France

Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Chateau Lafite Rothschild Premier Cru Classe Pauillac

Bordeaux

Pauillac

The finest of tannins draws this out slowly and confidently, capturing scents of crushed roses, incense, tobacco leaf and white truffle alongside sage, salted cracker, mint, blackberry and raspberry fruits, everything so fully integrated that you can barely tell where one flavour ends and the next begins. Captures the finesse, subtlety and elegance that is such a signature of Lafite when it is fully mature and in an extended drinking window - and from experience I would say that it will stay in this moment for a good few decades more. Driest September on record at the time. Baron Eric de Rothschild heading up the estate at the time, Gilbert Rokvam technical director, Charles Chevallier had joined from Rieussec a few years before. The vineyard was 90ha in the mid 1980s, so around 20ha smaller than today.

Inside Bordeaux

Restaurant Operakällaren

«Kjølig» vin mot andre bdx i 85. Raffinert, elegant og «nobel». Lær, blyant og «grus».

Expert

Rich texture, this stands head and shoulders above many in the vintage, with graphite, crayon, cassis bud rather than exuberant black fruits, this is precise, savoury, delineated, floral, gunsmoke, juicy, captures the effortless elegance that Lafite does so so well, and it totally delivers. Harvest 23 September to 7 October, 32hl/h yield, above the Pauillac average, 16% press wine included in the blend. Director Eric Kohler's 33rd year in Pauillac. I am giving a slightly earlier begin drinking date, but I am certain this will age exceptionally well as Lafite always does. Slightly earlier starting date for drinking than usual, eight years following harvest.

Duft av sorte, sammensatte og saftige bjørnebær, skogsbær, plommer, veldig flotte jordbær toner, mer mot jordbær godteri av kvalitet. En fint preg av våt stein, type fjellbekk og våt leire. Flott parfyrmert stil. 

Smak av konsentrerte, sorte og overmodne jordbær, saftige bjørnebær, veldig pene søtlige krydder toner, anis, søtlig tobakk. Tanninstrukturen, konsentrasjon og syren har en flott balanse seg i mellom. Virkelig en flaske med harmoni. 

Composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. The nose is almost impenetrable to start, needing a lot of shaking to wake up delicate scents of crushed red and black currants, raspberry leaves, warm plums, and boysenberries, followed by hints of crushed rocks, damp earth, lilacs, and Jasmine tea, with just a hint of orange peel. The palate is classic great Lafite, featuring incredibly tightly knit layers of black fruits, minerals, and floral notes bound with a rock-solid structure of exquisitely fine, very firm tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. This is an intellectual triumph, but don't think about touching it for 10-15 years. pH 3.85.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

One of the wines of the vintage, as it was En Primeur, and delivers grip and character, laced with slate, graceful cool blue and black fruit. Finessed tannins opens to show waves of sage, liqourice root, cloves and forest floor. Almost entirely Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Petit Verdot slice from 100 year old grapes. 34hl/h yield, harvest September 22 to October 8, 90% new oak for ageing. A long-ageing wine within the context of the vintage, and a reminder that this is a wine that takes all kind of weather conditions in its stride. 1st year organic conversion.

Exotic and ripe nose, almost sweet fruit with prune, cassis, raspberry, chocolate, violet and a gentle toast underneath. Very dense and powerful palate without heaviness, classically built yet with another dimension of ripeness and purity, chewy and very powdery tannin paired with layers of unctuous dark fruit, a hint of some oak derived butterscotch and roasted coffee notes with a bright fresh backbone and a great persistency.

Sommelier

The 2019 Lafite Rothschild is composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed and broody, delivering subtle notes of stewed tea, aniseed, and crushed rocks over a core of warm cassis and baked plums. The medium-bodied palate is velvety and concentrated, with loads of black fruit preserves layers and a long, spicy finish.

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. 

Beautiful purity with layered aromas of cassis, tobacco, bright dark fruit, a gravelly minerality with just a little hint of oak underneath. Very dense dark fruit flavours with an abundance of very fine tannin adding lift and length, big concentration balanced by a bright acidity. Very grippy, nuanced and long finish with splendid purity of fruit.

A softly fragrant Lafite that is delicate and finessed, hiding its concentration under a slow build through the palate. Fragrant, lace like tannins, cassis, bilberry, crayon, cigar box, showcases the way to weave through this ripe vintage while holding on to signature nuance. This is a Lafite that will grow into gulpable drinkability with another decade in bottle, and is already gorgeous, pure estate signature. If you are looking for a 2015 that is exuberant and overripe, look elsewhere.

