98pts James Suckling
Polished and refined with a firm, fine and linear tannin structure. Harmonious. Perfumed violets, roses and subtle licorice. All in balance here, with precise layers of black fruit, minerals and pencil lead. Rather seamless. Firm, yet fine and sleek to the end. Very classy. Fine-velvet texture.
98pts Wine Enthusiast
This is essentially Cabernet Sauvignon, giving beautiful black currant notes that come through in succulent juiciness and a serious core of tannins that are giving the wine a solid backbone. This will push the wine’s maturity well into the long-term.
97pts Decanter
Surely a contender for wine of the vintage, certainly on the Left Bank. Vibrant and explosive, what a wine in 2021. Graphite, black chocolate, black pepper and blackcurrant aromas but also with floral edges - so intense! Supple and racy on the palate, this is a firecracker of a Lafite, so much energy and acidity that you get this rush of red and black fruits then the stoney minerality and then the spice. It's sharp and racy with the length that goes on and on. You get it all here but so well delivered, real refinement and elegance in terms of fruit precision and clarity but it's just so energetic and bright. This puts you squarely in Bordeaux with the lively and balanced freshness with these gorgeous powerful and structured Cabernet aspects telling you it's from Pauillac, ending with liquorice, stone, graphite and toasted spice from the one block of old-vine Petit Verdot that went into the blend this year. Vibrant and explosive - an absolute thoroughbred - albeit a young one! Made with 96% Cabernet as opposed to a usual amount between 80-85%.
96pts Wine Advocate
To my palate, the 2021 Lafite Rothschild has emerged as the finest of the Pauillac first growths this year. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark minty berries mingled with notions of iris, licorice and cigar box, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into an elegantly dense and structured mid-palate that's nicely framed by sweet but abundant tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish.
96pts Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the Grand Vin 2021 Château Lafite-Rothschild, and if anyone is going to excel in a cooler, elegant vintage like 2021, it will be Château Lafite. Based on 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, is has a brilliant perfume of pure crème de cassis, spring flowers, graphite, gravelly earth, and sandalwood, which will turn toward more classic Lafite cedar pencil with age. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has supple, elegant, yet substantial tannins, great balance, and a beautiful finish. Like most wines from this estate, it has a classy, regal, incredibly impressive style.
History
Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of only four classified first growths and thus the designation as 1st er Cru. The vintage rankings of the Universal Paris Exposition in 1855 officially gave Lafite the rating as “Leader among fine wines.” While the first known reference to Lafite dates to 1234 with a certain Gombaud de Lafite, abbot of the Vertheuil Monastery north of Pauillac, Lafite’s mention as a medieval fief dates to the 14th century. The name Lafite comes from the Gascon language term “la hite”, which means “hillock”. There were probably already vineyards on the property at the time when the Ségur family organised the vineyard in the 17th century, and Lafite began to earn its reputation as a great winemaking estate. Jacques de Ségur was credited with the planting of the Lafite vineyard in the 1670s and in the early 1680s. The estate achieved wide popularity in the 1750s when it became the favorite wine of King Louis XV. Thomas Jefferson was also a steadfast customer and even visited the estate. After the 1973-1976 mini-crisis that hit Bordeaux, Baron Eric’s management of the estate made strides forward with a search for excellence and the gradual addition of a new technical team. In 1985 Baron Eric began a tradition of inviting fine-arts photographers to photograph Chateau Lafite. Today, his daughter Saskia de Rothschild represents the 6th generation of the family at the head of the winemaking properties.
