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  • Country ranking ?

    1 621
  • Producer ranking ?

    93
  • Decanting time

    45min
  • When to drink

    now to 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Noisettes of venison with sauce grand veneur

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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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 Franc. Lafite matures slightly earlier than other Premier Cru wines in the region on account of the generous amounts of Merlot used, and it is this that also makes the wine more delicate and subtle than those wines which are completely dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Lafite has a soul, a beautiful, generous, kindly soul. Lafite turns bare earth into heaven. Lafite is harmony, a harmony between man and nature, because without our magnificent winegrowers, nothing would be accomplished.”
Baron Eric de Rothschild 


Of the five Premier Cru wines in the region, Château Lafite to my mind has managed to produce the year’s best wine in many of the top years in 1900th centrury. The times I have spent in the company of a 1934, 1953, 1959, 1982 and 1986 have been unforgettable. And it was then that I always remembered how many wine critics fondly describe Lafite as ‘the perfection of elegance’.

Vineyard soil: fine gravel mixed with aeolien sands on a bedrock of tertiary limestone
Production area: 103 ha
Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%)
Average age of vines: 30 years
Harvest method: hand picked
Winemaking: the vinification is nowadays done with all the sophisticated instruments which modern oenology has created. Fermentation takes place in large oak vats in which the musts remain for 18 to 25 days.
Ageing: the wines are aged entirely in new barrels for 18 to 24 months. During this time,the wine is racked 7 times and is fined with the whites of 6 eggs per barrel. Only certain vats are selected to make the Grand Vin, Lafite. The others are used to make the second wine of Lafite, the “Carruades de Lafite”.

 

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Vintage 1928

The weather conditions in Bordeaux during the 1928 growing season played a pivotal role in shaping the vintage. The year started with a mild winter, followed by a warm and dry spring that allowed for an early budbreak and flowering. 

Bordeaux 1928 Reds: The red wines of Bordeaux from the 1928 vintage are notable for their unique character and their representation of a challenging growing season.

Appearance: The 1928 Bordeaux reds typically exhibit a brick-red to amber color, reflecting their considerable age.

Nose: On the nose, the 1928 Bordeaux reds offer an array of aromas, including dried fruits, tobacco, cedar, and subtle earthy notes. While they may not possess the vibrancy of wines from more exceptional vintages, they are known for their complexity.

Palate: In the mouth, the 1928 Bordeaux reds are characterized by their delicate and often resolved tannins. The wines tend to be lighter in body and lack the depth and concentration found in 1929 vintage. Flavors of dried cherries, currants, and subtle herbal nuances can be discerned.

Overall Impressions: The Bordeaux 1928 vintage is generally regarded as a fine vintage in terms of wine quality. 

For collectors and enthusiasts, the 1928 Bordeaux wines offer a historical perspective on the region's winemaking. While they all may not consistently deliver the depth and elegance associated with Bordeaux at its best, they can provide insight into a unique period in the region's history and the variability of Bordeaux vintages. When encountering bottles from this vintage today, it's essential to manage expectations and to seek out well-preserved bottles from reputable producers for the best possible tasting experiences.

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Average Bottle Price

2015 2010 2005 1650
1 210€ +29.6% 934€ +19.7% 780€ -61.4% 2 023€

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.

Tasting note

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Written Notes

The 1928 Lafite Rothschild that followed was full of herbs, mahogany and cedar like a brand new cabinet filled with spices.  This was beautiful, pretty, tender and soft.  Zen found it ‘peppery,’ and I felt lots of tobacco.  The ‘28 improved in my glass, and the tannins of the vintage came through in the end, but it was still no match for the 1911 (95).

  • 95p

The 1928 Lafite-Rothschild is one of the first pre-Second World War Clarets that I ever tasted courtesy of Charles Chevalier. Sadly, it is not a great ‘28 Bordeaux and being fortunate to have tasted the 1928 Latour the same day, they are not even close in quality. The 1928 Lafite has a brick core with a wide amber rim, clear in color. So far, so good... Then there comes an oddly anodyne bouquet that feels expunged of terroir and personality: monotone and rather smudged. The palate is medium-bodied and demonstrates commendable weight, but again, there is little personality and it feels static on the finish. As The Strokes once asked…is that it? Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild dinner at Amuse Bouche in Hong Kong.

  • 78p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Poor

Investment potential

No Potential

Fake factory

Serious
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