This tasting was organized by Switzerland’s most prolific Bordeaux collector who has been organizing 6 major Bordeaux tastings per year for many years now with different topics each time (horizontals, verticals, match plays, etc.). Present as always at these tastings is the French wine critic and Bordeaux specialist Jean-Marc Quarin who curates the evening. Everyone was anticipating this tasting – not so much because there were a lot of die-hard Lafite fans in this illustrious group – but rather because the recent price swings of Lafite RS caused by the Chinese label drinkers. I personally like the elegant Lafite style but it is not a wine I would buy in a lesser vintages, oh and just in case you were considering it, stay away from the Carruades, its second wine, until it falls back to USD 75 where it belongs.
Jean-Marc gave a quick introduction to where Lafite Rothschild stands today. The wine is of lesser concentration than its Premier Cru peers but highly aromatic. High fragrance vs. high concentration are two sides of the same coin. Difficult to have both. I was also brought to our attention that that if it comes to “recent investments into quality”, the other four grand Cru have been more active than Lafite RS and the questions was raised, whether the Rothschild bankers who own the Cru, were, are after all, more interested in the money it makes than the wine itself. Quarin felt that quality wise the order of the left bank 1er Grand Cru Bordeaux is Margaux, Latour, HB then a gap, then Mouton and Lafite with Mouton recently having surpassing Lafite.
All wines were double decanted and served blind in 7 flights of 4 wines. There were pirate wines in each flight. For easier readability I have put them at the end of this report.
Tasting notes
Flight 1
1995 Château Lafite Rothschild, 93 Points
Medium garnet. Nose of red and black fruit with horse saddle (brett) and also a whiff of cabbage pointing to minor issues with ripeness. Medium-light bodied palate with good freshness but a slightly dry finish. This is very Medoc but not optimal in ripeness. Good but not great. Group rank # 13/20. Mature.
1996 Château Lafite Rothschild, 97 Points
Medium garnet. Nose of red and dark fruit with cedar wood, barnyard flowers, very classy, very Lafite. Medium bodied with elegant texture and mid mouth presence. A bit too much brett on the finish for my taste. This is very good, miles better than the ’95 next to it but not as fresh and stellar as a recent Magnum I had. Still, excellent Lafite. Did also well with the group, rank # 4/20. Readiness: Mature.
1983 Château Lafite Rothschild, Flawed
Medium-dark ruby. Nose of red fruit, cherries and herbs de Provence. Quite ripe on the palate, then followed by some barnyard. Unfortunately this developed more and more a TCA note as it sat in the glass, so rating was withheld in the end. Group rank # 19/20. Readiness: Mature.
1986 Château Lafite Rothschild, 88 Points
Medium-dark garnet. This nose is very different than the classy 1996 next to it. Much riper, with lots of cherry, fruit compote in addition to the Medoc aroma. On the palate this is dense and tight, extracted and not very aromatic. Short finish. I was not surprised to learn that this is an 86, a vintage that I really dislike for its harsh tannins. Group rank # 17/20. Readiness: Drink up.
Flight 2
1985 Château Lafite Rothschild, Flawed
This was the only bottle of the tasting that was clearly corked. Group rank # 20/20. Readiness: Mature.
1998 Château Lafite Rothschild, 94 Points
Dark garnet. Nose of dark and red fruit with cedar wood and barnyard. Enters the palate with good density, freshness and presence. The finish is of medium length with slightly drying tannins. Not among the best Lafite but still a good effort for this mediocre vintage. Group rank # 15/20. Readiness: Ready, decanting advised.
2000 Château Lafite Rothschild, 97 Points
Dark ruby. Discrete nose of dark fruit, forest, pine. Very clean with Cedar and no barnyard notes. Soft and dense on the palate, this was the Lafite with the softest mouthfeel of the entire tasting. Very polished package overall but aromatically not quite up at the level of the 2005 and 2010. May be this will develop. An excellent Lafite no doubt, but given the fact that the 2000 vintage commands the highest price of the last 20 years and is not the best wine I would not buy this with priority. Group rank # 5/20. Readiness: Young, but can be approached after decanting.
1997 Château Lafite Rothschild, 95 Points
Medium ruby. Nose of leather, barnyard, cinnamon, red fruit, hallmark Medoc-Lafite style. The palate was very impressive aromatically, elegant with soft tannins. Slightly to bretty, and slightly too dry on the finish if I want to be picky. This had a lot of followers and everyone was surprised that the 97 showed so well. Group rank # 10/20. Readiness: Mature.
