This bottle showed a bit more maturity than I expected but it's still classic Lafite with deep and subdued dark red fruits, a gorgeous silky texture and classic notes of cedar wood and lead pencil on the complex finish. I love this wine and still think it has a long way to go so either this was decanted just a bit too long or an ever-so-slightly tired bottle.
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A quatuor of Bordeaux for this supper. Lafite Rothschild 1996, Gruaud-larose 2009, Montrose 2006 and Smith-Haut-Lafite 2011. My favorite was the Lafite but I was disappointed. I rated it 94 (93-94). Impressive youthfulness for such an old wine. Cassis, tobacco and lead pencil with some green pepper. Complex and long but without the concentration and wow effect I expected from a Premier Grand cru. The three other guests rated it 92. My second close favorite was the Gruaud-Larose: I rated it 93. The others had 92 or 93 ratings. It had more fruit but it still was less rich than I had hoped for. The Smith-Haut Lafite was also excellent, tasting younger and having classic Bordeaux character: I rated it 92, The others, 91 to 93. The Montrose barely made the 90 mark for me: very austere, dry wood on the mouth mixed with black fruits. We were three rating it 90 with the fourth of us gaving it 94.
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Decanted for 3 hours. The first glass was somewhat reserved, but the wine improved with the second glass. The wine remained at the same good level until the end of the bottle. Even though the wine is still young, it was concentrated, full and had a great complexity. 96 pts. at the moment.
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(Lafite-Rothschild) Very tight wine but impressive nonetheless. Hints of tar, fresh tobacco, violets, pencil lead & cassis. Perfectly symetrical in the mouth with no hard edges but in the beginning the wine was not giving up much fruit. As it aerated over dinner it began to show its greatness. Layers of massive fruit allied with stunning finesse and a very long finish. I know there is more fruit there and lots more aromatic fireworks to come in the future. I would let this lie for 10 years.
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3/24/2024 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
not blind
Makes fun in this stage. Still fruit dominated with beginning secondary and tertiary aromas. 97
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3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
This bottle showed a bit more maturity than I expected but it's still classic Lafite with deep and subdued dark red fruits, a gorgeous silky texture and classic notes of cedar wood and lead pencil on the complex finish. I love this wine and still think it has a long way to go so either this was decanted just a bit too long or an ever-so-slightly tired bottle.
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3/1/2024 - jocelyng Likes this wine: 94 Points
A quatuor of Bordeaux for this supper. Lafite Rothschild 1996, Gruaud-larose 2009, Montrose 2006 and Smith-Haut-Lafite 2011.
My favorite was the Lafite but I was disappointed. I rated it 94 (93-94). Impressive youthfulness for such an old wine. Cassis, tobacco and lead pencil with some green pepper. Complex and long but without the concentration and wow effect I expected from a Premier Grand cru. The three other guests rated it 92.
My second close favorite was the Gruaud-Larose: I rated it 93. The others had 92 or 93 ratings. It had more fruit but it still was less rich than I had hoped for.
The Smith-Haut Lafite was also excellent, tasting younger and having classic Bordeaux character: I rated it 92, The others, 91 to 93.
The Montrose barely made the 90 mark for me: very austere, dry wood on the mouth mixed with black fruits. We were three rating it 90 with the fourth of us gaving it 94.
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1/27/2024 - sdr wrote: flawed
Whole Lotta Lafite; 1/26/2024-1/27/2024 (Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): An off bottle although not corked. The fruit is old and stewed. Probably heat damaged. Sad since this vintage of Lafite can be outstanding.
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12/24/2023 - Romol Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. The first glass was somewhat reserved, but the wine improved with the second glass. The wine remained at the same good level until the end of the bottle. Even though the wine is still young, it was concentrated, full and had a great complexity. 96 pts. at the moment.
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