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2011 Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Cabernet Sauvignon (80%),Merlot (20%)
Ready - youthful
18.5/20
Robert Parker
90-93/100
James Molesworth
93-96/100
Product: 20118008857
2011 Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Description

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot and it’s easy to see that the technical team here think very highly of the quality of their Cabernet this year. Estate Manager Charles Chevallier has confided in the past that he would much rather not show his wine this early as it always benefits from a bit longer in barrel. Whenever I have had the chance to taste the young wine in both April and June I have always been amazed at how much development it undergoes in those extra two months. The bouquet exhibits a piercing purity of cassis and crushed rocks, while on the palate there is an extraordinary precision and finesse. The quality of tannins, in particular, is remarkable, and if the wine puts on weight during maturation, as it always does, then this could be turn out to be a Lafite of enormous refinement and elegance.
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2011
Maturity Ready - youthful
Grape List Cabernet Sauvignon (80%),Merlot (20%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Lafite Rothschild

Critics reviews

18.5/20
Dense black-red, lovely fragrance yet still very firm, a seriously classic Lafite, very long term.
Decanter.com
Robert Parker 90-93/100
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. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - April 2012
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (Apr 2012)
James Molesworth 93-96/100
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. Wine Spectator's 2011 Top-Scoring Red Bordeaux james_molesworth, Wine Spectator, April 5, 2012
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com (Apr 2012)

About this wine

Cabernet Sauvignon

The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
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Château Lafite Rothschild

The iconic Château Lafite Rothschild was classified as a first growth in 1855 and has been in the Rothschild family since 1868. Today, Lafite is headed up by Saskia de Rothschild, daughter of long-time steward Baron Eric de Rothschild.
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