x
  • Country ranking ?

    452
  • Producer ranking ?

    20
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040
  • Food Pairing

    Pressed guinea fowl with young vegetables

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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100 Points Robert Parker: The 2003 Lafite Rothschild comes as close to perfection as any of the great Lafites made over the past three decades (1982, 1986, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010). This sensational effort came in at 12.7% natural alcohol, it is made in the style of one of this estate’s great classics, the 1959. Composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it exhibits a dense ruby/pu...

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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

2003 will always be a memorable vintage due to the heatwave in the Bordeaux region and in the country generally. A two-week period spell of scorching heat suddenly arrived in August, with temperatures rising above 40°C. Rainfall was very low throughout the vines’ cycle (555 mm between October 2002 and September 2003, compared to an average of 850 mm) but the soil remained relatively cool and the vines did not suffer from a lack of water.
Our ...

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Vintage 2003

2003 was the hottest vintage ever seen in Bordeaux. The most successful châteaux have passed their exceptional 2000s and some claim to have made their greatest wines in living memory.

Very dry and extremely hot summer days and nights (16 days > 95°F compared to 2 in 2000, 6 in 2005, 4 in 2009). Need to eliminate the superscript here. I can't figure out how to do it.) The deeply colored reds, low acidities and high tannins are a departure fr...

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2021 2019 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
980€ +36.1% 720€ -7.7% 780€ -11.3% 879€ +11.4% 789€ +1.2% 780€ -2.7% 802€ -3.8% 834€ +2.7% 812€ -36.4% 1 276€ -1.1% 1 290€

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

Tasted in September 2023. 86% C. Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 3% C. Franc and 2% P. Verdot.  12.5% alcohol. The harvest took place between the 8th and 24th of September. Despite outrageous temperatures in the first half of August (over 40 degrees C), Lafite vines didn't suffer at all. 2003 here is considered one of the best vintages this property has ever made, and my first "meeting" with this wine was just a confirmation of its quality and pure joy. Sublime on the nose, sublime on the palate, cashmere, silky, vibrant, fabulous midpalate, a long aftertaste that refused to go away, etc. Eternal wine!

  • 100p

The 2003 Lafite-Rothschild famously shrugged off the merciless heat of that infamous summer when the temperature at the estate nudge 42° Celsius. It has a lovely bouquet of black plum, pressed iris, a touch of glycerin and (for Lafite) exotic scents of blood orange. The palate is powerful and intense as you would expect. There is great depth and volume with glossy black fruit laced with orange zest, smoke and melted tar. You can almost feel the summer in this Lafite-Rothschild but unlike many of its peers, it has requisite acidity to maintain freshness and avoid cloyingness on the finish. Whilst not my pick of modern-day Lafites, I have to doff my cap because it was and still is, one of the finest Left Banks of the vintage. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate.

  • 96p

Ruby, WOW, it's improved enormously from my last bottle, now layers, seductive, violets, cassis giving the sweetness, fine leather and some bell peppers far behind. Even acidity feels fresh now (on the low side for Bdx) ripe tannins, superb balance, very elegant aromas and elegant texture, then have a short break before a stunning aftertaste. A bit strange given it's "only" 86% Cab S (a grape that can have this hollow mid palate) and it's just 12,9 in alcohol as well, so where did the sweetness I felt in the last bottle two years back, go now? 95

  • 95p

The 2003 Lafite Rothschild comes as close to perfection as any of the great Lafites made over the past three decades (1982, 1986, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010). This sensational effort came in at 12.7% natural alcohol, it is made in the style of one of this estate's great classics, the 1959. Composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color to the rim along with a luxurious bouquet of cedarwood, lead pencil shaving, white chocolate, cocoa and cassis. Fat, rich, opulent and full-bodied with low acidity and stunning seductiveness and complexity, this noble wine possesses a bountiful, generous, heady style. It is just coming into its plateau of maturity where it should hold for 20-25 years. This is one of the candidates for the wine of the vintage - make no mistake about that. Drink: 2014 - 2039

  • 100p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Best buy

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

Be Cautious

Glass time

2h

Drinking temperature

17
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