1990 Lafite Rothschild
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Tasting notes
The best example of this wine I have ever tasted was simply beautiful. The dried flowers, cedar, tobacco, and spicy red currant perfumed notes were the perfect introduction. The palate was clearly its equal, as the textures balanced suppleness, with vibrancy, refinement, and elegance, finishing with purity in the red fruits and almost soft, creamy tannins. Just starting to wake up, this is going to age for decades.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Interestingly, a bottle of 1990 Lafite Rothschild I pulled from my cellar for a video blog on my web site was still buttoned down, tight, and even with extended decanting was not showing as much as I would have hoped. However, a bottle tasted, of all places, in Seoul, Korea in February, was only a few points short of perfection. That amazing performance motivated me to pull another bottle out of my cellar and follow it over the course of two days. Sure enough, by the second day the wine was roaring from the glass. The 1990 Lafite has turned out far better than my early assessment. While it still possesses some firmness, and performs like a late adolescent in terms of its evolution, it boasts gorgeous aromas of cedar, tobacco leaf, cassis, and lead pencil shavings. The explosive aromas are followed by a fleshy, full-bodied wine that should hit its peak in 5-8 years, and last for 25-30 more.
Very serious fruit, with juicy berry, tobacco and cedar character. Slightly more body than the 1989, but they are very close in character. I would give this a little more time. -'89/'90 Bordeaux non-blind horizontal. Best after 2007. 25,000 cases made.
Very serious fruit, with juicy berry, tobacco and cedar character. Slightly more body than the 1989, but they are very close in character. I would give this a little more time. '89/'90 Bordeaux non-blind horizontal. Best after 2007. 25,000 cases made. James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2005
About the producer
Ch. Lafite Rothschild is one of the most famous wine estates in Bordeaux and the world. One of the Left Bank’s five First Growths, the Pauillac property is renowned for producing wines of finesse and elegance that age beautifully.