Flight 3
2004 Château Lafite Rothschild, 95 Points
Dark ruby. Expressive nose of dark fruit, pine, cedar and quite a lot of barnyard. This comes across as brooding and serious, young. Enters the palate well-structured with good extract and freshness. Slightly dry finish and a bit too much brett for a higher score but all in all a very good showing for this vintage. Group rank # 7/20. Readiness: Wait.
2005 Château Lafite Rothschild, 99 Points
Dark ruby. Expressive nose of dark fruit, forest floor, barnyard cedar, very complex and very complete. Enters the palate ripe and dense with excellent mid mouth presence where it shows impeccable balance. Finishes long and aromatic. Still young but leaves no doubt how good it is. For me, shares the top spot of the night. Up there at the same level as the 2010 which was the WOTN. Group rank # 2/20. Readiness: Wait.
2002 Château Lafite Rothschild, 94 Points
A very good showing for this difficult vintage. Medium ruby. Nose of dark fruit, forest, pine, cedar. Good ripeness. Enters the palate a bit lean but still with nice and polished mid mouth presence. This light but classic. An elegant showing that convinced the group. Group rank # 8/20 is an excellent rank for this lousy vintage. Readiness: Ready with a bit of decanting.
2003 Château Lafite Rothschild, 98 Points
Medium ruby. Expressive nose with lots of coffee, toast and roasted aroma, intertwined with dark fruit. This is very toasty, so several people were guessing this to be the Mouton Rothschild which was one of the pirates in the line-up. The palate is soft, generous and ripe, very sexy and ostentatious. There is no head and no oxidative notes despite the roasted aromas. Really hard to dislike, so no surprise to see it finish in the group rank # 3/20. Btw, also consistent with my other recent tastings of this wine. Luckily I still have a few cases of this left. 98+. Readiness: Ready as all 2003 except Chateau Ausone.
Flight 4
2010 Château Lafite Rothschild, 100 Points
Dark ruby-purple hue. Nose of dark fruit, cassis, pine, mint, gingerbread, very clean with impressive depth. Fantastic density, ripeness and freshness at the same time. Clearly too young to drink but no doubt that we have greatness in the making here. Long finish. There are layers and layers of concentrated fruit here without heaviness or roasted aromas, the hallmark of 2010. A word on the 2010 tannins. They are big but they are softer than what I have seen in the young 2000 and 2005, the other recent classic vintages. I really think that 2010 is therefore the best Bordeaux vintage since I don’t know when. Parker put his money on the 2009 (which is more consistent especially on the lower end) but if you ask Bordeaux vignerons, most of them will confirm that once mature, their 2010 will be on top. I am not surprised that the 2010 vintage has outshined the 2009. This only confirms the result of a match play I have recently organized (see my tasting story there). My personal WOTN and also group rank # 1/20. Readiness: A serious wait.
2009 Château Lafite Rothschild, 96 Points
Dark ruby. Nose of barnyard, dark fruit with very good complexity. Enters the palate very full and ripe but unfortunately also with an alcoholic touch, argh! Young and tannic on the palate still being abit disjointed today. Time will tell since the vintage is of good pedigree, however, clearly outshined tonight by the stars of the tasting, the 2010, 2005, 2003 and 2000. Group rank # 6/20. Readiness: Wait.
2008 Château Lafite Rothschild, 95 Points
Dark ruby. Nose of dark fruit, pine, cherry. Very dark and ripe. Enters the palate well structure and young. This is dense and tannic, a touch dry on the finish. Solid Lafite but not among the best. Group rank # 12/20. Readiness: Wait.
2007 Château Lafite Rothschild, 94 Points
Medium garnet, evolved color. Expressive and open nose of dark fruit, pine, cherry but also with a bit of green vegetables. Soft and ripe on the palate, this is ready to drink and a lot of fun. As the Mouton RS 2007 next to it, the are more serious and longer wines than this but in terms of immediate appeal, the 07 did really well. This confirms my view of the 2007 vintage from many other occasion I tasted it. Of all recent lesser vintages, the 07 always had drinkability on its side. Group rank # 11/20. Readiness: Ready with a bit of decanting.
Flight 5
2006 Château Lafite Rothschild, 92 Points
Dark ruby. Nose of dried fruit compote, rum, dark fruit, there is a touch of late harvest in the nose. On the palate this enters medium+ bodied with dark fruit and good mid mouth fill but also an alcoholic touch and a slightly dry finish. I found this to be one of the least convincing Lafites of the evening. Also finished weak with my colleagues. Group rank # 14/20. Readiness: Wait.
