Château Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2009

Name: Château Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac
Brand: Château Lafite Rothschild
Price: 7483.07 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1994 1995 1996 2000 2002 2007 2009 2013 2014 2015 2016 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Lafite has produced something of a big boy in 2009. Sadly Cabernet yields are low as the berries remained small and thick skinned; wonderful for quality and deep colours, but not for all the collectors desperate to buy this wonderful wine... The bouquet is packed with brooding aromas of minerals, graphite and tar with overtones of ripe cassis and cut violets. There are also touches of cigar box and tobacco before one is almost assaulted by the massively concentrated palate. Initially there is a searing cassis fruit attack with astonishing depth and concentration. A veritable kaleidoscope of flavours, all manner of berries, fruits of the forest, currants, sensual, ripe, supremely complex, mixing brooding savoury flavours of coal, cooked meats and bright fruits. This is ethereal, complex, long-term, with a tannic structure honed from granite. A massive wine, which will require patience. 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and just 0.5% Petit Verdot.

critic reviews

99/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Aromatics curl right out of the glass, with restrained cassis interlaced with sweeter spiced berry fruits, crayon, eucalyptus, wet rocks, peony and classically chiselled tannins. Still young, but already totally delicious. Shows so clearly that balance and understatement don't get in the way of intensity and concentration. Unusual to taste Lafite in a lineup with the other wines of the appellation, making it exceptionally enjoyable to confirm the standout quality of the 2009 vintage here. On a different tier, and one with many decades ahead. 100% new oak.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2050

date of review 10/2024

97/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,Robert Parker 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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2019 - 2049

date of review 03/2019

95/100Neal 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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2020 - 2050

date of review 03/2019