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  • Country ranking ?

    56
  • Producer ranking ?

    4
  • Decanting time

    5h
  • When to drink

    2025-2045
  • Food Pairing

    Skirt Steak with Pomegranate Sauce

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Lafite 2009 Reaches Seven-Month High of $12,200 on Liv-ex Market

A case of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2009 sold for 7,800 pounds ($12,200) on London’s Liv-ex wine market yesterday, a seven-month high on the exchange and extending gains which lifted it 7 percent from its December level, according to data on Liv-ex’s Cellar Watch website. The Lafite vintage peaked at 14,350 pounds a case in February 2011 amid strong Asian demand, before a pric...

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The Story

The Château Lafite estate run by the Rothschilds is, with its 100 hectares of cultivated land, the largest of the main Pauillac vineyards.

It is located in the highest part of the area and the view from its château, with its conical towers that appear on the label, takes in the banks of the River Gironde, which flows nearby. The wines are a blend of four different varieties of grape – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Cabernet F...

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Wine Information

The beginning of the growth cycle was a tricky period due to a rather warm, very wet spring. The team had to be particularly vigilant in order to protect the vines. Fine, stable weather returned in June and continued throughout the summer. In fact conditions became drought like, interspersed in July, August and September with welcome periods of light rain. Plenty of sunshine, with temperatures that were high without becoming scorching, and fai...

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Vintage 2009

Right up there with 1947, 1961, and 2005, 2009 is a year of almost exaggeratedly (for Bordeaux) flamboyant, opulent wines with elevated ripeness and low acidity. The tannins are unusually ripe, while the wines are quite voluptuous in style. The Left Bank recorded more sunlight hours than legendary vintages such as 1947 and 1982, and grapes had higher sugar concentrations than 2003 and 2005. The key was significant diurnal temperature swings th...

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2022 2020 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
955€ +7.3% 890€ +17.1% 760€ +3.5% 734€ +1.4% 724€ +0.4% 721€ -8.6% 789€ -16.5% 945€ +2.4% 923€ -25.6% 1 241€ -25.0% 1 654€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Latest Pro-tasting notes

28 tasting notes

Tasting note

ending

Long, Flavorful and Lingering

flavors

Blackcurrant, Port-like, Truffles, Herbs, Spice and Viscous

nose

Intense

taste

Average in Acidity, Well-structured, Good texture, Youthful, Harmonious, Vigor and Full

Verdict

Intelligent and Well made

Written Notes

The 2009 Lafite-Rothschild appears to be improving with age to the point where against form, I actually think it has the edge over the 2010. It is certainly deeper in colour and exhibits more fruit than the succeeding vintage with blackberry, bilberry, fresh mint and classic pencil lead aromas. The aromatics feel full and complete. The palate is very well balanced with impressive density – not always a facet of Lafite-Rothschild. The 2009 is a powerful wine, with allspice and cracked black pepper towards the weighty, assertive and exuberant finish. Perhaps in the long run the 2009 will be overtaken by the 2010 but at this moment, I would not bet against the staying power of this stupendous First Growth. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate.

  • 96p

Black purple red, elegant concentration of pure Lafite Cabernets, wild violets, succulent yet restrained fruit, both fleshy and firm, superb middle palate, not massively structured but like a Gothic cathedral: austere on the outside and soaring to great heights in the inside. Drink 2018-50.

  • 98p

Ruby. Scented, ripe but delicate nose, layers of seductive Pauillac, cassis, floral notes, delicious, restrained, superb nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, rich and again restrained and delicate, perfect balance, gorgeous wine, finesse, incredibly long. 100

  • 100p

The main reason the 2009 Lafite Rothschild did not receive a perfect score is because the wine has closed down slightly, but it is unquestionably another profound Lafite, their greatest wine since the amazing 2003. Among the most powerful Lafites ever made (it came in at 13.59% alcohol), the final blend was 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. The selection was incredibly severe with only 45% of the crop being utilized. A tight, but potentially gorgeous nose of graphite, black currants, licorice and camphor is followed by a full-bodied wine revealing the classic elegance, purity and delineated style of Lafite. It is phenomenally concentrated with softer tannins than the 2005, the 2003's voluptuous, broad, juicy personality, and low acidity. There are several vintages that I thought were a replay of their colossal 1959, most notably 1982 and 2003, but 2009 is also one to keep an eye on. It is still extremely youthful and seems slightly more backward than I would have guessed based on the barrel tastings, but it needs 10-15 years of bottle age, and should last for 50+.

  • 99p

This is a gorgeous Lafite with a sumptuous palate that is surprisingly open at this stage. Expected it to be closed like many of the other top wines of this vintage but this wine is singing from the bottle. Complex, layered and decadent.

  • 99p

Tasted on the 27th January 2017 in Copenhagen, a bottle from Duclot (negociant who owns Petrus) Bordeaux Collection case of 9 bottles in vintage 2009. Double decanted at 3pm. Served app. 5 hours and a half later. Another style than 100p Mouton Rothschild with rarely seen finesse and elegance, roasted bacon, cedar, tobacco leaves, extremely delicate, refined and long. For now I rate it 99p but it surely will reach the perfect score with some more age!

  • 99p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Very good

Release state price

550€

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

Be Cautious

Glass time

2h

Inside Information

The main reason the 2009 Lafite Rothschild did not receive a perfect score is because the wine has closed down slightly, but it is unquestionably another profound Lafite, their greatest wine since the amazing 2003. Among the most powerful Lafites ever made (it came in at 13.59% alcohol), the final blend was 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. The selection was incredibly severe with only 45% of the crop being utilized. A tight, but potentially gorgeous nose of graphite, black currants, licorice and camphor is followed by a full-bodied wine revealing the classic elegance, purity and delineated style of Lafite. It is phenomenally concentrated with softer tannins than the 2005, the 2003's voluptuous, broad, juicy personality, and low acidity. There are several vintages that I thought were a replay of their colossal 1959, most notably 1982 and 2003, but 2009 is also one to keep an eye on. It is still extremely youthful and seems slightly more backward than I would have guessed based on the barrel tastings, but it needs 10-15 years of bottle age, and should last for 50+.

Parker 99+ points

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