Château Lafite Rothschild

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

92 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe8/31/2014

Good full ruby-purple; this really stains the glass. Highly expressive aromas of blackberry, crushed strawberry, flint, cedar, pepper and herbs. Rich and bright in the mouth, with pungent minerality and a cedary note keeping the dark and red fruit flavors fresh. The long finish features lovely floral lift and substantial but ripe tannins. This strikes me as a very successful Lafite. (92(+?) points)

Jamessuckling.com

94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/19/2014

Love the nose on this, with sweet tobacco, delicate currant, cedar and blackberry. Full body with integrated tannins and a juicy, fruity, subtle finish. The texture to this wine is beautiful. Better than I remember from barrel. Try in 2019.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/10/2014

This delivers pronounced tobacco and bay leaf notes up front, with a core of steeped plum and currant fruit and a fleshy edge through the charcoal-lined finish. There's some serious buried minerality, which should emerge with cellaring. Best from 2018 through 2031.

La Revue du Vin de France

17,5-18 / 20

the5/31/2012

Tout le savoir-faire de Charles Chevallier s'exprime dans ce millésime qui a permis d'élaborer un Lafite d'un grand classicisme. Le travail sur la matière et la manière dont s'expriment les tanins est un modèle dans le millésime. Le vin conserve un côté extrêmement digeste, mais il affiche aussi une densité et surtout une longueur magnifiques. Une des réussites majeures du millésime.

Le Point

17,5-18 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/17/2012

Fruits noirs, mûre, pointe mentholée, bouche ample, généreuse, beaucoup plus de moelleux que dans les Carruades (le second vin), raffiné, juteux, long, frais, en finesse et très fruité cette année. Long, délicat, petits tanins friands.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89-92 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe5/12/2012

(80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot): Good dark red. Very closed nose hints at blackcurrant, licorice, mocha, graphite and spices. Slightly hard-edged in the mouth, with a peppery element to the dark fruit, mineral and spice flavors. Finishes a tad pinched, with palate-saturating tannins verging on dry. This will obviously need time in bottle to smooth out, but I fear that the tannins will always maintain at least a light green streak. Of course I hope I'm wrong, but this doesn't strike me as one of the most successful Lafites of the last ten years.

Wein Wisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe5/7/2012

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Tiefgründiges Bouquet, mementan leider wenig kommunikativ. Im zweiten Nasenansatz dunkle Schokonoten, Malz, Mahagonitouch, Zedern und etwas Teer. Im Gaumen ein wunderschönes, konzentriertes Paket an blau- bis schwarzbeeriger Frucht, Lakritze im Extrakt, zeigt Stoff und Fleisch und eine ausgeglichene Adstringenz, erst im Finale kommt dann die erwartete Lafite-Süsse, nicht dramatisch, aber doch ist sie da, klingt lange nach. Hatte unter allen Médoc-Premiers die Nase vorn, aber die ersten 15 Jahre werden kein Spaziergang. 2025-2060

TAST

18-19 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2012

Le caractère du terroir est parfaitement dessiné avec des arômes de cèdre et de graphite d'une inimitable élégance mais la bouche, beaucoup plus stricte et tendu que celle des Carruades, laisse imaginer une évolution beaucoup plus lente en bouteille. Grand vin de garde dont il faudrait mieux reparler dans douze à quinze ans, ce qui ne sera hélas pas son destin majoritaire...

Decanter.com

18,5 / 20

the4/30/2012

Dense black-red, lovely fragrance yet still very firm, a seriously classic Lafite, very long term. Drink 2020-2050. (18.5 points)

Wine Advocate

90-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2012

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot (harvested between September 3-21), the 2011 Lafite Rothschild came in at 12.6% natural alcohol (considerably lower than in 2010 and 2009). Exhibiting a deep ruby/purple color, lots of crushed rock, red and black currant, forest floor and underbrush characteristics, moderate tannin and medium body, it is built somewhat along the lines of the 1999 and 2001. It should be a 20- to 25-year wine, but it is not at the level of the 2008, 2009 and 2010. Fresh acids give the wine a somewhat more clipped feeling than most great Lafites have exhibited. Nevertheless, there is a lot of freshness and vibrancy to this vintage.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/27/2012

The 2011 Lafite-Rothschild is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot with an alcohol level of 12.6%. It has wonderful purity on the nose with blackberry, cassis, raspberry, a touch of graphite and an attractive floral note. It is feminine and beguiling. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins on the entry, crisp acidity, very harmonious and alluring with blackberry, raspberry and a saline touch towards the long caressing finish. It is a more sensual Lafite that I was expecting, with great persistency and poise. Tasted April 2012

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-96 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/27/2012

Produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Spice, blackberry liqueur, licorice, earth, graphite and gravel scents lead to a full-bodied wine with supple tannins, freshness and good concentration. The wine ends with a bright, elegant cassis-filled finish. 95-96 Pts

Asian Palate

93-95 / 100

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2012

This is classic Latour expressing the seriousness and weight of this majestic wine. With 85% Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend, the flavours lean toward blackberries, dried Chinese red dates and cedar; there is a hint of aged pu?r tea in the finish. With 20 hectares of vineyards now being farmed in the ?io?method since 2010, Frédéric Engerer attributes these subtle nuances and minerality in the wine to new farming methods. Full-bodied and generous, this is a wonderful Latour with plush, velvety tannins and a very long finish. Latour 2011 is powerful yet subtle and refined while still being concentrated. One of my top red wines of this vintage exhibiting great focus and terroir expression.

Jancis Robinson

18,5 / 20

byJulia Harding MWthe4/17/2012

Drink 2020-2040
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot. Deep dark crimson with rich purple rim. Delicate, pure cassis dark fragrance, the merest hint of oak spice. Tannins are a conundrum, feeling dense and savoury at first and then gliding over the finish line. Polar opposite of Mouton style. (JH) 12.8%

Wine Spectator

93-96 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/10/2012

Still tightly wound and very restrained, but there's a serious well of black plum and macerated currant fruit in reserve, held behind substantial but well-ripened tannins and a strong chalk and iron note. There's a nice austerity to the very driven mineral finish. Tasted non-blind.—J.M.

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/6/2012

A powerful wine with dark and dry tannins. It has a great depth of fruit flavor, with immense and concentrated weight, and a structure that is for long-term aging. —R.V.

Jamessuckling.com

94-95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/1/2012

A bit chewy but shows an impressive intensity of spice, sweet tobacco, and currant character. Full, dense and structured. Muscular for the vintage for Lafite. Tobacco box aftertaste. Some wet earth too.