Country: France
Region: Pauillac
Rating: RP100, D98, JS97, WS95
Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Type of Wine: Red Wine
Bottle Size: 750ml
By Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 100
The 1996 Lafite Rothschild was spectacularly powerful and rich, somewhat atypically intense and concentrated for Lafite. It is a gorgeous expression of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon from this great terroir. Remarkably, only 38% of the production made it into the 1996 Lafite, and it is a wine for the ages. Still an infant, it is capable of lasting another 50 or more years. 100 points.
Decanter 98
I drank this first at the château with technical director Eric Kohler, and then again with friends when I finished the text for Andy Katz’s The Club of Nine book. Both times, it blew me away. Still reserved at first, then the aromatics gently build in power, filling the room with the allure of still-warm ash from a crackling wood fire. The gentle beginnings of tertiary truffles curl out of the glass even though the tannins are still tight and powerful. On the finish, the menthol notes are striking as is the dark fruit register. A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, it is still so full of youth, a true mix of elegance and hidden power and gives you one of those moments that underline exactly why the First Growths are First Growths.
James Suckling 97
The beauty and balance of this are phenomenal. Seamless tannins and fruit. Full body yet so balanced and refined. Sweet tobacco and berries. Minerals and cedar. A beautiful wine. The depth is superb.
Wine Spectator 95
Gorgeous aromas of currant, berries and licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Still holding back. People talk about this as one of the greatest Lafites ever.
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