Château Lafite Rothschild 2023

99 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

98-100. Barrel Sample. Ripe black fruit and dense spice aromas dominate this finely balanced wine. It has structured tannins and juicy black-currant flavors. Quantities are good and the estate seems to have won the race against mildew and heatwaves. This has the potential to be a great wine. Organic.

98 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Attractive cassis, blackberry, delicate hint of liquorice, hint of oak, mineral background. Powerful, taut, lively, fresh red heart cherry, perfectly ripe tannins, mineral and very long lasting, extremely elegant and precise, lingers for minutes, has great class. This is the style that has made Bordeaux great, with charm and energy, with power and great certain ageing potential.

98 POINTS

James Suckling

Very perfumed, with currants, orange peel, strawberries, cedar and lead pencil. Medium-bodied, with ultrafine tannins that are completely integrated into the wine, giving a graceful and seductive finish. Weightless. It's so long and caressing, making you smile with each sip. A joyful young Lafite. 93% cabernet sauvignon, 6% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Best after 2028 but so beautiful now.

98 POINTS

Georgina Hindle - Decanter

A clear contender for wine of the vintage. Deep, purple colour on the rim. Some soft herbal and floral aromatics, milk chocolate. A real sense of understated power as Lafite does so well. Not so demonstrative at all, but there’s a gorgeous charming delicacy to this - fine powdery blue fruit tannins with edges of liquorice and slate. Smooth and supple, excellent weight in the mouth, light and streamlined, less overt acidity and brightness than Carruades, but still with a mouthwatering centre that gives strawberry and cherry fruit flavours. Ends with subtle graphite and wet stone, long and lingering though. Just delightful, so elegant and finessed. You can feel the density on the finish, the slight weight of the tannins comes at the end, bringing a controlled and quiet power. I love the sense of ease and seamlessness about this wine, it just slips down. 1% of very old Petit Verdot went into the blend this year. 15% press. 3.8pH. 38% grand vin production. Ageing 90% new oak. A potential 100-point wine.

97 POINTS

James Suckling

The purity of cabernet sauvignon is so evident here. It mesmerizes you with aromas of black and red currants, cedar, tobacco and bark. It's full-bodied yet there's very impressive weightlessness and agility, as well as subtlety and focus. Some iron and terra-cotta. Cedar and sandalwood undertones. Juicy and plummy at the end. 12.9% alcohol. 3.75 pH. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. Points: 97-98