Château Lafite-Rothschild 2010

The price left us speechless — so let’s talk about the wine instead: it’s noble, stylish, of exceptional class, and ranks among the finest Lafite ever.

Rather tight, with an alluring whiff of cocoa that lures you in before disappearing into the core of steeped plum, roasted fig and blackberry coulis notes. Sandalwood, black tea and loam elements fill in on the long and expansive finish. This seems to be lying in wait for what could be a very long time in the cellar before unfurling fully. Best from 2018 through 2045. 15,833 cases made.

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 color 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.

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot. Thick and fibrous, with the highest tannins of the first growths in this vintage, although the acid is equal to this astringency. Chewy on the mid-palate, only becoming refreshing on the finish. Baked-earth and charred-meat complexity perhaps reflect the heat of the year. (RH)

The 2010 Château Lafite-Rothschild has a vivacious bouquet with feisty red berry fruit laced with kirsch, blueberry and subtle blood orange aromas that soar from the glass. There is no ignoring these aromatics. The palate has a soft, fleshy entry that caresses the senses, quite plush and more like a 2009 in style. Layers of red and black fruit vie for attention, leading to a sensual rounded finish. Excellent, but I just would have preferred more grip and backbone. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

The potential is here. The nose is strong, complex, and haunting. But on the palate, the dusty tannins are front and center, keeping most of what the wine has in check. Give it another 10–15 years and this could blossom.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim, intense dark berry fruit, hints of cassis, blackberries and liquorice, fine candied orange zest, soft notes of mint, some coconut and vanilla. Powerful, very complex, fully ripe cherry fruit, very fruity, round, vivid tannins, fresh acidity, finely spicy and mineral, long lasting, definite ageing potential.

87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.8% Merlot. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Dramatic Cabernet bouquet—neither hot nor heavy, but floral, fresh, and direct, perfectly timed—with blueberry and licorice notes overlaid with dark noble woods and tobacco. Perfect palate, already showing a first silky melt over rounded, fine tannins; perfumed, with an almost delicate astringency; an intense, regal finish—a legendary Lafite!

87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.8% Merlot. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Dramatic Cabernet bouquet, not hot or warm, but floral, fresh, and direct, perfectly timed, with notes of blueberry and licorice, underpinned by dark noble woods and tobacco. Perfect palate, already showing initial silkiness over rounded, fine tannins, perfumed at the core; the astringency is almost delicate, with an intense, regal finish. Nothing to criticize here—only ungrudging admiration. A legendary Lafite of exceptional class. Charles Chevalier: “This is grand classicism, not least because in terms of alcohol it’s almost a normal Lafite; we ended up at around 13.5% by volume. So a rather reassuring situation compared to certain competitors.”

(87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.8% Merlot) Complex, concentrated, profound, velvety bouquet; black berries, prunes, blackcurrant, dark tobacco, fine woods, mocha. Dense, fresh, elegant, multi-layered palate with dense, velvety fruit, plenty of very good tannins, compressed, multi-faceted aromatics, elegant, clear structure, very, very long, aromatic finish with excellent lingering flavors. 20/20 2020 - 2050

Perfectly captures the Lafite mix of delivering concentration wrapped up with delicacy and slow-build construction, with the tannins showing a scraping, chalky minerality at first and then widening out through the mid palate to reveal a creamier edge. Cut herbs, liquorice, fennel, cassis, bilberry, loganberry, cigar box, incense. More closed than the 2009, as you would expect, but this is right up there with the greatest wines of the vintage, and one that you will be able to pick out of a cellar in 30 years time without the slightest worry. Brilliant. 100% new oak for ageing, from their own DBR Lafite cooperage. And once again, having this wine among the rest of the lineup during a comparative tasting is so instructive in terms of understanding the extra depths that you get from Lafite.

The color is black and the nose is intense, superb. The palate opens with a very elegant attack, the mid-palate is fabulously spicy and pure, and the finish is fresh. The wine is less monumental than the 2009, but with added freshness—more Lafite overall. One of the stars of the vintage.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases) Bad bottle Tasted blind, not decanted. Dark color, intense and slightly evolved. Intense, subtle nose with ripe, creamy fruit. Rounded palate, lacking body, with a harsh finish that has nothing to do with the usual profile of the cru. It’s a faulty bottle and a big disappointment.

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 emerges with time. Great finish. So, so long and harmonious. Try in 2018.

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.

The 2010 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot (a 3% difference from the barrel sample shown two years ago), achieved relatively high alcohol of 13.32%, according to administrator Charles Chevalier. The wine is very impressive, not as fleshy, flamboyant and massive as the 2009, but nevertheless, a big, rich, full-throttle Lafite-Rothschild meant to age a half century or more. Deep purple, with notes of white chocolate, mocha, cedar and charcoal as well as hints of vanillin and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied yet has that ethereal lightness that makes it a Lafite. Rich, with good acidity, precision and freshness, this is a slightly zestier version of the 2009 as well as more restrained and structured than that particular vintage. It will need at least 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 50+ years.