2023 Lafite Rothschild
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Tasting notes
What a wine. This has a glorious nose of dark berries, graphite, cigar box and an earthy minerality. There’s superb complexity and definition already, but clearly so much still that is hidden and this will need time to unfurl its full peacock’s tail of aromatics. The palate is surprisingly soft, with exceptionally ripe tannins framing a concentrated core of dark berry fruit. There is an overall sense of controlled power, energy and finesse, with 12.8% alcohol and a pH of just 3.55. This is superb and without doubt one of the finest wines of the vintage. Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Reminding me of the 2019 with its modern yet ultra-classic style, the 2023 Château Lafite-Rothschild sports a gorgeous perfume of cassis, freshly sharpened lead pencil, tobacco, and loamy earth that gives it an utterly classic Pauillac profile and style. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has good concentration, ripe, polished tannins, flawless balance, and so much charm and accessibility. Based on 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, drink this gorgeous Lafite over the coming 40-50 years. Drink 2026-2076.
The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild is a rich, heady wine. A rush of dark-toned fruit, cedar, leather, incense, grilled herbs, tobacco, and chocolate makes a strong opening statement. Powerful and quite tannic, the 2023 is going to need a few years to come into its own. Today, the Grand Vin is decidedly somber and brooding.
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.
About the producer
Ch. Lafite Rothschild is one of the most famous wine estates in Bordeaux and the world. One of the Left Bank’s five First Growths, the Pauillac property is renowned for producing wines of finesse and elegance that age beautifully.