Bordeaux 2024: Chateau Lafite Rothschild

The influential British critic, Neal Martin has released his Bordeaux 2024 report on vinous.com. One of his highlights of the vintage is the magnificent Lafite Rothschild, his highest scoring wine of the Medoc (95-97/100). He refers to it as “statesmanlike” and "cerebral", while his colleague, Antonio Galloni calls it “sublime”. At £1713 per six, this is more than £300 less than the next cheapest available vintage, which makes this look like an attractive buy.

"According to Technical Director Eric Kohler, the 2024 Lafite-Rothschild was picked from September 23 to October 7 and underwent a short vinification—less than three weeks—plus a gentle extraction. The blend includes 16% vin de presse. It has an understated and typical Lafite nose with crushed stone infusing the black fruit, black olive tapenade and marine scents. It comes across as statesmanlike, which is just how you want your First Growth, even in a tricky vintage like this. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh saline notes on the entry. Tensile from the start, this has very impressive focus and is a tad more peppery than previous vintages. This is an assured Lafite-Rothschild with a very seaweed/Japanese wakame-tinged finish. Very promising and one of the very few "cerebral" Left Bank wines in 2024. 2032 – 2058. 95-97/100” – Neal Martin, vinous.com

“The 2024 Lafite-Rothschild is a sensual, elegant wine very much in the style of the year. Plush and enveloping, with lovely forward fruit, the 2024 is very Lafite, perhaps a bit reticent, but super-expressive just the same. Black cherry, pomegranate, blood orange and a kiss of espresso all build in the glass, framed by quintessentially finessed Lafite tannins. The 2024 is sublime. I expect it will be one of the to be one of the top wines in the Médoc when all is said and done. 2034-2064. 94-96/100” – Antonio Galloni, vinous.com