Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2023

WEINWISSER: "93 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 % Merlot, 1 % Petit Verdot. Was für ein verführerisches dicht verwobenes Parfüm, frische Waldhimbeere, Schattenmorellensaft, Graphit und Blutorangenzesten. Im zweiten Ansatz Veilchen, Minze und Flieder. Am kaskadenartigen Gaumen mit seidig-samtiger Textur, engmaschigem reifem Tanningerüst sowie katapultartiger energiegeladener Rasse, unheimlich dicht, tiefgründig und präzise, ein Körper wie ein Mille-feuille. Im explosionsartigen, nicht enden wollenden Finale Himbeermark, rote Johannisbeere – ganz großes Lafite-Kino und damit der beste Wein des linken Ufers!"

VINUM: "Tiefgründig, Noblesse pur, komplex im Aromenspektrum, klar definiert am Gaumen, diskreter Auftakt, baut aus, zeigt Druck und eine beeindruckende Eleganz. Tänzerisch, verspielt, dabei seriös, endlos lang. Sehr Lafite. Wird in jeder Phase seines Lebens Spass machen."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

DECANTER: "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 centre 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. 3.8pH. 38% grand vin production. Ageing 90% new oak. A potential 100-point wine."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktive Cassis, Brombeeren, zart nach Lakritze, ein Hauch von Edelholz, mineralisch unterlegt. Kraftvoll, straff, lebendig, frische rote Herzkirschen, perfekt reife Tannine, mineralisch und sehr lange anhaftend, ungemein elegant und präzise, minutenlang anhaftend, hat große Klasse. Das ist der Stil, der Bordeaux groß gemacht hat, mit Charme und Energie, mit Kraft und großem Potenzial."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "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%."

JAMES SUCKLING: "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 WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Richly colored, with a complex aromatic profile offering flowers, spices, cedar, cigar wrapper, lead pencil, creme de cassis, and blackberries. The wine rapidly focuses on its layers of energetic, red with black fruits There is a polished, character here. Texturally, this is elegant, and racy, with length, purity, and most importantly, charm. finishing with seamless, gentle waves of creme de cassis. The wine blends 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 the 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."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2023 Château Lafite-Rothschild is based on 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, resting in 90% new French oak, with the balance in once-used barrels. It's another deeply hued barrel sample that has thrilling (and classic Lafite) aromatics of darker currants, freshly sharpened pencils, leather, flowers, and graphite. These all carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied and has a seamless, layered, elegant mouthfeel and ultra-fine tannins. I don’t see it hitting the heights of the 2018, 2019, or 2020, but it's an incredible wine in the vintage and is going to be an ultra-classic beauty from this château that will evolve for decades. The alcohol is a respectable 12.9% and the pH is 3.78. (Lafite always tends to have a higher pH.)"

JANCIS ROBINSON: "As always, elegant and refined. Fragrant nose and fine, filigree tannins. Really quite mellow but freshness and length on the finish. Like a delicate piece of porcelain though the structure is there. Drink 2032 - 2055."