Château Lafite-Rothschild 2018

Crystal-clear expression of style, incredible density, classy tannins, impressive Lafite.

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.

Very pure, with a sleek and extremely focused beam of cassis, black cherry puree and blackberry preserves streaming through, lined along the edges with savory, sweet bay leaf and black tea details. Those extra notes assert themselves through the finish, but without intruding too much on the fruit, letting it play out over a long iron spine. Hums with precision. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2030 through 2045.

Perfumed on the nose with menthol, blackcurrant, liquorice, and creamy prunes, it is juicy and mellow on the palate, with chocolatey tannins. The relatively high alcohol (13.5%) reflects a hot and dry summer. Gentle yet powerful, the wine showcases an incredible concentration of black fruits, cedarwood, and roasted black coffee, leading into cassis. There is a soft grip towards the finish; it is ripe yet effortlessly elegant, like a fist hidden inside a velvet glove. The pure dark fruits linger endlessly. Tasted from magnum.

pH 3.7. 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample. Black core. Introverted dark fruit, almost sour in its dark freshness. Amazing elegance without any apparent sweetness. So dry, so serious but with body and richness in the middle. Classicism and precision. Some rocky/mineral darkness. Paper-fine layers of tannins. Fresh with power and yet delicacy at the same time. A dark, dry purity. There is a serenity to this wine; it has muscles but isn’t flexing them. Opens up to riper, richer fruit character. Wonderful harmony and refined length. Could turn out to be my wine of the en primeur tastings. (It did.) (JH)

The 2018 Lafite-Rothschild comes in an embossed bottle to celebrate 150 years of ownership by the de Rothschild family. Typical of this First Growth, there is nothing gaudy or showy on the nose; instead, sensual, almost placid aromas of tobacco and pencil-shaving-tinged black fruit unfold gently in the glass. Less extroverted than the 2018 Mouton, this is sophisticated and cerebral. As I found before, it only gains vigor after 60 minutes. The palate is beautifully balanced with finely chiseled tannins, pure black fruit and those traits of cracked black pepper and sage extant. I once thought it might challenge the 2016 with bottle age, and though I feel that the 2018 is not quite at that level, it is certainly a wine befitting the anniversary. Lafite-Rothschild, masterfully proving how less is more.

Compelling in every sense of the word, you know you're in for something special just from the depth of color. From there you experience a cornucopia of aromatics meshing tobacco leaf, cigar box, cedar chest, red currants, cherries, red plums, five spice, flowers and earthy scents. Rich yet incredibly refined, the wine offers incredibly silky textures, a beautiful purity to the fruit and a seamless finish that exceeds 60 seconds. Produced from a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, 13.3% ABV.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate watery edge. Intense black berry confit, tobacco nuances, a hint of fine oak. Complex, finely meshed, fine cherries, ripe tannins, marked by good freshness, red-berry nuances on the finish, rich in finesse and delicate, a salty touch on the finish, sure development potential.

Checking in as a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot, the 2018 Château Lafite-Rothschild is one of those magical Lafites that offers an already up-front, complex, nuanced style yet has the class and balance to evolve for 40-50 years. As always, this wine is never about sheer power, and the 2018 offers a full-bodied, incredibly elegant and weightless style that carries textbook blackcurrant fruits, lead pencil shavings, green tobacco, cedarwood, and camphor aromas and flavors. I compared this wine to a more elegant version of the 2016 from barrel and I think that comparison still holds. Incredibly up-front and charming, and already drinkable with sweet tannins, it will unquestionably pick up more complexity and nuance over the coming 4-6 years. It should hit maturity around age 10 and evolve for 75 years or more given its perfect balance. This is a beautiful, quintessential Lafite that exudes elegance and charm.

Deep purple with an opaque core. What a delicate perfume of blackcurrants, fresh alpine blueberries and red berry compote. On the second approach, elderberry juice, a bouquet of violets and licorice. On the sublime palate, a silky texture, wonderful extract sweetness and a taut body, supported by terroir spice. In the concentrated finish, the package of finesse explodes with a full load of dark cherries, rosewood and black truffles – truly great Lafite – this impressive concentration in magical perfection makes the difference here. It ends with royal astringency. It won’t let you go and literally takes my breath away! World class!

