Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2020

Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1er Grand Cru Classé, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, 2020

Grapes: A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, 110ha vineyard on deep gravel & sand over limestone, 40 year old average vine age, in conversion to organic farming (some biodynamics in use), yield 37hl/ha, aged 18 to 20 months in 100% new barrels.

Producer Tasting Note:

Deep black colour. The nose offers a broad palette of intense and well-defined aromas, with spicy black fruits like blackberries and black cherries on a background of subtle notes of cocoa and tobacco that accentuates the aromatic richness of this wine. On the palate, the attack is frontal, dense, and velvety, accompanied by fleshy and powerful tannins that result in a very complex, long, and extremely tasty structure. A wine of superb balance and subtlety that embodies this vintage at best.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"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."

97/100 points, William Kelley, WINE ADVOCATE 

"The compelling nose, with its showy notes of lead pencil, tobacco leaf, cedar, cigar box, currants, spice and wet forest leaf comes through easily. The palate is pure silk in texture. Seamlessly moving from the beginning, middle and end, the wine is fresh, bright, long and intense. The purity in the fruit, paired with its energy and lift linger for more than 50 seconds. Refined, elegant, complex and compelling, if you have the patience to wait for 15-20 years before opening a bottle, this is going to be one of the great vintages for Lafite Rothschild."

98/100 points, Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider, March 2021