1993 Château Lafite Rothschild, 87 Points
Medium garnet, evolved color. If this is a representative bottle, then WTF! Very strong vegetables nose. No exaggeration but this smells like someone has put a bottle of Lafite into a blender with a handful of green asparagus and bell pepper, beat root and then served it. Unless you are an oenology student and want to learn what unripe Cabernet Sauvigon smells like, stay clear of this vintage. The palate is medium-light bodied with soft tannins (so at least they did not over-extract) but the pyrazine scent dominates the entire aroma experience on the palate as well. Sorry Lafite viticulture team, a clear “F” for you all in this vintage. Everybody on the table detected it. Group rank # 18/20 so effectively last place as the only two wines behind it were corked. Readiness: Mature.
1999 Château Lafite Rothschild, 93 Points
Discrete nose of red fruit, with a rum element to it, lacks a bit of freshness and excitement. Enters the palate well structured and a bit tight still but then builds up nicely. Unfortunately the finish is a bit dry again. There was a slight cardboard smell on the finish hinting towards TCA. Not sure this bottle was fully representative. Group rank # 16/20. Readiness: Ready after decanting.
2001 Château Lafite Rothschild, 94 Points
Medium ruby. Nose of dark fruit, some cassis and cedar and a bit of tobacco. Enters the palate medium bodied and charming with good balance and nice tannins, could benefit from a bit more stuffing and less barnyard notes. Not a blockbuster but another fragrant and elegant Lafite with high drinkability. Readiness: Ready.
Ringers served during the tasting
2008 Château Haut-Brion, 97 Points
This was one of the pirate wines of the tasting. Dark fruit with forest, coffee, cedar, cake and bakery, classic yet sexy. Great aromatic interplay between Merlot and CabSav. On the palate dense and young, good mid palate, solid structure, aromatic and long finish with some barnyard notes. Impressive! This did really well with the group and finished right behind the three best Lafite Rothschilds of the vertical line up. 97+. Readiness: Wait.
2006 Château Margaux, 94 Points
This was one of the pirate wines of the tasting. Expressive nose of dark fruit, toast, red fruit, quite aristocratic. Enters the palate with good mid mouth presence and aromatics. There is a strictness to it. There are further aromas around cloves hinting towards Margaux. Good material, needs time but not among the best Chateau Margaux. Still, did reasonably well with the group finishing in the first half. Readiness: Wait.
2004 Château L’Evangile, 94 Points
This was one of the pirate wines of the tasting, this wine is managed by the Lafite team. Dark ruby. Nose of dark fruit, cake gingerbread. Soft and ripe palate with rum pot, lots of power but also fresh. Easily spotted both from an aromatic and structural perspective. This has the Merlot softness and Bordeaux complexity. Readiness: Ready after decanting.
2005 Château L’Evangile, 96 Points
This was one of the pirate wines of the tasting, as this wine is managed by the Lafite team. Dark ruby. Expressive nose of ripe dark fruit, plum, black forest cake, cherry, ripe and exotic. Round and rich on the palate, rather dense with concentrated core, tannins need resolving still. A big wine, surely Merlot and not CabSav dominating the blend, several people guessed it. This is a great Pomerol, on the ripe side though. Readiness: Wait.
2007 Château Mouton Rothschild, 95 Points
This was one of the pirate wines of the tasting. Nose of dark berry, coffee, lots of horse saddle, very Medoc. Soft and succulent on the palate, a bit too much coffee aromas in the finish. There were deeper and longer wines than this but it was so nice and ready. This confirms my view on the 2007 vintage from many other occasions I had it. Of all recent lesser vintages, the 07 always had drinkability on its side. No surprise it did well with the group and finished in the first half among stiff competition of 20 Lafite RS vintages. Readiness: Ready.
Closing
Another legendary evening in Fribourg with great wines and great company. In my opinion, Lafite did well that night, a worthy Medoc Grand Cru, fragrant and elegant with cedar wood and horse saddle being the hallmark aromas. Lafite did however not perform as consistent as Haut Brion and Margaux did in their respective big verticals. Margaux and HB are probably leading the Left Bank Grand Cru quality band wagon with Latour closing in fast, especially with vintages after 2000. Lafite and Mouton are a step behind. Lafite because of how much they push, and Mouton, due to its slightly lesser terroir despite a huge push for quality since 2006.
Wines of the evening? The Lafite 2010 and 2005 for their completeness followed by the 2003 for its flamboyant personality, then the 1996 for its classicism and 2000 for its roundness. No surprises, the vintage pecking order was confirmed in the blind tasting.
Author: Christian Raubach, WSET III, FWS, WSG Champagne Master
15. March 2016