Château Lafite Rothchild 2023

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€550.00

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Château Lafite Rothchild 2023 (En Primeur)

Vinification: Alcoholic fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature, with regular pumping over to gently extract all the phenolic compounds. The maceration period is around 22 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred to French oak barrels. Lafite has its own cooperage in Pauillac, a factor that contributes to its unique style. Each barrel is tasted and only the best are selected for the final blend. The wine is then aged in new oak barrels for 15 months.

Tasting notes:

‘This wine hits you on the very first nose, driven by slate and crushed stones, setting the tone and architecture, guiding the fruit through the palate. Cassis, blueberry, tobacco leaf, graphite, crushed mint, fine and sculpted, this is a stunning Lafite, with fine tannins and the character of squid ink...’

Varieties: 60% Cabernet Sauv. and 40% Merlot

Expected delivery date: Early 2026

Château Lafite Rothchild 2023 (En Primeur)

Château Lafite Rothschild is located in the Pauillac region of the Médoc, which produces some of the world's finest red wines. Lafite Rothschild is known for its perfume, elegance, finesse and harmony, in contrast to the more powerful Latour and Mouton Rothschild. However, great vintages can age for 50 years or more.

Vinification: The distribution of the grapes between wooden, stainless steel and concrete vats is determined on the basis of the characteristics of each plot and the degree of ripeness of the grapes. Alcoholic fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature, with regular pumping over to gently extract all the phenolic compounds. The maceration period is around 22 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred to French oak barrels. Lafite has its own cooperage in Pauillac, the Tonnellerie des Domaines, a factor that contributes to its unique style. Each barrel is tasted and only the best are selected for the final blend. The wine is then aged in new oak barrels for 15 months.

Location:

Pauillac is located on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, around 40 kilometres north of Bordeaux. With the tempering influence of the estuary and a great diversity of soils originating in the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac has exceptional climatic and geological conditions for producing exceptional wines.

Terroir

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is located in the north of the appellation, on the border with Saint Estèphe. Lafite's best terroirs extend over the 50ha of the Plateau des Carruades, to the west of the Château. This plateau, which is the highest point in the Pauillac appellation, is well-drained and enjoys excellent sun exposure. Its clayey gravel soils offer excellent water regulation capabilities and provide optimum ripening conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Some 4.5 ha planted in the neighbouring Saint Estephe appellation are among the estate's oldest vineyards and provide exceptional quality grapes for the Grand Vin year after year.

Tasting notes:

Varieties: 60% Cabernet Sauv. and 40% Merlot

Wine Type: Red Wine
Format: 0,75L
Vintage: 2023
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Robert Parker: RP99
James Suckling: 98
Jane Anson (inside Bordeaux): 100
Wine Independent: 99

The finest of the first growths this year appears to be the 2023 Lafite Rothschild, a terrific effort that unwinds in the glass with deep and incipiently complex aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, lilac and violets mingled with hints of cigar wrapper and mint. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's vibrant and refined, with a deep core of fruit, plenty of sweet structuring tannin and a compelling marriage between energy and plenitude. It's a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot that reminds me of 2019's tannins combined with 2016's unimpeachable classicism.

The purity of cabernet sauvignon is so evident here. It mesmerizes you with aromas of black and red currants, cedar, tobacco and bark. It's full-bodied yet there's very impressive weightlessness and agility, as well as subtlety and focus. Some iron and terra-cotta. Cedar and sandalwood undertones. Juicy and plummy at the end. 12.9% alcohol. 3.75 pH. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot.

‘’The 2023 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little swirling, wonderfully pure notes of boysenberries, wild blueberries, and blackcurrants emerge from the glass, followed by hints of violets, dark chocolate, licorice, and fertile loam with a hint of black truffle. The light to medium-bodied palate delivers electric sparks of vibrant black berry and mineral flavors framed by super-ripe, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and shimmery. A wine that is so, so cerebral, this is a vintage well played by Lafite. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.76, and an alcohol of just 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.