Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac 2020 (Pre-arrival) (750ml)
Price: $795.00
| Producer | Lafite Rothschild |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Pauillac |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 1005739 |
| Size | 750ml |
James Suckling: 100 Points
Amazing aromas here with tobacco crushed stone cigar box currants tar and lead pencil as well as spices iron and dried ginger. Medium- to full-bodied with a density and tightness. Very compact and complex. Racy. Delicacy with strength. Orange peel undertones. A wine to contemplate. You must understand it to understand the great Lafites of the past and those of the future. Only 12.8% alcohol. 92% cabernet sauvignon 7% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Best after 2030 but drink it if you have the chance taste it.
Jeb Dunnuck: 100 Points
Looking at the Grand Vin the 2020 Château Lafite-Rothschild is a sensational effort checking in as 92% Cabernet Sauvignon 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot that hit 12.8% natural alcohol and a pH of 3.94. As Lafite as Lafite gets this ultra-classic reveals a dense ruby/plum hue as well as a tight yet layered bouquet of ripe blackcurrants smoked tobacco freshly sharpened pencils graphite and subtle spice. Flawlessly balanced deep concentrated and layered it has an incredible mid-palate building perfect tannins and a finish that leaves you salivating. Refined elegant and perfection are the buzz words here. Unfortunately it's not for the instant gratification crowd and I wouldn't be surprised to see this require 15 years to hit the early stages of its prime drinking window. It will probably hit its 100th birthday in fine form.
Decanter: 99 Points
An utterly brilliant Lafite - a sense of understated charm it?s certainly not shouting but delivers a bright sharp joyous sensation. Almost subtle in its presentation with delicacy and refinement on show yet such clear power underneath. An incredible aromatic display with ripe black fruits pepper liquorice and crushed stones - calm controlled and contained with beautiful tannin integration and a chalky salinity on the finish. Supremely complete with mass appeal. (Drink between 2028-2049)
Vinous: 98 Points
The 2020 Lafite-Rothschild which contains the highest proportion of Merlot since the 2016 hit the bull's eye from barrel. Revisiting the wine in the bottle since July it still bursts from the glass with copious blackberries touches of blueberry and juniper pencil lead and a hint of crushed stone. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-chiseled tannins quite linear and "correct" - a quintessential Lafite-Rothschild in many ways. It gently builds in the mouth while keeping a restraint on things finishing with fine sapidity yet a little more juiciness than you would have found a decade or two earlier. This has the potential to evolve beautifully over several decades. (Drink between 2028-2065)
Wine Advocate: 97 Points
The 2020 Lafite Rothschild opens in the glass with a deep bouquet of cassis black truffle pencil shavings and violets. Full-bodied fleshy and layered its broad attack segues into an ample core of fruit framed by supple melting tannins. Seamless layered and complete it's richer and deeper pitched than the 2019 and its notably high pH of 3.94 likely means it will never shut down. It's a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon 7% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot incorporating just a touch more Merlot from the plateau of Carruades than the 2019. Today Château Lafite Rothschild amounts to some 110 hectares planted to some 900000 vines (including 4.5 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon in Saint-Estèphe). If that figure strikes readers as smaller than it used to be that's because Lafite has ripped up some less optimally situated plots that never tended to produce wine fit for inclusion in the grand vin. As of 2021 what's more organic conversion is underway (15 hectares are already farmed biodynamically) and hedges and flowering borders planted with native species now begin to break up the monoculture of the vine. Cover crops too have been added to the viticultural team's agronomic arsenal and are delivering good results in parcels with more humid or clay-rich soils. In the winery Lafite is meticulously traditional?the grapes are sorted twice once optically and see a classical maceration in wooden and cement tanks with pump-overs and some use of the gentle "air pulse" system that disrupts the cap and oxygenates the ferment without the need for a full pump-over. Malolactic fermentation as ever is in tank and the wine matures in barrels that are mostly produced in-house with a light toast and favoring the forests of Allier and Nevers. Each vintage is racked three times traditionally with one egg white fining (which requires up to 8000 eggs). As is the case almost everywhere in the Médoc the tendency is for less and less Merlot in the assemblage. Published: Apr 06 2023
