2009 Chateau Lafite Rothschild

100 POINTS

James Suckling

The second you put your nose in the glass, you know that it is 100 points. The combination of sweet tobacco, fresh flowers, currants and sultanas on the nose leaves me breathless. Turns to cocoa powder and freshness. The palate re-enforces the show, with phenomenally polished tannins. Fabulous class. Could be a remake of the phenomenal 1959. Try in 2022.

100 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Dark ruby, purple reflections, faint brightening on the rim, highly attractive dark berry fruit, fine savoury notes, a hint of noble wood, delicate nougat, already very seductive, some cassis and liquorice, very complex bouquet. Elegant, subtle mint, vivid, well-integrated tannins, fruity and harmonious, very good persistence, mineral finish. Potential to age for decades.

100 POINTS

Stuart Pigott - JamesSuckling.com

This is what the Medoc is all about. The freshness and delicacy of this wine in combination with its serious concentration and firm core are totally stunning. Time has already worked its magic and this is already delicious, but has decades in front of it. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

98 POINTS

Wine Spectator

This is stunning for its ability to take massively endowed fig, currant paste and crushed plum fruit flavors and harness them with ultrasuave freshly roasted espresso, black tea and ganache notes. A seductive style, long and velvety, with the dense core of black fruit and smoldering iron just waiting and waiting.

98 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Deep dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Starts somewhat restrained, ripe dark berries, delicate tobacco nuances, some liquorice, light precious wood nuances, a hint of mint in the background. Complex, juicy, pronouncedly fruity texture, ripe heart cherries, mineral and taut on the finish, already approachable, has great length, with 17% Merlot, which is quite high for Lafite, now already significantly more accessible than expected, today it is only 7-8% on average.

98 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter

It displays, as Lafite always does, more of a laid back elegance than Latour, and the difference between the two once again highlights the huge differences in terroir between north and south Pauillac, with the deep gravels here giving finesse, composure, almost nonchalance. It tames with a whisper, bringing you to submission by gently, purposefully and ever so slowly layering one thing on top of another. It has gorgeously pure and precise fruit on the nose, while the palate displays a multitude of flavours, from charcoal to cassis to crushed stone, and yet no one thing dominates. There are a ton of tannins, but they are individually fine, and it's only in retrospect that you realise how many of them there are. The tone of Lafite is speaking over the vintage, and it's going to run and run.

98 POINTS

James Suckling

Very intense aromas of mint, tar, and blueberries that turn to black currants. Full bodied and very tight with polished and velvety tannins and a long finish. I really love the length on this. A classic. Barrel sample. Points: 98-99

98 POINTS

Falstaff

Dark ruby in colour with purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, a highly attractive, multi-layered bouquet of dark berry fruit, fine hints of spice, a touch of fine oak and delicate nougat, already very seductive, with some cassis and liquorice. The palate is elegant and very complex, with pronounced, well-integrated tannins, subtle hints of mint, fruity and harmonious, with a very persistent, mineral finish.