2022 CHÂTEAU LAFITE 1er Cru Classé Pauillac, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU LAFITE

2023 1er Cru Classé Pauillac

Grapes Merlot, Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Pauillac
Classification 1er Cru Classé
ABV 12.9%

This hits you right off the first nose, driven by slate and crushed rocks, setting the tone and the architecture, guiding the fruit through the palate. Cassis, bilberry, tobacco leaf, graphite, crushed mint, finessed and sculpted, this is a gorgeous Lafite, with fine tannins and the squid ink character that seems to be present in all of this stable of wines except Moulin de Duhart. Hidden power, where nothing is too much and yet everything is concentrated, once again proving that the terroir at this particular spot has its own personality that stands out every year. High Cabernet as ever, combined with around 15% press wine. Not the concentration of 2022, but in many ways showcasing the essence of Lafite more squarely, and this will delight anyone lucky enough to own it in future years. 45hl/h yield, highest since 2015, harvest September 7 to 29. 100% new oak. New cellar underway, due for completion in 2027. I am giving it 10 years to begin entering its opening window, a little less than usual but it will make no difference to how long you can cellar it. Drinking range: 2033 - 2055 Rating: 98-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2024)


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90-95% new oak 93 Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 Merlot, 1 Petit Verdot 41 hl/ha 3.5 pH 12.8% alc 20% press wine addition Harvest took place between 7 - 29 September My visit to Lafite was a somewhat confusing whirlwind of conversation and tasting.  The statistics I noted (oak, pH, yield, alcohol, and press wine addition) seem to differ from those of other commentators, so they may be correct or misleading.  I will endeavour to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible – certainly in time for the publication of my full report.  I was informed that 2023 was a vintage of “free interpretations”, which makes sense given this renowned wine’s perfume and flavour.  There was also talk of 2023 resembling a modern version of the great 2016 vintage, although I am unsure about this declaration.  The trademark elegance and sophistication of Lafite are present at this wine’s core, but these erudite notes are cloaked in restless oak and uncharacteristic wildness, and they are topped off with brisk tannins and pleasing acidity, which brings a refreshing bitterness to the finish.  It appears that this oft-aristocratic wine seems to be going through a rebellious phase. While I don’t doubt it will find peace ahead of being bottled, this unusually combative wine is undoubtedly experiencing a slice of élévage angst.  In any case, I am so used to Lafite being a serene and unruffled haven during the hectic circus that is En Primeur week that it is somewhat encouraging to taste a wine with genuine energy and attitude.  Given its magnificently tense finish, I don’t doubt this will be a long-lived Lafite. There will be many occasions when this wine will be placed alongside the statuesque 2022 vintage, and we will debate the myriad merits of these fascinatingly diverse wines. Rating: 19+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)

The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild races out of the glass with notable textural intensity. Explosive and deep, with striking balance, Lafite dazzles in this vintage. The 2023 is a somber, virile Lafite endowed with remarkable depth and tons of sheer character. Plum, blackberry, gravel, pencil shavings, graphite, mocha and lavender build into the intense, palate-staining finish. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2023 - 2073 Rating: 95-98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

The grand vin is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, picked between September 7th and the 29th. Very pure Cabernet aromatics on the nose, of blackcurrants and griottes, with a minerally and smoky restraint, dressed in white flower freshness but there are also darker more brooding notes, of dry-crushed black cherry, tar and black olive, but they dance in the background. And then it turns back to pure blackcurrant again as it opens out in the glass, showing the core material of the vintage. The palate is appropriately tense and structured, impressing with a modest and restrained texture, sinewy and consistent through the midpalate, with a strong tannic frame. Very convincing, very complete, understated but ultimately this reveals everything it needs in this vintage, it is just that it shows it selectively, rather than in the more effusive manner some show it. That’s Lafite for you. It finishes long and charged, with a braiding of dry savoury fruit, a fine grain of tannins, and fresh acids, all simmering on the palate for minutes. A seriously stylish first growth. The alcohol is 12.9%. Rating: 96-98 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

Château Lafite

1855 classification - Premier Grand Cru Classé The long history of Château Lafite includes a period in the 17th and 18th century when it was owned by the Ségur family, who also at the time owned Latour and who's name lives on at Calon-Ségur and Phelan-Ségur. By the time of the 1855 classification which rightly recognised the reputation of Lafite, the estate was under a complicated ownership arrangement which inevitably unravelled, and Lafite was sold to Baron James de Rothschild, largely it would seem to keep uo with his cousin Nathaniel Rothschild who had recently purchased Brane-Mouton (later to become Mouton Rothschild). He died a couple of months later, but his descendents own the estate to this day. Baron Eric, who took control during the 1970's, returned Lafite to its rightful place at the top of the Bordeaux hierarchy with a programme of investment, improvement and modernisation. There are 103ha of land under vine at Lafite, facing Cos d'Estournel across the Jalle du Breuil which marks the border between Pauillac and Saint Estèphe. Indeed, Lafite own a small parcel of vines over the border in Saint Estèphe. Just over 70% is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon with 25% Merlot and smaller portions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Vines for the grand vin average around 40 years old with none less than 10. Wines are aged in barrels from their own cooperage for aound 18 months. The second wine is Carruades de Lafite which usually features a higher proportion of Merlot in the cuvée.

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