Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac 1998 (12 pack bottles)
Price: $13200.00
| Producer | Lafite Rothschild |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Pauillac |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 1998 |
| Sku | 3836 |
| Size | 12 pack bottles |
Wine Advocate: 98 Points
A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot this wine represents only 34% of Lafite's total harvest. In a less than perfect Medoc vintage 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. The wine is elegant yet profoundly rich revealing the essence of Lafite's character. The tannin is sweet and the wine is spectacularly layered yet never heavy. The finish is sweet super-rich yet impeccably balanced and long (50+ seconds). Anticipated maturity: 2007-2035.
Vinous: 96 Points
The 1998 Lafite-Rothschild is served from double magnum directly from the château reserves in fact with the man who made it sitting opposite me – Charles Chevalier. I must admit to being quite amazed how well this shows at 20-years of age trouncing all the other First Growths except Haut-Brion. Lucid in colour it has a vivid bouquet of pure blackberry blueberry vanilla and graphite perhaps just a little uncharacteristically showy in style but beautifully defined and intense. The palate is perfectly balanced with layers of ripe black fruit perfectly pitched acidity and a silky smooth texture that renders this utterly seductive. It is almost too good for me to recommend cellaring longer. Whatever...it is a sublime Lafite-Rothschild that on this showing may well challenge the supremacy of the 1996. Tasted at the Académie du Vin dinner in Bordeaux.
vWine Spectator: 95 Points
Amazing aromas of crushed blackberries toasted oak and currant spices. Really a great nose. Full-bodied with round and velvety tannins and a long long finish. It lasts for minutes on the palate. Superb. Best wine of the Médoc without a doubt.?'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2011. 21665 cases made.
