Château Lafite-Rothschild 2023

Profound, pure nobility, complex aromatic spectrum, clearly defined on the palate, discreet attack, it builds, shows drive and an impressive elegance. Dancelike, playful yet serious, endlessly long. Very Lafite. It will be a joy at every stage of its life.

93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. 44 hl/ha. Cask sample. As always, elegant and refined. Fragrant nose and fine, filigree tannins. Really quite mellow but with freshness and length on the finish. Like a delicate piece of porcelain, though the structure is there. (JL)

The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild, which was bottled in July, is a very succinct First Growth and politely declines to sprint out of the blocks. That is Lafite's style. But these aromas unfurl with each swirl of the glass: very pure black cherries and light blueberry fruit, violet petal, hints of humidor in the background. Superb delineation. The palate boasts exquisite balance, chiseled tannins, fresh and saline, very focused with a judicious touch of cracked black pepper toward the prolonged finish. Just an outstanding Lafite-Rothschild that will vie against the '22.

Richly colored, with a complex aromatic profile offering flowers, spices, cedar, cigar wrapper, lead pencil, crème de cassis, and blackberries. The wine rapidly focuses on its layers of energetic red and black fruits. There is a polished character here. Texturally, this is elegant and racy, with length, purity, and most importantly, charm. It finishes with seamless, gentle waves of crème de cassis. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. 15% press wine. 12.9% ABV, 3.78 pH. Harvesting started September 7 for the young Merlot vines, finishing September 29. The key to success this year was controlling mildew pressure and finding the optimum picking dates. 38% of the harvest went into the Grand Vin. Drink from 2030–2065. 96–98 pts.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Attractive cassis, blackberry, a delicate hint of liquorice, a touch of oak, mineral background. Powerful, taut, lively, fresh red-heart cherry, perfectly ripe tannins, mineral and very long-lasting, extremely elegant and precise, lingers for minutes, has great class. This is the style that has made Bordeaux great, with charm and energy, with power and great, assured ageing potential.

93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. What a seductive, densely interwoven perfume: fresh wild raspberry, sour cherry juice, graphite and blood orange zest. On the second nose, violet, mint and lilac. On the cascading palate, with a silky‑velvety texture, a tightly knit, ripe tannin frame and catapult‑like, energetic drive—immensely dense, profound and precise, a body like a mille‑feuille. In the explosive, never‑ending finish, raspberry purée and red currant—truly great Lafite, making it the best wine of the Left Bank!

Score: 96–98. As is often the case at Lafite during en primeur, the nose is all restraint, with dark fruit that gradually gains power, a touch of graphite, and some earthy notes. On the palate, the wine is sumptuous, flowing, and dynamic, with an energizing, electric edge, carried by enticing fruit and flowers, followed by a divine saline finish with coffee notes. A gustatory apotheosis.

93% Cabernet, 6% Merlot, and Petit Verdot—showing off at 90 years—adds a spice-like touch at 1%. The blend, very classic, reveals its full subtlety in a distinctive balance with great tannin integration, a spicy, zesty backbone that holds the wine, an acidity that appears at the attack then fades, a stretched, ultra-fine silk texture, and an endless finish. Majestic for the precision of its balance and the complementarity of its strengths. For Lafite, it’s an easy vintage. Marked by finesse, rare pepper and graphite flavors, and a spicy chew that settles on the finish. A combination of pedigree and class.

A clear contender for wine of the vintage. Deep, purple colour on the rim. Some soft herbal and floral aromatics, milk chocolate. A real sense of understated power as Lafite does so well. Not so demonstrative at all, but there’s a gorgeous charming delicacy to this - fine, powdery blue-fruit tannins with edges of liquorice and slate. Smooth and supple, excellent weight in the mouth, light and streamlined, less overt acidity and brightness than Carruades, but still with a mouthwatering core that gives strawberry and cherry fruit flavours. Ends with subtle graphite and wet stone, long and lingering though. Just delightful, so elegant and finessed. You can feel the density on the finish, the slight weight of the tannins comes at the end, bringing a controlled and quiet power. I love the sense of ease and seamlessness about this wine, it just slips down. 1% of very old Petit Verdot went into the blend this year. 15% press. 3.8 pH. 38% grand vin production. Ageing 90% new oak. A potential 100-point wine.

98-100. Barrel Sample. Ripe black fruit and dense spice aromas dominate this finely balanced wine. It has structured tannins and juicy black-currant flavors. Quantities are good and the estate seems to have won the race against mildew and heatwaves. This has the potential to be a great wine. Organic.