Fine swirls of gunsmoke on the first nose, totally enticing, very much in control, with mouthwatering salinity, fine tannic structure that initially masks the build up of power and concentration, with an expansion through the mid palate of raspberry, cassis, rose petals and tobacco leaf. One of those sapid, mouthwatering, moreish Lafites that beg to be drunk, but are deceptive because will continue to develop over the next decade, then hold on for another two or three. It's delicious, not the most luscious 2014, but elegant and on point.

The 2013 Lafite Rothschild is medium garnet in color. Scents of cassis, raspberry pie, and redcurrant preserves waft from the glass, followed by suggestions of graphite, black olives, crushed rocks, and bay leaves. The medium-bodied palate features impressive tension, with tight-knit red berry and herbal layers and a grainy, only slightly chewy texture, finishing with good length.

Savoury bilberry, cassis and liquorice, with softer edges of tobacco and brushed leather. This is a take-your-time, unfurl-slowly kind of a wine, with slate tannins and sappy sage herbs giving a drawn-out finish. Ripe without being exuberant, showcasing graceful, sinewy muscles that feel like a signature Lafite, if lighter in style than the greatest vintages. 38% of overall production, 100% new oak. Charles Chevallier technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant.

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.

Aromatics curl right out of the glass, with restrained cassis interlaced with sweeter spiced berry fruits, crayon, eucalyptus, wet rocks, peony and classically chiselled tannins. Still young, but already totally delicious. Shows so clearly that balance and understatement don't get in the way of intensity and concentration. Unusual to taste Lafite in a lineup with the other wines of the appellation, making it exceptionally enjoyable to confirm the standout quality of the 2009 vintage here. On a different tier, and one with many decades ahead. 100% new oak.

Waves of saffron, truffle, black tea and earth set the pace for a remarkably balanced and aromatically-complex wine. This is still a baby at 17 years old, but has reached the level of Lafite character when all is elegance and finesse - the perfect example of how in Bordeaux they don't need excess to deliver something extraordinary. As things relax, you get a luscious, more concentrated core of cassis and bilberry fruit, with cedar, charcoal, violet, raspberry leaf and slate. Fine tannins hold it all in place, you could give this a long carafe to drink now, but the real magic needs another decade or so. Charles Chevallier technical director, and this was the last year with Emile Peynaud as consultant, before Jacques Boissenot took over in 2006. A pair of scales was chosen to decorate the bottle neck to reflect the balance of the vintage.

Elegant rød frukt, solbær, krydder, en del fat. Lær og skinn både i nese og munn. Lang og kjempekonsentrert. Veldig, veldig god. Nesten litt burgundisk i stilen mtp rød frukt og eleganse, men bra bitt.

A baby, still barely evolved at 21 years old, perhaps the slowest out of the block of all Five Firsts in this vintage. A high Cabernet Sauvingon year, one of the highest on record, and although you had to be patient, it's clear that the 2000 vintage deserved the plaudits it received on release. The texture is velvety, seductive, with obvious width, and it remains extremely young . I would strongly recommend opening the 2001 over this (not a vintage that I specfically tasted in this vertical, but on recent examples) or certainly the 1996. If you drink this now you are missing out on the extra layer of naunce that is undoubtedly hidden underneath, although you'll already enjoy cassis puree, savoury black fruits, elegant yet concentrated with precision, heft and finely-sculpted tannins, signature Cabernet Sauvignon and signature Lafite. The power comes slowly, expanding through the palate to show graphite, pencil shavings, cigar smoke, all with firm acidities and a fantastic grip. 46% of the overall crop went into this wine in the 2000 vintage. A brilliant example of the success at Lafite under the longtime triumvirate of then-owner Baron Éric de Rothschild, CEO Christophe Salin and estate director Charles Chevallier. Last tasted July 2020. 100% new oak.

Wow wow wow. Magi på glassflaske. Intent mindre enn en fabelaktig rødvin. Dyp rød med noe brun kant. Noter av rød frukt, lær og litt tobakk. Fylden er nydelig og balansen er upåklagelig. 

Tom for ord.

Amatør

Dyp rød farge med brunlig kant. Cedertre, svale røde bær og urter på duft og smak. Rik utviklet og modnet 1996 årgang. Wow faktor. Lang ettersmak. 130 flasker tilgjengelig i Norge.l

Dette er en helt utrolig vin. 
Ved åpning eksploderte den i duft av bær. 
Dekantert i 2,5t. 

