In Bond per 6x75cl En Primeur ON ALLOCATION
"Neal Martin, vinous.com 96-98/100
The 2020 Lafite-Rothschild is much more intense and complex compared to the Carruades this year. This First Growth bursts from the glass with beautifully defined blackberry and wild strawberry scents laced with sprigs of wild mint and juniper berries. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins that frame the pixelated black fruit. This is quintessential Lafite in that it is not a powerful or immensely structured wine, but rather a First Growth with unerring balance and harmony, one that is unashamedly classic in style. There is just the right amount of dryness on the finish to urge you back for another sip. So Lafite it has its name tattooed onto its DNA. It will begin to soar after 10 years in the cellar. Drink 2030-2070.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate 96-98/100
Displaying a deep purple-black color, the 2020 Lafite Rothschild takes a little swirling and coaxing to unlock scents of freshly crushed blackcurrants, boysenberries and spiced plums, followed by emerging nuances of red roses, raspberry preserves, underbrush and unsmoked cigars, with a waft of cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance and finesse, featuring tightly wound layers of red and black berries and loads of mineral sparks, framed by finely grained tannins and well-poised tension, finishing with fantastic length and the most stunning perfume. Magnificent achievement. This 2020 is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, coming in at 12.8% alcohol and a pH of 3.9. Drink 2028-2063.
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine 97-99/100
Dense, mineral, gently oaky to smell, as always so subtle, fine, demanding of attention; fresh, concentrated, superfine in tannin texture, a gloriously harmonious balance; sweet, succulent, aromatically complex and refined, gently fleshy yet so fresh tasting, very long across the palate, softly mouthcoating, so full of delicate perfume, and intense yet so subtle cassis fruit, and with a terrific farewell of fruit and mineral aromas. A seductively complete and classic beauty, a discreet power, an effortlessly serene and polished performance, a top Lafite. Remarkable at under 13% ABV! (92% CS, 7% M, 1% PV; 45% harvest; 12.8% ABV) Drink 2036–60+"
The celebrated growth of Lafite is of remote origin and very ancient renown. It occupies the finest crests in Pauillac, a region the Latin poet Ausonius spoke of as early as the year 325 B.C. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Seigneurs of Lafite were the high administrators of justice in this country. It was through the officers of their choice that they exercised this right until 1789. The great qualities shown by their wines earned them the sobriquet 'Princes of the Vines'. The bouquet of Lafite wines is very suave and of incomparable delicacy; its savor brings together at the same time the taste of almonds and the scent of violets without it being possible to distinguish whether the one dominates the other. Lafite was very fashionable at the king’s table in the time of Louis XV. It had a place of honor at the banquets held by marshal de Richelieu, and Mme de Pompadour always poured some at her little suppers. After having been the property of the de Ségur family, it belonged to Mr. de Pichard, president of the Parliament of Guienne, until the end of the 18th c. Unfortunately, he was not spared by the upheaval of the revolution and was guillotined in Paris on 12 Messidor in the year II (30 June 1794). After having been made a property of the state, the domain of Lafite was acquired by Dutch owners.
In 1868, it was purchased by Baron James de Rothschild and still belongs to his heirs. The wines of Lafite have always been produced with the same zealous care. They keep their reputation untarnished and still dazzle the world as they once did the Court in Versailles. Château Lafite Rothschild also produces a second label called Carruades de Lafite. ©Conseil des Vins du Medoc
