2021 Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux

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Description

Only a very limited quantity of this wine is available, and sales are handled by our Account Managers. You can find out more about this service here. If you would like to hear about Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur releases, sign up here. You can browse our range of new releases here.

Cabernet Sauvignon 96%, Merlot 3%, Petit Verdot 1%

This has one of Lafite’s highest-ever proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon (alongside 2016, 1994 and ’61). The wine is finely sculpted, with a bell-like clarity and harmony that only comes from the great terroirs. It would be wrong to call the wine powerful, yet it has an unmissable presence. Descriptions at this level are usually elusive; there are snatches of floral perfume wrapped into hints of tapenade, graphite, tobacco and much more. What truly beguiles are the extraordinary tannins, sapid and stiletto-like, that glint in every facet of the wine. They refresh as well as control the wine and are the epitome of great Cabernet. After the ebullience of recent vintages, this is a wine that makes you think, and one built to last for decades. Drink 2030-2055.

Our score: 18.5/20

Berry Bros. & Rudd, April 2022

Colour Red

Sweetness Dry

Vintage 2021

Alcohol % 12.5%

Maturity Not ready (2032 - 2066)

Body Full Bodied

Producer Château Lafite Rothschild

Critics reviews

James Lawther MW 17.5++/20

Deep crimson hue. Customary elegance rather than power. Perfumed nose, attractive fruit and a surprising density of tannin (15% press wine to bolster the structure). Quite discreet and measured in its form but good length and should improve further in bottle.Drink 2030 - 2050james_lawther, JancisRobinson.com (May 2022)

Drink 2030 - 2050

James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (May 2022)

Neal Martin MW 95-97/100

The 2021 Lafite-Rothschild, which was aged in 90% new oak, has a deep, almost opaque hue. This has quite an arresting bouquet with dense blackberry, sous-bois and pencil box scents, quintessential Lafite aromas with nuanced floral scents surfacing with time. The palate is medium-bodied, though with more weight than you would expect given the growing season. The Cabernet Sauvignon imparts graphite and almost briny elements into the aromatic profile. Sapid and classic in style, head winemaker Eric Kohler suggests that it is a return to the style of Lafite-Rothschild of the nineties in terms of freshness. I concur.Drink 2030 - 2070Neal Martin, Vinous.com.com, (May 2022)

Drink 2030 - 2050

Neal Martin MW, Vinous.com (May 2022)

William Kelley 95-97/100

A brilliant wine that shares some similarities with the formidable 1996, the 2021 Lafite Rothschild wafts from the glass with inviting aromas of dark berries, cigar box, loamy soil, black truffle and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's rich and concentrated, with beautifully powdery tannins, lively acids and a long, saline finish. Of course, this isn't as dramatic as the 2020 or 2019 out of the gates, but the 2021 is a brilliant success in its own right. What's more, its structure and balance mean that it is likely to prove almost immortal. It's a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, which is one of the all-time highest percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon chez Lafite.William Kelley, Wine Advocate (Apr 2022)

Drink 2030 - 2050

William Kelley, RobertParker.com (Apr 2022)

James Suckling 97-98/100

Polished and refined with a firm, fine and linear tannin structure. Harmonious. Perfumed violets, roses and subtle licorice. All in balance here, with precise layers of black fruit, minerals and pencil lead. Rather seamless. Firm, yet fine and sleek to the end. Very classy. Fine-velvet texture. 96% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot and 1% petit verdot.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (May 2022)

Drink 2030 - 2050

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (May 2022)

Jane Anson MW 97/100

Deep in colour, has grip and presence. Loganberry, blueberry, wet stones, hawthorn, forest floor, this is a long-ageing Lafite, not one that I would rush to open. It delivers tannic power from beginning to end, with density and juice and length, a reminder that Lafite manages to perform strongly in so many different styles of vintage. Delivering right at the very top of Pauillac. 1st year organic conversion. 90% new oak. No frost at the estate, yields of 34hl/h, harvest September 22 to October 8. 40% 1st wine.Drink 2028 - 2044jane_anson_mw, janeanson_com (May 2022)

Drink 2030 - 2050

Jane Anson MW, JaneAnson.com (May 2022)

About this wine

Pauillac

The aristocrat of the Médoc boasts 75 percent of the region’s First Growths, with Grand Cru Classés representing 84 percent of production. Pauillac's First Growths each have their own unique characteristics: Ch. Lafite Rothschild produces the region’s most aromatically-complex and subtly-flavoured wine, while – with its high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon – Ch. Mouton Rothschild can produce a decadently rich, fleshy and exotic wine.

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