2020 Lafite Rothschild

https://youtu.be/7hobUMCdqh4 “I have discovered the wine of Château Lafite to be a delicious, generous cordial, comparable to the ambrosia of the Gods of Olympus” Baron Eric de Rothschild Château Lafite Rothschild, owned by the Rothschild family for five generations, was acquired by Baron James de Rothschild in 1868. The existence of Lafite as a medieval fief dates back to the 14th century; at the beginning of the 18th century Lafite's wine was already being sold in London, where it was a favourite of the Prime Minister, Robert Walpole. In France, Lafite soon became known as the "King's wine", after being introduced to the Court at Versailles by Maréchal Richelieu. The classification of the Grands Crus Classés, prepared on the occasion of the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris, officially ranked Château Lafite Rothschild as the "Premier des Premiers". The 110 hectare vineyard consists of three main areas: the slopes around the Château, the adjacent Carruades plateau to the west and a 4.5 hectare plot in the neighbouring commune of Saint Estèphe. The vines are planted in well-drained and well-exposed soil made up of fine, deep gravel, mixed with aeolian sand on a subsoil of tertiary limestone. The grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The average age of the vines is 45 years for the Grand Vin; the oldest plot, "La Gravière", was planted in 1886. "The vintage seemed so early that throughout the year, we were preparing for a harvest at the end of August! We planned everything with that in mind, from grape reception to the lunch menus, with an almost military precision: Blue, red, green and yellow teams for our harvesters, whose paths must never cross. The harvest was the last trial in a challenging year, spent with our eyes fixed on the weather station and on our rows of vines on the lookout for mildew. The heavens took their final bow with the thunderstorm on 15 August and its 100mm : we watched the downpour with concern, not knowing that we would bless it a few weeks later. At the end of August, the analysis of ripeness and alcohol degrees came out reasonable. And yet, when tasting the berries, the aromatics were extremely expressive, almost out of sync. The water in mid August had taken effect on the ripening! We harvested on 9 September, starting with our young Merlots and fini- shing on 29 September with the late Anseillan terroirs and a steak grilled on vine shoots. The harvest was superb, the fermentations raced ahead. The musts revealed a young monster in the making, restrained, incredibly classy, but disciplined : the alcohol degrees remain classic, with a final blend at 12.8%, reminding us of the fine balance of the 1990s."