Critic Notes
Here is a Lafite with lots of muscle and tone. Very tannic and velvety textured.. Full body, fresh acidity and a bright finish. Shows a tenderness at the end. Gorgeous. Mar 2016, www.JamesSuckling.com
Score: 97-98/100James Suckling
The Lafite violets come to the fore, providing finely polished elegance to the palate. It seems discreet but the cellar master says 2015 is the most 'concentrated' Lafite they have made. This will show as it matures. Apr 2016, Steven Spurrier, www.Decanter.com, Drink: 2023-2045
Score: 96-/100DecanterDrinking Window: 2023-2045
Rich, powerful and enveloping, the 2015 Lafite-Rothschild is endowed with serious volume and textural resonance. Super-ripe plum, smoke and spice notes emerge in the glass, but only with great reluctance. Although the aromatics aren't giving much at this point, the palate is much more expressive. The wine's sheer power and authoritative tone result in an unusually dramatic Lafite. The 2015 is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot that spent 20 months in oak, which is a bit more than the norm.
Score: 96-/100Antonio GalloniDrinking Window: 2025 - 2055
Finesse and elegance are what you hope to find at Lafite, which is exactly what is in the bottle this year. An exotic fragrance of smoke, thyme, cedar, damp earth and the wrapper of a Cuban cigar, this wine is vibrant and juicy, flowing with seasoned cassis, black raspberries, spice box and cherries. This wine combines silk and freshness in the mouth with length and purity. The Merlot harvest took place between September 17 and September 23, the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between September 23 and October 6. Neither Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot was used in the blend this year. The wine represents 42% of the harvest, reaching 12.8% with a pH of 3.69. Apr 2016, www.thewinecellarinsider.com
Score: 95-97/100Jeff Leve
Almost entirely Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a seriously structured wine. It has dense tannins that dominate the potential fruits with their firm, never hard touch. The fresh character of the fruits is just beginning to show in a wine that will develop slowly. Apr 2016, www.wineenthusiast.com
Score: 95-97/100Wine Enthusiast
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!
Score: 96-/100Lisa Perrotti-BrownDrinking Window: 2024 - 2045
The 2015 Lafite-Rothschild is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot picked between 17 September and 6 October. Matured in 100% new oak, it has a tightly-wound bouquet with black cherries, cassis, cedar and graphite, though it does not quite possess the depth one would have expected the vintage would have bestowed. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, harmonious on the entry and with the oak neatly integrated. There is a very fine grip towards the finish, which has a tangible spicy edge - white pepper with a touch of bay leaf and enough pencil lead to fill a stationery set. The aftertaste is extremely long here, more than a minute when I timed it on my watch. It is an excellent Lafite-Rothschild in the making and it often "finds its voice" only after bottling, so it could ultimately end with a higher score. Apr 2016, www.eRobertParker.com, Drink: 2028-2060
Score: 94-96/100Neal MartinDrinking Window: 2028-2060
91% Cabernet Sauvignon picked 23 September to 6 October; 9% Merlot picked 17-23 September. Lustrous mid crimson. Lightly spicy nose and very smooth tannins in the Lafite style. Only just enough acidity. Blurry impression. Mild and charming - very restrained and Lafite. It builds on the end in an impressive manner. Apr 2016, www.JancisRobinson.com, Drink: 2024-2040
Score: 18-/20Jancis RobinsonDrinking Window: 2024-2040
