doubt it is inferior to the 2010, just more classic as well as slightly more forward and a degree weaker in alcoholic potency (12.5% versus 13.5%)

James Suckling 95: Minerals, tar and sous bois with dark fruit. Sweet tobacco. Black licorice. Full and chewy with lots of fruit but very reserved. So much mineral and sweet tobacco. It is all there. Give it four to five years of bottle age before beginning to explore the wine.

Decanter 97: The 2008 seems to suit Lafite somehow, because you expect a little more austerity and subtlety in its youth and this vintage plays into that. It has all of those very classical signatures such as pencil lead and cassis, accompanied by menthol, slate and asphalt. It has good weight and fine tannins. Delicious, subtle and gulpable.

2010

Wine Advocate 100: Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Lafite Rothschild is a little mute on the nose at this stage, opening to reveal warm blackcurrants, baked plums and boysenberry scents with hints of chocolate mint, violets, cedar chest and pencil lead. Full-bodied, rich and densely packed with perfumed black fruit layers, it has a rock-solid backbone of fantastically ripe, grainy tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing very long and minerally. Still very youthful!

James Suckling 99: This is shy and not giving its all at the moment. Yet it is full and intense with a tightly intertwined tannic and fruit structure. Ethereal blackberry, currant, cedar, and nutty flavors. Dried flowers too. Cedar jewel box smell comes out with time. Great finish. So, so long and harmonious.

Vinous 95: The 2010 Lafite-Rothschild is a beautiful Pauillac in the making. It has a very well-defined bouquet that exhibits more red than black fruit, laced with cedar, damp undergrowth and pressed flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, conveying a sense of symmetry and focus that is second to none. Yet I feel that there ought to be greater substance and grip towards the second half. I miss the fullness shown by the 2009 Lafite-Rothschild that is shown alongside it. There is a pleasant sharpness and clarity to this decidedly masculine Lafite. I suspect it will continue to improve in bottle, if never taking the accolade of "best in show" for this auspicious growing season. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate.

Wine Enthusiast 100: Almost black in color, this stunning wine is gorgeous, rich and dense. It's grand and powerful, with a strong sense of its own importance. The beautiful tannins and the fragrant black currant fruits are palpable. It's a great wine, with huge potential.

Decanter 100: This vintage featured a cold winter and cool weather at flowering, followed by a dry summer with a hot July and warm days and cool nights in August and September. The season delivered a wine with an inky dark colour and bright aromas of blackcurrant and spice with a distinctive floral edge. The texture is lively and crisp, with plenty of freshness, firm tannins, and impressive length. This wine will be best after another 10 years in bottle and will easily last 50 years beyond that. This superb, vibrant wine is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot with no Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot in the grand vin.

2012

Wine Advocate 91: The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, representing only 38% of their total production, is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance mostly Merlot. It is a very stylish, elegant, yet concentrated Lafite Rothschild with an opaque ruby/purple color, soft well-integrated tannins, nice integrated oak, acidity and alcohol. Lafites’s 2012 reveals good, opaque, ruby/purple color and plenty of lead pencil and blackcurrant fruit. The wine is medium-bodied and should hit its prime 2020-2035.

James Suckling 95: Superb structure for the vintage with blackcurrants, cedar, mushroom and sweet tobacco character. Full-bodied yet reserved and tight with an impressive density. Long finish.

Wine Enthusiast 96: Showing the serious side of Lafite, this is big and dark, powered by tannins as much as fruit. The wood aging is still showing, although that will integrate into the great structure that holds up the ripe black currant fruits. Totally dominated by some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux, this wine has strength while also having great freshness. Drink from 2024.

2018

Wine Advocate 100: The 2018 Lafite Rothschild is blended of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot and has 13.3% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock intoxicating scents of blackcurrant cordial, baked plums and black cherry compote with an undercurrent of dark chocolate, licorice, cast-iron pan, cedar chest and fertile loam, plus a waft of pencil lead. The delicately crafted, medium-bodied palate is dripping with class, featuring layers of mineral-laced black fruits and exquisitely ripe, singularly Lafite tannins, finishing with epic length and depth. This simply stunning, delicately crafted expression of 2018 with its singularly evocative imprint of Lafite will require a good 7-8 years in bottle, then should continue to inspire awe over the following 40+ years.

James Suckling 99: Wow. The aromas are so intense and refined at the same time, offering gorgeous blackcurrant, lead-pencil and orchid character. Such purity of fruit. Sleek and finely polished with a fine cut to the tannins that provide such grace and glamor. Yet, it’s got the power and structure to age for decades. On and on.

Wine Enthusiast 100: An immensely structured wine, this is complex, concentrated and yet so contained. The wine impresses with its balance, layers of succulent black-currant fruits and effortless style. A wine for the long term, it should not be touched before 2029.

