Château LAFITE ROTHSCHILD 2023 magnum 150 cl

Description

Yves Beck 98-100 points www.yvesbeck.wine
Comme à son habitude, Lafite se positionne d’entrée avec sérénité et subtilité. Il sublime le Cabernet Sauvignon et le terroir de manière enthousiaste, précise, authentique ! Les invitantes notes de cassis couplées à des nuances d’épices, d’anis et même de garrigues cèdent la place au côté plus majestueux, ou imposant, du terroir, respectivement des nuances de graphite, de boîte à cigares et de cèdre avec la touche anisée puis mentholée en arrière-plan. Le vin se présente avec subtilité, presque discrétion, à l’attaque. Fin, mais serein, Lafite gagne en étoffe, en largeur le long du palais. Ses tannins, puissants, soulignent sa profondeur et créent une exceptionnelle symbiose avec le côté salin et tonique de la structure acide. Un Lafite qui fait usage de son droit d’être subtilement discret et élégant durant les primeurs, mais qui ne manque pas de démontrer, tout aussi subtilement, qu’il est puissant et qu’il y a beaucoup de muscle derrière le velouté !  2030-2058

William Kelley 97-99 points www.erobertparker.com
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.

Georgina Hindle 98 points  www.decanter.com (at Bordeaux, 01 Apr 2023)
A clear contender for wine of the vintage. Deep, purple colour on the rim. Some soft herbal and floral aromatics, milk chocolate. A real sense of understated power as Lafite does so well. Not so demonstrative at all, but there’s a gorgeous charming delicacy to this – fine powdery blue fruit tannins with edges of liquorice and slate. Smooth and supple, excellent weight in the mouth, light and streamlined, less overt acidity and brightness than Carruades, but still with a mouthwatering centre that gives strawberry and cherry fruit flavours. Ends with subtle graphite and wet stone, long and lingering though. Just delightful, so elegant and finessed. You can feel the density on the finish, the slight weight of the tannins comes at the end, bringing a controlled and quiet power. I love the sense of ease and seamlessness about this wine, it just slips down. 1% of very old Petit Verdot went into the blend this year. 15% press. 3.8pH. 38% grand vin production. Ageing 90% new oak. A potential 100-point wine.

Neal Martin 95-97 points www.vinous.com
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.

Antonio Galloni 96-98 points www.vinous.com
The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild races out of the glass with notable textural intensity. Explosive and deep, with striking balance, Lafite dazzles in this vintage. The 2023 is a somber, virile Lafite endowed with remarkable depth and tons of sheer character. Plum, blackberry, gravel, pencil shavings, graphite, mocha and lavender build into the intense, palate-staining finish. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot.

Jean-Marc Quarin 97 www.quarin.com
Couleur noire et intense. Nez très aromatique et de suite complexe. Nuances de fruits noirs. Touches de réglisse et goudron. Profond. Charnu en entrée de bouche, avec de suite beaucoup de goût au milieu et de la classe dans le toucher, le vin gagne du gras dans son déroulé. Il monte vers une finale riche en parfums et délicatement tramée. C’est délicieux. Assemblage : 93 % cabernet sauvignon, 6 % merlot, 1 % petit verdot. Degré d’alcool : 12°8 – pH : 3,7 – IPT : 70. Rendement : 45 hl/ha.