Avslepne tanniner og en konsistens som kan minne om en godt mixet smoothie. 
Her viser første-cruen muskler og minner meg om hvorfor dette er noen av verdens dyreste og flotteste viner. 

Vokser i munnen og smaken sitter i lang tid etter svelget. En helt utrolig vin

Skriver WOW bare… neida

Her havner vi på en topp 3 vinopplevelse i mitt tilfelle. 
Her kommer jeg tilbake til det som kicket i gang vininteressen min for fullt, en Cheval blanc 1995 fra en kasse av 6stk. 
Når væsken har konsistens som fløte og lengden ikke gir seg, da har man truffet det man leter etter. 

En ufattelig parfyme av bær, bær og mere bær. En utrolig ung vin som viser lite tegn til alderdom og flexer muskler helt til siste slurk Dette var en utrolig opplevelse. Får kanskje aldri smake denne igjen men fy søren

Her lar jeg etiketten gjøre resten av snakkingen. 

WOW

Served from magnum, tasting delicous right now. I've had this vintage a few times recently and it is not the most blockbuster Lafite, but has such an effortless charm that it feels absolutey signature. Tobacco, rose petals, suble charred cedar and grilled cocoa, with loganberry and raspberry fruit. Does that Lafite trick where it is utterly gulpable and so enjoyable, and it just subtly keeps on delivering new moments of complexity and understated power.

I utgangspunktet en veldig dårlig årgang i Bordeaux, og vinen fremstår litt «gammel kjeller» umiddelbart på nesen.  Frukten uteblir i stor grad med litt tørket plomme som det mest fremtredende, men på munnen kommer den bedre med mer herbale toner, med litt jordlig preg. Har kompleksitet og lengde, men er nok litt over. Dekantert to timer

The tannins remain evident, fully in tact, and overall this 1986 is young, profound, full of spiced herbs and freshly turned-over earth. It needs time in the bottle or carafe, because although there is more evident charm in the 1985 on first opening, this is the vintage of the pair that will be around for the longest. Dense black fruits abound, along with cigar box, black tea and slate. In its youth it was described as tannic, solid, almost austere, and it is astonishing how it has kept that character over the decades. There are still nuaces here that will be revealed over the decades to come, so be sure to give it time to unwind if you are opening any time over the next decade. 45hl/h yield. The famous Ricardo Bofill circular cellar was under construction at this point.

Ruby red with an orange rim. Leather, tobacco, blackcurrant, figs and minerals. Fresh acidity. Vibrant and playful with tobacco, cedar wood, dates, leather and exotic spice. Layered. Integrated supple tannins and perfect balance. Very very long.

As is often the case with Lafite, this was the most reserved of the five 1855 1st Growths on opening, showing rose petals and finessed red fruits. It then performed a sleight of hand in the glass, slowly but surely building in concentration and pleasure, layering tobacco, slate, smoked earth, sweet blackberry puree, pencil lead, oyster shell and mint leaf. I last tasted it two years ago, and it has barely budged since, suggesting that there remains many decades ahead. Effortlessly drinkable, a vintage that more than lives up to the legend. Estate director Jean Crété recorded that it was aged in 'primarily new oak', although was not more specific than that (somewhere north of 70-80% is likely). 40hl/h yield, around 10% higher than average, with harvest beginning on September 16, the same date as in 1976. Baron Eric de Rothschild owner, and this was the last year with Emile Peynaud as consultant. Charles Chevallier would also join the following year, in 1983, as deputy technical director.

The 1978 gathers force over the palate, and this is a gorgeous Lafite that is still full of pleasure. Showcases elegant, finessed tannins, with fragrant tobacco leaf, tumeric, smoke, black tea, wild strawberry and raspberry - basically a window into why this wine manages to hold such a grip on the imagination through its mix of concentration and elegance. Salivating, a wine to stretch out with over a long conversation, taking your time, enjoying the subtley and the freshness. Fully in its tertiary window, but it will stay on this easy-going plateau for another few decades. Low yields of 22.85hl/h, after a mixed summer but excellent late harvest, with the grapes coming in from October 2. New oak was inching upwards at this point from the 30% earlier in the 1970s, probably at this point somewhere around 50%.

fra en kald norsk kjeller - årgangens vin i Bordeaux - imponerende eksotisk og krydret frukt med pen fruktsødme i kombinasjon med slottets stramme og presise stil (94)

