Château Lafite Rothschild 2023

Critic scores

• Decanter99
• Wine Enthusiast99
• James Suckling98
• Vinous98
• Jeb Dunnuck95-97
• Wine Advocate96

The 2023 vintage in Pauillac

Vintage benchmark: 91/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: July mildew followed by a hot September demanded strict selection: fleshy, aromatic wines, more approachable than 2022.

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

The nose, already open and full of fresh fruit dominated by raspberry, is finely enhanced with notes of white pepper. What strikes us behind all the palette of red fruits that it unfolds after aeration is this warm Provençal market atmosphere which gives pride of place to spices. The attack is frank, and fine and elegant tannins lead us, very gently, to a silky finish. This finish is long, carried by pretty bitters which make us salivate and push us to bring the glass to our lips again for a second sip. And it is at this moment that all the complexity of the wine is revealed. Our first impressions are enhanced by a myriad of nuances that we did not immediately perceive and which give this 2023 the complexity, finesse and elegance of a great Lafite.

Blend of the 2023 vintage

Figures from the 2023 sheet

• 46 hl/haYield
• 200,000 bottlesProduction

Winemaking

For the magic of the Lafite terroir to work, the wine is made with extreme precision. The distribution of the grapes in wooden, stainless steel or cement vats is carried out according to the specificities of each plot and the degree of maturity of the grapes. Alcoholic fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature with regular pump-over to gently extract all the phenolic compounds. The maceration time is around 22 days.

Ageing

Following malolactic fermentation, the wines are barreled into French oak barrels. Lafite has its own cooperage in Pauillac, the Tonnellerie des Domaines, a factor which contributes to its unique style. Each barrel is tasted individually and only the best are selected for the final blend. The wine is then aged in new oak barrels for 15 months.

Terroir

Château Lafite Rothschild lies in the north of the appellation, on the edge of Saint-Estèphe. The

finest terroirs at Lafite cover the 50 hectares of the Carruades plateau, west of the Château. The soils of this plateau, the highest point of the Pauillac appellation, are well drained and enjoy optimal exposure. Its clay-gravel soils provide an excellent water balance and conditions conducive to the optimal ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon. A 4.5 ha parcel in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Estèphe includes some of the oldest vines on the property, producing each year a fruit of exceptional quality that is used for the Grand Vin.