2009 Chateau Lafite Rothschild

100 POINTS

Stuart Pigott - jamessuckling.com

This is what the Medoc is all about. The freshness and delicacy of this wine in combination with its serious concentration and firm core are totally stunning. Time has already worked its magic and this is already delicious, but has decades in front of it. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

100 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff Magazine

Dark ruby, purple reflections, faint brightening on the rim, highly attractive dark berry fruit, fine savoury notes, a hint of noble wood, delicate nougat, already very seductive, some cassis and liquorice, very complex bouquet. Elegant, subtle mint, vivid, well-integrated tannins, fruity and harmonious, very good persistence, mineral finish. Potential to age for decades.

98 POINTS

Wine Spectator

This is stunning for its ability to take massively endowed fig, currant paste and crushed plum fruit flavors and harness them with ultrasuave freshly roasted espresso, black tea and ganache notes. A seductive style, long and velvety, with the dense core of black fruit and smoldering iron just waiting and waiting. Best from 2020 through 2040.

98 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff Magazine

Deep dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Starts somewhat restrained, ripe dark berries, delicate tobacco nuances, some liquorice, light precious wood nuances, a hint of mint in the background. Complex, juicy, pronouncedly fruity texture, ripe heart cherries, mineral and taut on the finish, already approachable, has great length, with 17% Merlot, which is quite high for Lafite, now already significantly more accessible than expected, today it is only 7-8% on average.

98 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter Magazine

It displays, as Lafite always does, more of a laid back elegance than Latour, and the difference between the two once again highlights the huge differences in terroir between north and south Pauillac, with the deep gravels here giving finesse, composure, almost nonchalance. It tames with a whisper, bringing you to submission by gently, purposefully and ever so slowly layering one thing on top of another. It has gorgeously pure and precise fruit on the nose, while the palate displays a multitude of flavours, from charcoal to cassis to crushed stone, and yet no one thing dominates. There are a ton of tannins, but they are individually fine, and it's only in retrospect that you realise how many of them there are. The tone of Lafite is speaking over the vintage, and it's going to run and run.

97 POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - Wine Advocate

The deep garnet colored 2009 Lafite Rothschild bursts from the glass with red and black currant preserves, warm plums, mulberries and kirsch scents plus suggestions of sweaty leather, cigar box and menthol. Medium-bodied, elegant and firmly structured, it has wonderful freshness and a long earthy/meaty finish.

96 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2009 Lafite-Rothschild is quite high-toned and expressive on the nose, perhaps the most ostentatious of the top flight 2009s with upfront black cherry and boysenberry fruit, lavish new oak and touches of violet. The palate is sleek and satin-like in feel with copious dark cherry and boysenberry fruit, fig and dates, almost honeyed in texture towards the precocious finish that has an opulent bent, almost hedonistic, unusual for this First Growth. But it is kinda irresistible. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

95 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2009 Lafite-Rothschild does not quite click into fifth gear on this occasion. It is certainly more classically styled than the bottle shown at Farr's tasting the following week, with cedar and leather aromas, more undergrowth scents than others. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth sleek texture, not grippy and clearly without Latour's backbone, yet very long with a surprisingly sweet finish. Very fine. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.