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  • Country ranking ?

    612
  • Producer ranking ?

    26
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    from 2020
  • Food Pairing

    Grilled Sirloin with Red-Wine Braised Shallots

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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A Snap-shot of the 2014 Vintage by Markus Del Monego MW

2014 had an early start with budbreak around 10 days ahead of the 10 years average. End of May flowering started on the early terroirs in heterogeneous conditions, whereas the later varieties such as Cabernet-Sauvignon and Franc as well as later terroirs took advantage of a warm and sunny period beginning of June. July and August where quite cool and humid and in the second half of Aug...

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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

Vintage Report  by Lafite / Significant rainfall from November to February restored groundwater reserves, which had already been substantially replenished by average or higher than average rain in 2012 and 2013.
Temperatures remained above normal and the vines missed the hearty winter frosts; what we really wanted were about two weeks of crisp mornings with beautiful sunshine, dry cold and no wind. But you cannot control nature! Bud break was...

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Vintage 2014

Bordeaux Vintage 2014 - is not a great vintage like 2005, 2009 or 2010 but it will be able to secure a position as one of the very good vintages of Bordeaux.

Generally scheduled between the end of March and the beginning of April, Primeur Week in Bordeaux is always an exciting time because it allows a first glimpse of the latest vintage. The sheer number of wines available for tasting is impressive and a week almost seems short. This is why...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

16 tasting notes

Tasting note

nose

Intense and Charming

taste

Warming, Balanced, Youthful, Focused, Elegant and Fresh

Verdict

Transparent and Full-bodied

Written Notes

Deep colour. Intense graphite, dark berry fruits with liquorice inky notes. Superb minerally wine with deep blackcurrant, blackberry fruits, fine slinky dry textures, lovely mid palate richness and flavour length. Elemental yet precise. Acidity lengthens the palate. Impressive wine. 97 points

  • 97p

Dark brooding and quite thick in texture with glossy colour and a bright crimson rim, the wine has very ripe Cabernet aromas, some sweetness and floral notes but all is quite packed if fresh; lovely spice and great black fruit flavours on the silky attack; , very, very Cab, very powerful, without being extracted; tannic intensity in the finish and lots of structure and power there.

  • 96p

Ruby. Scented, dark fruits, light cedar note, floral, vanilla, detailed nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, lively, detailed, some cherries, nuanced, long. 94-96

  • 95p

The 2014 Lafite-Rothschild, tasted with head winemaker Eric Kohler, has retained that very opulent and outgoing bouquet that dare I say actually reminded me of Mouton-Rothschild. There are layers of blackberry and boysenberry fruit, still that hint of juniper berry, certainly a more extrovert Lafite-Rothschild compared to recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, very focused and quite linear, again with plenty of black fruit laced with cedar and tobacco. It begins to clam up towards the saline finish, suggesting that it will need several years in bottle, but I still have high expectations for this First Growth once afforded several years in bottle.

  • 95p
Tasted in April 2015 (87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc). Closed and oaky, but there are enough ingredients to turn this wine into a staggering one. 95+
  • 95p
Dark purple red colour with violet hue and black centre. Closed nose slowly opening up, displaying fine fruit, discreet spicyness, complexity and elegance. On the palate freshness, excellent aromatic finish with convincing length, minerality and freshness.
  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Grapes

10% Merlot
87% Cabernet Sauvignon
3% Cabernet Franc

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None

Drinking temperature

16

Inside Information

97-99 points Wine Enthusiast

Barrel Sample. A great wine, this Lafite has great power and richness as well as a wonderfully elegant touch. It is dark and brooding on the one hand and fresh in black currant fruit on the other. Woody tones support the superb fruits and complement the texture.  (4/2015) 

97-98 points James Suckling

 I love the sexy, perfumed and feminine style to this young Lafite with rose petals, rose stems and currants. Full body, super fine tannins and a wonderful finish. Lasts for a very, very long time. (RV) (3/2015) 

94-97 points Wine Spectator

Very backward, with loads of cedar, espresso and juniper out front, while the core of currant and blackberry fruit stays in reserve. Shows ample grip on the finish, but this is fine-grained and exhibits superb cut. (Web-2015) (JM) 

94-96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 The Château Lafite-Rothschild 2014 is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, picked from 22 September until 10 October with the Petit Verdot, the Cabernet finished two days earlier. The Grand Vin is adorned with surprising richness and opulence on the nose: layers of ripe black plum and juniper, fine definition with even a hint of fig developing with continued aeration. After 5 minutes it turns volte face and becomes much more graphite and cedary - more Pauillac in essence. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, a potent core of black and blue fruit with a bullish (for Lafite) peacock's tail on the finish. Very long in the mouth, this is a Lafite that yearns to compensate for last year and it accomplishes that with some panache. (NM)  (4/2015) 

92-95 points Vinous

 A rich, powerful wine, the 2014 Lafite-Rothschild boasts superb depth, nuance and class. Hints of plum, cinnamon, wild flowers and exotic spices are woven throughout, but the flavors remain quite primary. The delicate, brilliant finish points to a bright future for a Lafite that should start to drink well with minimal cellaring. The blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. In 2014, the Grand Vin accounts for 38% of the production. (AG)  (4/2015)

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