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  • Country ranking ?

    27
  • Producer ranking ?

    2
  • Decanting time

    6h
  • When to drink

    from 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Grilled Flank Steak with Parsley Sauce

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Lafite Sets Auction Wine Record at $230,000 a Bottle

Three bottles of Chateau Lafite’s 1869 vintage each sold for a record price of HK$1.8 million ($230,000) at a sale in Hong Kong last night, underlining Asia’s dominance of the auction market for trophy label wines.

All three were bought by the same Asian telephone bidder, said Sotheby’s, which offered almost 2,000 bottles of Lafite shipped directly from the cellars of the chateau in Pa...

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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

2010/ Cabernet Sauvignon 87 %, Merlot 13 %
The vineyard cycle began with a cold, relatively wet winter, resulting in a slightly later bud-break than in 2009, in mid-April. Growth was then boosted by dry, sunny weather in April. May and June were characterized by alternating periods of rain and sunshine. June began with a cold spell that complicated the flowering of the Merlot, resulting in flower abortion and uneven grape size.

Fortunately...

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Vintage 2010

Drought and cool temperatures contribute to optimal ripeness

The sum of summer temperatures in 2010 was close to that of summer 2009 (962°C compared to 982°C), but decidedly chillier than those of 2005, which totalled 1052°C. These cool temperatures had a substantial influence on the balance of our wines, preserving a good level of acidity and attractive aromatic freshness. 

Very little rainfall (only 267 mm) from March to August 2010 ge...

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2021 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
894€ +14.6% 780€ -2.7% 802€ +12.8% 711€ +2.3% 695€ -11.5% 785€ +13.9% 689€ -27.9% 956€

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

32 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Deep, Ruby red and Healthy

ending

Long, Round and Extensive

nose

Youthful, Pure, Opulent and Ripe

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Good texture, Perfectly balanced, Balanced, Youthful, Rich, Ripe, Full, Dry and Silky tannins

Verdict

Transparent and Exotic

Written Notes

Luscious and jammy reds are medium-bodied, full-bodied or very full-bodied wines that combine ripe berry notes and pronounced jammy flavours.

You can discern notes of cherry jam, wild berry jam or dark plum in these wines. Ripe tannins add the necessary structure for pairing the wines with food.

  • 100p

Rather tight, with an alluring whiff of cocoa that lures you in before disappearing into the core of steeped plum, roasted fig and blackberry coulis notes. Sandalwood, black tea and loam elements fill in on the long and expansive finish. This seems to be lying in wait for what could be a very long time in the cellar before unfurling fully. Best from 2018 through 2045.

  • 97p

The 2010 Lafite-Rothschild is a beautiful Pauillac in the making. It has a very well-defined bouquet that exhibits more red than black fruit, laced with cedar, damp undergrowth and pressed flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, conveying a sense of symmetry and focus that is second to none. Yet I feel that there ought to be greater substance and grip towards the second half. I miss the fullness shown by the 2009 Lafite-Rothschild that is shown alongside it. There is a pleasant sharpness and clarity to this decidedly masculine Lafite. I suspect it will continue to improve in bottle, if never taking the accolade of "best in show" for this auspicious growing season. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate.

  • 95p

Fabulous nose of wild violets, wonderful lissom texture backed by aristocratic firmness, a totally captivating wine for the long term. Drink 2020-50

  • 100p

Deep ruby, floral, cassis, complex and refines, very difficult to analyze, that feeling of some real greatness just teasing you out there in the back. Beautiful texture, elegant and ripe tannins, pure, long, for the long haul, will need thirty years in the cellar to start to show it's full potential. 96-99, probably a legend in the making.

 

  • 97p

Intense hue. Profound, focused nose of ripe red fruit with delicate oak. Emphasis is on concentration on the palate. Tannic, massive and well-balanced. A broad-shouldered Pauillac. A good level of acidity ensures huge ageing potential.

  • 97p

Deep ruby in colour, the Lafite has wonderful aromatics, with a gorgeous perfume of violets, cedar, cassis and blackberries. With its velvety tannins and layered, delicate flavours, there is a succulent juicy character to its fruit profile, accented with hints of violet. It is a gorgeous wine that is filled with delicate layers of flavours and at the same time is not heavy or dense. This is clearly a very successful vintage for Lafite in both style and intensity, producing a wine that will outlive the outstanding 2009.

  • 100p
Lafite Rothschild 2010 (barrel sample) 97-99p Tasted in April 2011. This wine was strong and powerful, extremely tannic and concentrated, long and with iron rock structure and mega long aftertaste. One of the best wines of the vintage.
  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Very good

Release state price

600€

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

None

Glass time

2h

Drinking temperature

17

Inside Information

Parker 98 points The 2010 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot (a 3% difference from the barrel sample shown two years ago), achieved relatively high alcohol of 13.32%, according to administrator Charles Chevalier. The wine is very impressive, not as fleshy, flamboyant and massive as the 2009, but nevertheless, a big, rich, full-throttle Lafite-Rothschild meant to age a half century or more. Deep purple, with notes of white chocolate, mocha, cedar and charcoal as well as hints of vanillin and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied yet has that ethereal lightness that makes it a Lafite. Rich, with good acidity, precision and freshness, this is a slightly zestier version of the 2009 as well as more restrained and structured than that particular vintage. It will need at least 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 50+ years.

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