Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2021

WEINWISSER: "Einer der Kandidaten für den Wein des Jahrgangs! Schwarze Farbe, undurchdringlich. Superdicht und konzentriert, präsentiert sich das dunkelbeerige Duftbild des Lafite 2021 ganz frisch, cremig und Cassis-beladen, superfein, nobel und elegant. Total elegant und finessenreich beginnt er auch im Mund, mit hochfeinen Gerbstoffen, ganz seidig. Er wirkt noch etwas konzentrierter als der Latour. Super ausgewogen balanciert, mit enormer Tiefe und cremig feiner, dichter Textur. Nur 12.7 Vol.-% und doch volle Kraft voraus. Das ist wahrlich großartig!"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This wine is the essence of Bordeaux Cabernet. Dominated by this variety at 96%, it exudes tannins and black-currant fruits. Structure is all there, backed by acidity. It is a wine for serious aging. Drink at the earliest from 2028."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Reminiscent of the 1995 Lafite but modern, this wine is extremely aromatic, showing lead pencil, currants, blackberries, black olives and smoke with some gunpowder. Notes of iodine, stone, blood and ink. It is medium-bodied, with very fine and creamy tannins that show so much finesse and length. Racy at the end. 96% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot, 1% petit verdot. Give this four or five years to open."

DECANTER: "I loved this wine during en primeur and I love it still, hovering over giving it 98 points. It’s round and lively but also full and complete, not plush or opulent but supple with intensity and a really enjoyable, juicy acidity and chalky, mineral grip to the tannins. It’s not trying too hard yet still displays power: such concentration and balance. The 96% Cabernet works so well and gives Lafite a star performer this year. This is one you're still going to want to crack open and finish, in 10, 20 or 30 years."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, tiefer Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Ockerrandaufhellung, ein Hauch von Gewürzen, Orangentouch, mineralisch geprägt. Süße Herzkirschen, frische Zwetschken. Am Gaumen saftig, feine Süße, elegant, angenehmes Spiel von Säure und Frucht, reife Tannine, salzig und gut anhaftend, ein delikater Speisenwein mit einigem Reifepotenzial, verfügt über eine erstaunliche Länge. "

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Flowers, blackberries, charcoal, cigar box, black currants, spice, cedar, graphite and tobacco come through on the nose with a bit of coaxing. On the palate, the wine offers a pure expression of red fruits, black cherries, spice and a touch of orange rind, along with boysenberry, licorice and red plums on the backend. This is an elegant, regal, classic style of Lafite Rothschild that will age and evolve quite well. The wine is complete from start to finish and was produced from blending 96% Cabernet Sauvignon. 3% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. 12.6% ABV, 3.9 pH. Drink from 2032-2060."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "To my palate, the 2021 Lafite Rothschild has emerged as the finest of the Pauillac first growths this year. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark minty berries mingled with notions of iris, licorice and cigar box, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into an elegantly dense and structured mid-palate that's nicely framed by sweet but abundant tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Lafite Rothschild has a deep garnet-purple color. Notes of ripe blackcurrants, Morello cherries, and fresh redcurrants prance from the glass, followed by perfumed wafts of lilacs, jasmine tea, fallen leaves, and aniseed, with a waft of rose bud tea. The light-bodied palate vibrates with electric black and red berry flavors, matched by the typically super-fine-grained Lafite tannins and a racy backbone, finishing long and fragrant. This is very pretty."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Deep crimson hue. Customary elegance rather than power. Perfumed nose, attractive fruit and a surprising density of tannin (15% press wine to bolster the structure). Quite discreet and measured in its form but good length and should improve further in bottle."

JEB DUNNUCK: "A classic expression of this Château, the 2021 Château Lafite-Rothschild checks in as 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It's not massive but textbook Lafite with its red and black currant fruit as well as cedar pencil, ripe tobacco, graphite, and spicy nuances. More medium-bodied on the palate, it has a great mid-palate, ample concentration, ripe, polished tannins, and a gorgeous finish. The vintage doesn't get much better than this beauty, and it should round into form (I would gladly drink a bottle today) with 4-6 years of bottle age. It might be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage, offering 30 years or more of prime drinking."