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Red
1996 Château Lafite Rothschild
Red Bordeaux Blend
- France
- Bordeaux
- Médoc
- Pauillac
Community Tasting Notes 204
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johnh1001 wrote: 95 points
April 12, 2024 - Weedy tobacco, lead pencil, dark fruit and chocolate. Very expressive and outstanding balance and creamy texture.
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CCGCCG Likes this wine: 97 points
April 7, 2024 - Perfection. This bottle was obviously stored well. Needed careful cork extraction. It had a beautiful nose I could detect from the table, and flavors of licorice, dark fruits, cherry, wonderful minerality with a small amount of lead pencil and wet forest, evolving over the meal. Loooong finish. Like drinking silk.
It was booked-ended between a 1985 Petrus and a 2009 Pontet-Canet. That’s a story in and of itself. But it was a brilliant ordering1 person found this helpful Comment -
Jeff Leve wrote: 100 points
April 2, 2024 - Stunning in every sense of the word, this wine has it all from start to finish. It is elegant, pure, complex, regal, energetic, and seamless, with a vibrant finish that once it gets started, keeps right on going as it builds and expands. Drink from 2024-2060.
1 person found this helpful Comment -
aquacongas wrote: 97 points
March 24, 2024 - not blind
Makes fun in this stage. Still fruit dominated with beginning secondary and tertiary aromas. 972 people found this helpful Comment -
dream Likes this wine: 95 points
March 12, 2024 - 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.
2 people found this helpful Comment
1 - 5 of 204
More notes
Pro Reviews 16
Add a Pro ReviewVinous
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By Neal Martin
Cleaning Out the Cupboard: Bordeaux 1943-2020 (Jan 2023), 1/1/2023 (link)(Lafite-Rothschild Lafite-Rothschild Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Decanter
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By Charles Curtis MW
Château Lafite Rothschild: 1986-2010 vertical tasting, 3/1/2022 (link)(Château Lafite Rothschild, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text.
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By Jane Anson
Bordeaux 1990s vintages, 5/1/2021 (link)(Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text.
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By Jane Anson
1996 Pauillacs, 1/4/2021 (link)(Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Vinous
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By Neal Martin
Looking Back To Go Forward: Lafite-Rothschild 1868 – 2015 (Jul 2018), 7/18/2018 (link)(Lafite-rothschild Lafite-rothschild Red) Subscribe to see review text.
JamesSuckling.com
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By James Suckling
1/4/2017 (link)(Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac, France) Subscribe to see review text.
Decanter
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By Jane Anson
Anson's top fine wines of 2016, 12/29/2016 (link)(Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text.
JancisRobinson.com
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By Jancis Robinson, MW
2/17/2011 (link)(Ch Lafite Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Vintage Tastings
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By John Kapon
From the East, 9/16/2010(Lafite) Subscribe to see review text.
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By John Kapon
1995 vs 1996 Bordeaux, 10/27/2008(Lafite Rothschild) Subscribe to see review text.
JancisRobinson.com
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By Jancis Robinson, MW
9/8/2006 (link)(Ch Lafite Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text.
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By Jancis Robinson, MW
3/30/2006 (link)(Ch Lafite Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text.
Vinous
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By Stephen Tanzer
July/August 2002, IWC Issue #103 (link)(Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac) Subscribe to see review text.
JancisRobinson.com
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By Jancis Robinson, MW
6/28/2002 (link)(Ch Lafite Pauillac Red) Subscribe to see review text.
RJonWine.com
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By Richard Jennings
4/27/2007 (link) 94 points(Château Lafite Rothschild) Rich cassis and mushroom nose; plush soft cassis, mushroom, mocha and herbaceous note; medium-plus finish 94+ pts. (still going strong after 2 hours in the glass)
Rockss and Fruit
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By Lyle Fass
12/25/2004 (link)(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.
Wine Definition
- Vintage 1996
- Type Red
- Producer Château Lafite Rothschild
- Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
- Designation n/a
- Vineyard n/a
- Country France
- Region Bordeaux
- SubRegion Médoc
- Appellation Pauillac
- UPC Codes 000000147385, 018138415528, 087000330962, 1000000000121, 3296331099616, 3700266200851, 3700274110807, 7070334092432, 722358008667, 9300633425111
Community Holdings
- Pending Delivery 252 (2%)
- In Cellars 10,554 (74%)
- Consumed 3,430 (24%)
Food Pairing
Community Recommendations
Beef, Game, Lam, Lamb, Okse, PoultryWho Likes This Wine
99% Like It 73 votes
More About This Wine
Articles
- ProducerChâteau Lafite Rothschild
- VarietyRed Bordeaux Blend
- CountryFrance
- RegionBordeaux
- SubRegionMédoc
- AppellationPauillac
Add Articles
- Wine1996 Château Lafite Rothschild (add)
- FamilyChâteau Lafite Rothschild (add)
- ProducerChâteau Lafite Rothschild
- VarietalRed Bordeaux Blend
- CountryFrance
- RegionBordeaux
- SubRegionMédoc
- AppellationPauillac