Château Lafite Rothschild 2016

Critic scores

• James Suckling100
• Jeb Dunnuck100
• Wine Advocate99
• Vinous99
• Wine Enthusiast99
• Wine Spectator98
• Decanter91

The 2016 vintage in Pauillac

Vintage benchmark: 97/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: A very wet winter followed by a sun-drenched summer produced a rare balance, combining the depth of great years with genuine freshness.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Pauillac. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

Beautiful dark red colour with almost black glints in the glass. The wine is bright and clear. Very dark. The nose is still very closed, but all the signs of tremendous aromatic potential are present: the depth, complexity and the already perfectly integrated oak from the barrel ageing. Some classic notes of violet, but all still very contained. On the palate the attack is very soft and silky. Then gradually, maintaining the same softness, the wine fills the mouth with enormous length. The mid-palate is perfectly balanced. It is very dense with tight tannins that are still very delicate. The wine has remarkable persistence and fullness on the palate, it does not reveal the slightest imbalance or weakness.

Blend of the 2016 vintage

Figures from the 2016 sheet

• 13 % vol.Alcohol
• 41 hl/haYield

Winemaking

In order to reveal the magic of Lafite's terroir, every step of the wine elaboration is carried out with the greatest precision. Depending on their provenance and level of ripeness, grapes will be transferred into either wooden, stainless steel or concrete vats. Alcoholic fermentation is conducted at controlled temperature, with regular pumping over to gently release all the phenolic compounds in the grapes. Each vat is carefully monitored and tasted daily in order to determine the best racking time. The maceration period varies for each tank but is around 22 days in total. The fermentation takes 15 days under controlled temperature at 18°.

Ageing

After malolactic fermentation wines are transferred into French oak barrels. Lafite has its own cooperage in Pauillac, la Tonnellerie des Domaines, which contributes to its unique style. The selection for the grand vin is made in March, once the wines have settled and start revealing their full potential. Every barrel is tasted individually and only the best ones are set aside for the final blend. Once blended, the wine is aged for a further 15 months in barrels, primarily of new oak.

Terroir

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is located to the north of the appellation, bordering Saint-Estèphe. The vineyard consists of three main areas: the hillsides around the Château, the adjacent Carruades plateau to the west, and 4.5 hectares in Saint Estèphe appellation. The vineyard covers 112 hectares with soil made up of fine deep gravel, mixed with aeolian sand on a subsoil of tertiary limestone. It is well-drained and benefits from optimal sun exposure.