Dominated by animal, soy, peat and earth aromatics. The fruit character is open and warm, a little jammy and younger in expression than the 1970 but with less finesse, and will benefit from an hour in a carafe before drinking to soften things up. This was a hot and dry year, and the tannins were plentiful right from the start, full of promise but they took a few decades to soften. They are still a touch dry, although there is plenty of fruit and as it opens there is a clear blast of mint leaf that ensures freshness. I have tasted a number of 1975s recently, and they often make me wonder how many people will have ever opened them at the exactly right moment - most would have either been waiting for the tannins to soften or caught them on the way down. This still has a lot to enjoy, and remains on the plateau for drinking. The first year with Jean Crété as Estate Manager - and a difficult year globally after the oil crisis of the early 1970s (over in London Michael Broadbent held an auction of ex-chateau Lafite vintages from 1945 to 1971 to inject some momentum into the market). 17hl/h yield.

Lys brun farge. Nesten som en rose… nydelig lukt av plomme/sviske, lær, mugg/kjeller, våt skogbunn og sopp. Syrlig smak av kirsebær. Bringebær, jordbær, sopp og skogbunn. Dette er fløyel! Myk og elegant.

WSET 3

(servert blindt) - super ren, tørr skogbunn, tørkede roseblader, tørket bringebær, tørket sopp, syrlige jordbærdrops, på smak, syrlig jordbærdrops, elegant, og ikke minst ekstremt ren, strukturert, men uhyre polerte tanniner. 94p 

//  

korken var som limt fast og fyllet var i halsen. På duft, super klassisk, Cigarboks, blyantkvess, tørkede roser, tørkede jordbær, elegant og floral. På smak, uhyre balansert og med en fyldig, men luftig munnfølelse. Kan ikke forvente bedre fruktkvalitet enn dette, modne jordbær med touch av noe balsamisk. Sursøt. Konsentrert, samtidig lett. Svært lang. En sjeldent balansert og forførisk vin. Drikker perfekt nå gitt en så bra flaske. 96p

The bottle we had in Hong Kong was corked, but I tracked down a second bottle from a reliable source in Bordeaux, and this famously impressive Lafite lived up to billing. It's quite different in character from the 1966 Latour, the tannins finer, the focus more on wild strawberry, rosehip and white tea, with campfire smoke, with long-drawn-out waves of crushed roses. Captures the quiet joy of a mature Lafite, with a mouthwatering send off, and I'd bet on it remaining on this plateau for a while longer. Baron Élie de Rothschild was running the estate at the time, as he has been since 1946, a late harvest starting on October 6.

Served blind. Two bottles, first one elegant but a little soft, second one just delicious, delivering one of the best examples of this wine that I have ever drunk. Soft, silky, melted tannins, fragrant, floral, almost Burgundian in its lacework tannins. Rose petals, soot, campfire, autumnal fruits, so easy to drink, so much energy, this is an elegant, gorgeous and generous Lafite. Unusually, the 1961 vintage was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. There is almost no stock of this worldwide, certainly not with the provenance that we had, from the château cellars, and with the renowned bottle variation, we were extremely lucky to enjoy such a wonderful example of a legendary wine.

lær, tørr skogbunn, delikat, frisk, balansert, usedvanlig lang, burgundersk eleganse, kongevin (98)

Lukt: vanilje, lær
Smak: vanilje, lær, initielt mye mørke bær, fortsatt endel tanniner,

Burgundersk elegant - syrlig - steinete - bringebær - ulik de «andre» i denne årgangen - sublim mineralsk finish

The 1947 Château Lafite (tasted from double magnum) is cloudy and very pale brick colored. Evocative scents of dried roses, powdered cinnamon, caramel, and cloves spring from the glass, leading to a fleeting core of sassafras, aniseed, dried cherries, and rusty nails. The light to medium-bodied palate offers powdery soft tannins and crisp acidity to support the delicate baking spice and earthy flavors, finishing on a perfumed rose bud tea note. Very pretty!

En tidligere rekorket flaske på Restaurant und Hotel Schwarzer Adler var noe sliten - denne utviklet seg positivt med luft - kjølig, stram og skarpskåren. Mørk frukt, lær og blyant. Fortsatt strukturert. (96)

2024	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2023	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2022	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2021	kr 6 649,90Not available	Extraordinary
2020	kr 10 500,00Not available	Extraordinary

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Vintages	1985
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pauillac
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	%
Acid	%
Sugar	g/l

Packaging
Cork type
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