In Bond Fine Wine. 2023 Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France. First Growth • Red Bordeaux in 6x75cl. Top critic score: 99/100 (JA). Drinking window: 2023–2073. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
One of the most sought-after & powerful brands in the world of fine wine. First Growth Chateau Lafite Rothschild is a Bordeaux icon, renowned for its elegance, quality & longevity, favouring restraint and finesse over sheer power. Lafite is globally renowned with particularly strong demand across all markets, notably Asia - especially China, where it became a symbol of status and luxury during the 2000s. Landmark vintages like 1996, 2000, 2003, 2009, 2010 & 2016 continue to reinforce its reputation for quality & technical excellence with subtlety, ageability & authority. Its second wine, Carruades de Lafite, is also in high demand across international markets.
Antonio Galloni (AG) — 98/100 · Vinous, 31/03/2026 · Drink 2033-2073
Antonio Galloni, March 2026 The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild is a rich, heady wine. A rush of dark-toned fruit, cedar, leather, incense, grilled herbs, tobacco, and chocolate makes a strong opening statement. Powerful and quite tannic, the 2023 is going to need a few years to come into its own. Today, the Grand Vin is decidedly somber and brooding.
Antonio Galloni (AG) — 95–98/100 · Vinous, 30/04/2024 · Drink 2023-2073
The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild races out of the glass with notable textural intensity. Explosive and deep, with striking balance, Lafite dazzles in this vintage. The 2023 is a somber, virile Lafite endowed with remarkable depth and tons of sheer character. Plum, blackberry, gravel, pencil shavings, graphite, mocha and lavender build into the intense, palate-staining finish. The blend is 93% Cabernet…
Neal Martin (NM) — 95–97/100 · Vinous, 29/04/2024 · Drink 2030-2070
The 2023 Lafite-Rothschild was picked September 7 to 29 at 45hL/ha and matured in 90% new oak. This is more discrete on the nose'one of the tropes of this First Growth'even when compared to the more immediate Carruades. This takes time to unfurl in the glass, slowly revealing black fruit laced with pencil box and just a touch of pressed violet. There's wonderful precision here. The palate is medi…