Kunz barrel sample 19: (91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot) Finely concentrated, complex, profound, fresh bouquet, black berries, black cassis, licorice, fine prunes, freshly roasted coffee, a hint of eucalyptus, Black Currant. Highly concentrated, tightly knit, elegant palate with fine power, dense, very dark fruit, elegantly muscular, finely creamy structure, concentrated, superb aromatics, an almost endless, dense, powerful, multifaceted finish with many lingering flavors. 21: Gabriel, finished bottle. 2018 Château Lafite-Rothschild: Deep garnet with purple highlights. Subtle, tightly woven bouquet, on the one hand floral Cabernet notes, on the other an almost lavish, nuanced fruit in the form of blackberry and cassis. The complex, perfumed nose conveys in its intoxicating sweetness a touch of vanillin, fine woods, caramelized fairground almonds and coconut. The palate is regal and this Lafite, still far too young, already drinks almost uninhibitedly in its current primary phase. Above all because its tannins feel like silk. A textbook measure of royalty, finesse and highly promising prospects. I have never had a Lafite so tender and at the same time so immense as a youthful sin in the Gabriel-Gold-Glas. (20/20).

Concentrated, complex, profound, velvety, creamy, fresh bouquet: black cassis, nougat, mahogany, licorice, delicate dried-fruit notes, mint candy, vanilla. Concentrated, multi-layered, elegant palate with a creamy, dense, velvety structure, concentrated dark aromatics, lots of fine tannins, dense dark fruit, very long, concentrated, fresh finish with plenty of lingering aromas. 20/20 2028 - 2060

Silky and powerful, with precisely delineated cassis and blueberry fruit, along with slate and liquorice. The tannins are evident but already show a creaminess that cradles the fruit through the mid-palate. I said this during En Primeur and during the first round of in-bottle tastings, but this wine is remarkable for remaining so balanced and steady in a vintage that saw many neighbouring estates affected by the dry summer. Here instead you get floral aromatics with hints of raspberry leaf and honeysuckle, along with the classic graphite smoke. Muscular with coiled power, it will undoubtedly close down over the next five years, and then need a good decade to open back up. pH 3.75. Yield 40 hl/ha. 40% of the production went into the grand vin. Tannin index 74 IPT. Retasted at an estate vertical in July 2021.

The 2018 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to unlock notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and crème de cassis, with touches of menthol, Indian spices, and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling, spicy black fruits with velvety tannins and a long, energetic finish.

It will follow in the footsteps of the legendary 1959, with greater intensity at birth, more precision, more harmonic complexity in flavor, and finer tannin integration than in all the fine previous vintages. A great wine worthy of its pedigree.

This is one of the most spectacular Lafite wines ever. More exuberant than usual, it still shows exemplary poise and unfolds on the palate with an irresistible intensity of flavor. It finishes with peppery tannins of absolute class. The wine of the vintage.

Subtle, complex bouquet. It unfolds very slowly, revealing classic fruity nuances. It is marked by notes of red berries—first raspberries—then shades of blackberries, and finally hints of licorice and peonies. On the palate, the wine is fine, subtly slender and creamy. It boasts an exceptional tannic framework and manages to shine through its finesse while underscoring its power. I have rarely tasted Lafite Rothschild with such breed and character. The tannins are tight and in tune with the temperament and the tension of the acidity. Everything is about precision, pedigree, the fineness of the grain, and the tannins’ ability to reveal themselves slowly with relevance and precision. A wine that showcases its power without being massive and, above all, with only 13.3% alcohol, which is very rare for 2018. This is a truly great Lafite.

The nose is beautifully elegant, all about finesse/precision (like a delicate silk thread), offering restrained power/control, depth (in subtlety), straightness, class and depth. It reveals notes of vibrant wild blackberry, vibrant blackcurrant and, more lightly, cornflower, combined with touches of ripe/vibrant blue plum, spices, raspberry leaf, hints of tonka bean, a subtle touch of star anise and tea. The palate is elegant, finely wrought, beautifully balanced and offers delicacy, distinction, a fine tangy line, tension, finesse, delicacy, energy, as well as a certain drive and complexity. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackcurrant, boysenberry and, more lightly, juicy purple plum, combined with touches of vibrant raspberry, hints of almond and hazelnut, a discreet touch of cornflower, licorice stick, gravel, a subtle hint of clove and an imperceptible hint of caramelization/vanilla (in the background). A lot of brightness, distinction and finesse in this wine.

Served decanted. Dark, intense, beautiful color—deep, vivid, and youthful. Highly aromatic nose, refined, fruity, pure, and complex. Precise on the attack, velvety and rich mid-palate with a supple body; the wine gains in texture, precise and unforced, leading to a long, noble finish that is powerful and wonderfully perfumed. Great savory, spicy length. Deep flavor.

96–98. Barrel Sample. This wine is packed with plenty of dark fruits and structured tannins that offer an immense power, while also keeping the elegance and richness of a grand Pauillac. With 91% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, the wine has fine tannins as well as bright acidity. It is a great wine with a long-term future.