Ch. Lafite is the embodiment of elegance and finesse.
Subtle aromas of redcurrant and cassis play on the nose. It is deep and rich on
the palate. Nevertheless, there is an incredible, lacy freshness to the wine.
Fine, svelte tannins and a ribbon of shallow acidity knit the glass together.
The wine is long, as you would expect, with a cashmere finish. This is one of
the most elegant and supple Lafites!
Wine Profile
Region
:
Bordeaux
Classification
:
Premier Grand Cru Classe
Appellation
:
Pauillac Controlee
LWIN
:
1382206
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The deep garnet-purple shaded 2015 Lafite Rothschild is blended of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot and was matured for 20 months in new oak barrels from Tonnellerie des Domaines (their own cooperage). It is still sporting a lot of cedar at this nascent stage with a vibrant core of black raspberries, red currants and crushed plums plus touches of cigar boxes, violets and underbrush with a waft of tilled loam. Medium-bodied and elegantly styled with wonderful freshness and depth, it is compellingly earthy/minerally in the mouth with a frame of seductively silky yet very firm tannins and culminating in a very long, racy and pure finish. Boasting spectacular finesse and packed with nuances, clearly, given some of the challenges here in 2015, this is a masterpiece of diligence in the vineyards, careful selection and very clever crafting—bravo!
Firm and powerful with blackberries, blueberries, currants and wet earth. Full-bodied, yet tight and angular with very pretty fruit and brightness. Really racy and super and set for a long, long life. Better after 2025. Reviewed in Hong Kong Chinese Wine Tasting July 2020.
The 2015 Lafite-Rothschild is more opulent and generous on the nose than its peers, offering layers of black fruit infused with cassis, graphite, Earl Grey tea and discreet menthol scents, all delivered with fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, ripe tannin. There is a sweet core of fruit to this quite high-toned, almost iodine-y 2015 that just lacks a bit of detail on the finish. This clearly has some way to go. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
The vineyard includes three large areas: the hills around the Château, the Carruades plateau contiguous to the west and a 4.5 ha plot in the neighbouring town of Saint-Estèphe. The surface is 112 ha, they are fine gravel, deep, mixed with aeolian sands on a tertiary limestone subsoil, well drained and well exposed.The grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%).The average age of the vines is 39 years, but you should know that vines less than 10 years old do not fit into the great wine, which means that the age of the vines giving the g...
The vineyard includes three large areas: the hills around the Château, the Carruades plateau contiguous to the west and a 4.5 ha plot in the neighbouring town of Saint-Estèphe. The surface is 112 ha, they are fine gravel, deep, mixed with aeolian sands on a tertiary limestone subsoil, well drained and well exposed.The grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%).The average age of the vines is 39 years, but you should know that vines less than 10 years old do not fit into the great wine, which means that the age of the vines giving the great wine is more of the order. 45 years old on average. The oldest plot, known as “La Gravière”, was planted in 1886.The management of the property has been carried out since 1962 by a unique team supervising Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Duhart-Milon given the contiguity of the two properties. Eric Kohler, Technical Director of Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Duhart-Milon, is assisted by Christophe Congé, Oenologist and Winemaker, and Louis Caillard, Vineyard Manager.The techniques used are therefore completely identical between the two Châteaux and remain traditional, they integrate a strict control of the yields, a harvest by hand and many works carried out manually throughout the year. Little or no chemical fertilizers and some manure additions allow the vines to reach a high age, the uprooting is only done against the will when the vines are generally over 80 years old.The CellarThe harvest from each plot is treated in separate vats to initially keep the identity of the terroir on which the grapes have matured. At Lafite, tradition and technical progress complement each other, fermentation takes place in two vats: the traditional vat room made up of large oak vats and the modern vat room made up of stainless steel vats, integrated cooling and reheating rings, centralized automation and controls. temperatures. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, the vats are subjected to a first tasting before being passed into vats of fine wine, the "free-run wine", the marc for their part are pressed independently to extract the " press wine ”. A new fermentation phase, called malolactic, is carried out in vats before placing in barrels, batch by batch.In 2010, Lafite refined its system by building two vats made up of several dozen small capacity tanks. A Merlot vat (cement vats of 50 to 125 hl) in order to vinify with particular attention the different plot lots of Merlot. A divisional vat room (30 to 70 hl stainless steel vats) dedicated to malolactic fermentation (second fermentation) in order to extend the plot selection until the end of the complete vinification process for all batches that require it, whether in Cabernet or in merlot.All barrels come from the Tonnellerie des Domaines with a specific adaptation of the “toasting” to the characteristics of the wine during production. Several tastings of each vat are carried out in December for a strict selection of the great wine. The blend is made at the first racking of the barrels in March. The stage of maturing and aging of the wine in the cellar begins, a stage which will be spread over a period of 18 to 20 months. During this period, the cellar master will operate a series of rackings, which aim to separate the sediment from the lees of the clean wine, and a "fining", the addition in each barrel of four and six slightly beaten egg whites. in snow which will coagulate the last particles in suspension and precipitate them at the bottom of the barrel. The wine is then ready for bottling which takes place all at once in June.The circular cellar of Château Lafite Rothschild was built under the direction of the architect Ricardo Bofill and inaugurated in 1987. Intended for maturing second year wines, it is characterized by its atypical octagonal shape and a vault supported by 16 columns. . It can accommodate up to 2,200 barrels.
