Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 2018 - 1er Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About wine:

It will follow in the footsteps of the legendary 1959, with more intensity at birth, more precision, harmonics in flavor, and finesse in tannin integration than in any of the previous great vintages. A great wine worthy of its pedigree.

About the estate:

The supreme Pauillac wine, Lafite owes its unparalleled finesse to its gravelly soils in the northern part of the appellation, on a limestone base, with extremely rigorous selections that discard more than half of the harvest. Strongly influenced by Cabernet Sauvignon, which often accounts for more than 90% of the blend, Lafite shines with its notes of cedar and graphite, which take more than fifteen years to develop. The new team in charge of the estate (Saskia de Rothschild and Éric Kohler) is committed to giving more dimension to the wines, both the grand vin and the second wine.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

A former seigneury whose jurisdiction extended north of Pauillac, the estate owes its château and its wine-growing vocation, established in the 17th century, to the Ségur family, Bordeaux parliamentarians and major vineyard owners. This earned it the status of Premier Cru Classé in 1855. But it owes its Rothschilds, who acquired it in 1868, for having been spared the divisions and other transfers that weakened so many prestigious properties. It also owes its modernization and high-performance tools, such as its famous circular cellar designed by Ricardo Bofill, to the team formed by Éric de Rothschild, at the helm since 1974, and Charles Chevallier, its technical director until 2016. These tools allow the personality of an exceptional terroir planted with 112 hectares of vines to be fully revealed: a superb hilltop of fine, deep gravel on a limestone subsoil. Éric Kohler took over as technical director of Lafite in 2016, with Charles Chevallier remaining as consultant and ambassador for the château.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About wine:

With a deep purple-black color, Lafite Rothschild 2018 needs to be swirled in the glass to reveal intoxicating notes of blackcurrant, cooked plums, and black cherry compote, with hints of dark chocolate, licorice, cast iron skillet, cedar, fertile soil, and pencil lead. The delicately crafted, medium-bodied palate oozes class, with layers of black fruit with mineral nuances and deliciously ripe tannins. Epic length and depth. This 2018 expression is simply stunning and delicately crafted. The wine bears the uniquely evocative imprint of Lafite and will require 7 to 8 years in the bottle, then should continue to inspire admiration for the next 40 years.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About wine:

This is one of the most spectacular Lafites ever produced. More exuberant than usual, it retains exemplary integrity and unfolds on the palate with irresistible intensity of flavor. It finishes with peppery tannins of absolute class. The wine of the vintage.

About the estate:

Masterful, Lafite stands out as the most refined of the Médoc wines when, after a few years of aging, it unfurls its captivating aromas of graphite and pencil lead. Tasting it is like discovering a unique texture and vitality. A vast estate covering 178 hectares, 105 of which are planted with vines, Lafite has belonged to the Rothschild family since 1868. The château can also boast one of the richest heritages in terms of (very) old vintages, which shows just how consistently exemplary the estate has been (with the exception of a few vintages). Saskia, daughter of Éric de Rothschild, took over the management of the group's properties in 2018, while Éric Kholer has been supervising the winemaking since 2016. It is worth noting the progress made in recent vintages by the second wine, Les Carruades.

Wine Enthusiast

About wine:

Ranked 53rd out of 100 in the International Top Wines to Own in 2021: An immensely structured, complex, concentrated, yet restrained wine. The wine impresses with its balance, layers of succulent blackcurrant fruit, and effortless style. A wine for the long term, it should not be drunk before 2029.

James Suckling

About wine:

WOW! The aromas are both intense and refined, with magnificent notes of blackcurrant, pencil lead, and orchid. The fruit is so pure. It is elegant and finely polished, with fine tannins that give it such grace and glamour. Yet it has the power and structure to age for decades. Again and again. Try it after 2029.

Yves Beck

About wine:

Subtle, complex bouquet. It reveals itself very slowly, revealing classic fruity nuances. It is marked by notes of red berries, raspberries, then hints of blackberries and, finally, notes of licorice and peonies. On the palate, the wine is refined, subtly slender and creamy. It has an exceptional tannic structure and manages to shine with its finesse, while emphasizing its power! I have rarely tasted a Lafite Rothschild with such breed and character. The tannins are tight and in tune with the temperament and tension of the acidity. Everything is in the precision, the pedigree, the finesse of the grain and the ability of the tannins to reveal themselves slowly with relevance and precision. A wine that highlights its power without being massive and, above all, with an alcohol content of only 13.3%, which is very rare for 2018! This is a very great Lafite. 2026-2060

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is beautifully elegant, with finesse and precision (like a delicate silk thread), offering power with finesse and control, depth (in subtlety), straightforwardness, class, and depth. There are notes of bright wild blackberry, bright blackcurrant and, more subtly, blueberry, combined with hints of ripe/bright blue plum, spices, raspberry leaf and touches of tonka bean, with a subtle hint of star anise and tea. The palate is elegant, refined, beautifully balanced and offers delicacy, distinction, a fine acidic structure, tension, finesse, delicacy, energy, and a certain dynamism and complexity. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackcurrant, boysenberry and, more subtly, juicy purple plum, combined with hints of bright raspberry and almond, hazelnut, a subtle hint of blueberry, licorice stick, gravel, a subtle hint of clove, and an imperceptible hint of caramelization/vanilla (in the background). This wine has a lot of brightness, distinction, and finesse.