2023 Château Lafite Rothschild

The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild was picked September 7 to 29 at 45hL/ha and matured in 90% new oak. This is more discrete on the nose—one of the tropes of this First Growth—even when compared to the more immediate Carruades. This takes time to unfurl in the glass, slowly revealing black fruit laced with pencil box and just a touch of pressed violet. There’s wonderful precision here. The palate is medium-bodied with a cashmere texture, very pure (again) with a judicious dab of cracked black pepper. The finish is very sleek, thanks to its almost filigree tannins, seeming to glide across the palate. It's not a grippy or sinewy Pauillac, and on reflection, it is technically perfect. Yet, I find myself searching for a bit more…soul. Perhaps a few rough edges would captivate the emotions. This is a delicious Lafite-Rothschild no doubt, but I want it to move me once in bottle. Maybe it will. 

- Neal Martin (04/2024)

The finest of the first growths this year appears to be the 2023 Lafite Rothschild, a terrific effort that unwinds in the glass with deep and incipiently complex aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, lilac and violets mingled with hints of cigar wrapper and mint. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's vibrant and refined, with a deep core of fruit, plenty of sweet structuring tannin and a compelling marriage between energy and plenitude. It's a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot that reminds me of 2019's tannins combined with 2016's unimpeachable classicism. 

- William Kelley (04/2024)