2019

Wine Advocate 100: One of the greatest wines produced in Bordeaux this year is the 2019 Lafite Rothschild, an impeccably balanced classic of immense charm and grace. Wafting from the glass with arresting aromas of cassis, blackberries and cherries mingled with violets, cigar box and warm spices, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, concentrated mid-palate framed by exquisitely powdery tannins and ripe acids, and concluding with a long, perfumed finish. This rivals the 2010 and 2016 as the greatest Lafite of the decade, and of those three vintages, it's clearly the most sensual and demonstrative out of the gates. The blend contains fully 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and attained a modest 13.4% alcohol.

James Suckling 100: So much sweet tobacco, Spanish cedar, dried flowers, dark mushrooms and roses. Really aromatic. This is so polished and very powerful, yet ethereal and refined at the same time. The finish goes on for minutes. Tight and harmonious. You want to drink it! So balanced, yet it will age beautifully. It will be this good forever. 94% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot and 1% petit verdot.

Vinous 98: The 2019 Lafite-Rothschild has a most earthy bouquet with warm gravel and black olive scents percloating through the black fruit. Warm bricks on a hot sunny afternoon. The palate is medium-bodied with gorgeous, saturated yet firm tannis that frame the layers of mineral-laden black fruit. This is a live wire, so tensile and focused towards the finish with a fabulously long aftertaste. Marvelous.

Decanter 98: Performs the trick of being immediately succulent and mouthwatering while simultaneously revving up and building power through the palate. You're getting sapidity and savoury black fruits that are both elegant and full of power. The spicy rosemary and black pepper, with slate-textured minerality, is almost unnoticeable until it closes in on the final stretch, helping to stretch things out, beat by beat, adding energy and lift.

2020

Wine Advocate 97: The 2020 Lafite Rothschild opens in the glass with a deep bouquet of cassis, black truffle, pencil shavings and violets. Full-bodied, fleshy and layered, its broad attack segues into an ample core of fruit framed by supple, melting tannins. Seamless, layered and complete, it's richer and deeper pitched than the 2019, and its notably high pH of 3.94 likely means it will never shut down. It's a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, incorporating just a touch more Merlot from the plateau of Carruades than the 2019.

James Suckling 100: Amazing aromas here with tobacco, crushed stone, cigar box, currants, tar, and lead pencil, as well as spices, iron, and dried ginger. Medium- to full-bodied, with a density and tightness. Very compact and complex. Racy. Delicacy with strength. Orange peel undertones. A wine to contemplate. You must understand it to understand the great Lafites of the past and those of the future. Only 12.8% alcohol. 92% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Best after 2030, but drink it if you have the chance taste it.

Vinous 98: The 2020 Lafite-Rothschild, which contains the highest proportion of Merlot since the 2016, hit the bull's eye from barrel. Revisiting the wine in the bottle since July, it still bursts from the glass with copious blackberries, touches of blueberry and juniper, pencil lead and a hint of crushed stone. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-chiseled tannins, quite linear and "correct" a quintessential Lafite-Rothschild in many ways. It gently builds in the mouth while keeping a restraint on things, finishing with fine sapidity yet a little more juiciness than you would have found a decade or two earlier. This has the potential to evolve beautifully over several decades.

Wine Enthusiast 100: Structured, dense and with great concentration, this wine is magnificent. Its black fruits and density indicate the power of the wine and its longevity. At the same time, the wine has the elegance that is always associated with this estate.

Decanter 99: An utterly brilliant Lafite - a sense of understated charm, it’s certainly not shouting but delivers a bright, sharp, joyous sensation. Almost subtle in its presentation with delicacy and refinement on show yet such clear power underneath. An incredible aromatic display with ripe black fruits, pepper, liquorice and crushed stones - calm, controlled and contained with beautiful tannin integration and a chalky, salinity on the finish. Supremely complete with mass appeal.

2023

Wine Advocate 97-99: The finest of the first growths this year appears to be the 2023 Lafite Rothschild, a terrific effort that unwinds in the glass with deep and incipiently complex aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, lilac and violets mingled with hints of cigar wrapper and mint. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's vibrant and refined, with a deep core of fruit, plenty of sweet structuring tannin and a compelling marriage between energy and plenitude. It's a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot that reminds me of 2019's tannins combined with 2016's unimpeachable classicism.

James Suckling 97-98: The purity of cabernet sauvignon is so evident here. It mesmerizes you with aromas of black and red currants, cedar, tobacco and bark. It's full-bodied yet there's very impressive weightlessness and agility, as well as subtlety and focus. Some iron and terra-cotta. Cedar and sandalwood undertones. Juicy and plummy at the end. 12.9% alcohol. 3.75 pH. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot.