Château Lafite-Rothschild, Ch. Lafite Rothschild 2017

97-99 / 100 Robert Parker
Composed of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Lafite Rothschild is a little shy on the nose to begin, opening out to scents of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries and warm black plums with touches of yeast extract, charcuterie, cigar box and fertile loam plus a hint of iron ore. POW—the paradoxically ethereal, medium-bodied palate hits you with vibrant, exhilarating black fruit and previously latent floral layers, supported with fantastic freshness and super fine-grained, pixelated tannins, finishing with persistent mineral and perfumed layers. Truly. Stunning. After escaping the frosts with minimal damage, Lafite Rothschild’s winemaker Eric Kohler commented, “Most of the rest of the vintage was excellent.” He went on to confess, “Unfortunately, September 10-20 we had some rains. This was toward the end of harvest. Harvest finished on September 30. If we hadn’t had the rains, the wines would have been more concentrated. But the slight dilution was great for balance.” Then he mentioned what is the critical point here, that the grapes were ripe when the rains came. “If they weren’t ripe, things would have been difficult.” As for the winemaking, “This year what was important was maceration—the effect was spectacular in the mouth and the analysis. 16% of press wine was used this year—which is a high percentage!” Commenting on the very high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the grand vin this year, “When you have Cabernet Sauvignon of this level, you don’t want to use anything else—it can look like the Merlot is already blended in. For us, I believe 2017 was even better than 2015.” Kohler summarizes, “If I have one word for all the wines, it’s harmony.”
236, The Wine Advocate

17 / 20 Jancis Robinson
96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot. Inky crimson. Dark, savoury black fruit, a little understated in aroma. On the palate, could do with just a little more flesh. It's balanced and not overdone on the tannins but not the standout first growth this year. Elegant but rather underwhelming, perhaps lacking the sweetness and mid-palate depth of Merlot. Tannins very fine. Fresh and really quite soft, textural finesse but rather understated fruit. Savoury graphite finish.
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