2001 Château Lafite Rothschild
Community Tasting Note
Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine:
Saturday, August 26, 2023 - Half bottle. Into the neck fill and great cork. This was the best Bordeaux I’ve had in a while vs 2000/2003 Latour, 2003 Lafite, 2000/2003 Margaux, and 2003 Haut Brion (second place). I think 2001 is the better vintage because it has the flamboyance of 2003 but the freshness and complexity of 2000.
This wine was a shower, not grower. It was aromatic immediately and never quit. The nose was classic aged Pauillac, with cassis, oak, cigar, and underbrush. It had some mineral aspect as well. I felt this wine was much more like other Pauillac than I usually feel Lafite is. Typically, Lafite is more fruit over oak/cigar but this bottle was the other way, closer to Mouton style.
The palate showed good youthful strength with an initial burst of blackberry and cassis, with the tobacco element and oak coming through later. It carried the hallmark perfect balance and effortless drinkability of Lafite. It’s elegance and transparency allowed it to pair with everything from caviar to spare ribs, and it tasted just great on its own too! 🍷
I think it’s time to drink this wine, certainly from half bottle.
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