Fine Wine > Still > France > $200+ > 95-99 Pts

Cellar/Tasting Notes
PARKER RATING: 98 POINTS! - "It has been spectacular since birth, putting on more weight and flesh over the last year. This opaque purple-colored 1998 is close to perfection. The spectacular nose of lead pencil, smoky, mineral, and black currant fruit soars majestically from the glass. ..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"... The 1990 Lafite has turned out far better than my early assessment ... it boasts gorgeous aromas of cedar, tobacco leaf, cassis, and lead pencil shavings. The explosive aromas are followed by a fleshy, full-bodied wine ... and last for 25-30 more."

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"A candidate for the -wine of the vintage ... Representing 40% of the production, this blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc offers aromas of high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, earth, cedar and asphalt. Full, rich and stunningly..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
The 1995 Lafite-Rothschild (only one-third of the harvest made it into the final blend) is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine was showing spectacularly well when I tasted it in November, 1997. It exhibits a dark ruby purple color, and a sweet, powdered..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Deep garnet-black color. An incredible array of aromas on the nose: blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, espresso, leather, black olive and loam. The palate is absolutely seamless from first impression to finish, effortlessly building layers of complexity in the mouth and leading to a very long,..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Austere wine, its tannins pushing forward to give power and structure. It is dense, concentrated, with layer upon layer of bitter coffee and dark fruit flavors, acidity and sweet tannins."

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"It is stunningly opulent, fat, and super-concentrated, ... This is an amazing wine."

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Dark ruby red. Tobacco, roasted coffee and light raisin. Full-bodied, with soft and silky tannins and a long finish. I have always loved this wine.--Bordeaux retrospective."

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"2006 Lafite Rothschild is a great, great wine made from a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. When I tasted it from barrel, it reminded me of their successful 1988, but it is dramatically superior to that vintage. Frankly, it may turn out to be as good as the 2005,..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"I had this wine both in Seoul, Korea in February, and from my cellar in December, 2008, and it was remarkable how identical the wines smelled and tasted. It offers an extraordinary aromatic display of spring flowers, camphor, sweet red and black fruits, a hint of licorice, and no evidence of its..