Critic Notes
Dense black-red, lovely fragrance yet still very firm, a seriously classic Lafite, very long term. Drink 2020-2050. Decanter.com
Score: 18.5-/20Decanter
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. Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Score: 18.5-/20Jancis Robinson
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. Jeff Leve, theWineCellarInsider.com
Score: 95-96/100Jeff Leve
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. James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Score: 94-95/100James Suckling
The last time we tasted at Lafite the wine was awkward and surly: blackly fruited and ferociously structured. showing none of the charm for which this chateau is so famous. Two weeks on and the wine has softened, its showing a nice bit of baby fat and the fruit has taken on a sweeter character AND it is charming! Charles Chevalier said that the final blend was only assembled a couple of weeks before the primeur tastings and agreed that it wasn't showing well but today it is wonderful, easily an 18 pointer and if it continues on its current trajectory will be among the best wines of the vintage. FINE+RARE
Score: 18-/20FINE+RARE
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. James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com
Score: 93-96/100Wine Spectator
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, FrEdEric 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.-Jeannie Cho Lee MW, AsianPalate.com
Score: 93-95/100Jeannie Cho Lee MW
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. Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com
Score: 93-95/100Neal Martin
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.April, 2012
Score: 90-93/100Robert Parker
