Château Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2013

Produced from a whopping 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and just 2% Merlot, the 2013 Lafite is an athletic, stylish Grand Vin which will reward patience. Initially introspective and brooding, there is a bouquet of cool inky black fruit, minerals, graphite, rocks, forest floor, crème de mûre and sweet griotte. It really is wonderfully taut and precise. Minty, strict, this linear, very Cabernet Lafite is one of the most serious and interesting wines of the vintage. There is ample dry extract; the mid palate is soaked in hedgerow fruit, crème de cassis and slatey minerals. This is quite chewy and texturally impressive. We thought this was the most profound and noble First Growth in this challenging vintage. Chapeau.