Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2015

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2015

Superb structure for the vintage with blackcurrants, cedar, mushroom and sweet tobacco character. Full-bodied yet reserved and tight with an impressive density. Long finish. Better in 2020.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/10/2015

This has a dark, smoky edge from the start, with smoldering tobacco and grilled savory notes lining the core of steeped plum, macerated black currant and lightly mulled cherry fruit. Shows a loamy, smoky edge to the finish, with the tobacco hint peeking out. Features admirable range, depth and grip, with just a twinge of the vintage's austerity lurking. Best from 2018 through 2030. 16,000 cases made. –JM

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90-93 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2013

(91% cabernet sauvignon, 8.5% merlot, 0.5% petit verdot; 38% of the total crop went into the grand vin; 40 hectoliters per hectare produced): Dark ruby-red. Aromatic nose combines blackberry, black cherry, minerals, violet, spices and cedar. Fresh and juicy in the mouth, offering clean flavors of dark berries, graphite and cedar but not the flesh of the great vintages. This very fragrant Lafite displays noteworthy energy but turns tougher on the back end, finishing firm and tight, with rather muscular tannins and a vegetal nuance.

timatkin.com

95 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2013

It’s in years like 2012 that the talent of a winemaker like Charles Chevalier is most evident. After a slight dip in 2011, at least by its own high standards, this is a very elegant, even restrained Lafite, with lots of colour, a leafy, graphite-like perfume, refreshing minerality, subtle oak and very pure cassis fruit. It’s fairly light, but there’s concentration there too. A classic wine that will appeal to lovers of refreshing, understated claret. Drink: 2022-40

Le Point

16,5-17 / 100

byJacques Dupontthe5/16/2013

Fruits noirs, complexe, net, frais, bouche tendue, réglissée, bonne longueur, concentré et fin. Serré, pointe végétale pas encorefondue. O= 2018 G= 15 ans.

Asian Palate

92 / 100

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe5/15/2013

Full bodied, generous Lafite with good depth and substantial mid palate weight. In this vintage, the difference between the grand vin and the second wine, Carruade, is huge. Only 38% of the crop went into this grand vin. Focused, restrained with delicate flavours. Lacks the generosity of previous vintages. An elegant vintage that can be enjoyed much earlier than the blockbusters of 2009 and 2010. Wonderful drinkability. There is 91% Cabernet in this blend.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/2/2013

Tasted en primeur at the château. The Grand Vin was picked between 28th September (with the Merlot) and 16th October (with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot) and is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and a pinch of Petit Verdot. It has a fragrant pencil lead bouquet with small dark cherries and brambly blackberry fruit. The definition is very fine with moderate intensity. The palate is more convincing than the aromatics at this point with fully ripe, quite tensile tannins and very good cohesion. Naturally it does not have the weight of a top Lafite vintage, although the focus is impressive. There is a nascent femininity about this Lafite and it might show much better after bottling. Tasted April 2013.

Wine Spectator

93-96 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/30/2013

Tightly drawn, with a firm, toasty edge framing the core of plum skin, red currant and black cherry fruit. A taut mix of beet, anise and bay chimes in on the finish, showing a touch of astringency. The ample flesh and length should fill this out in time. Tasted non-blind. —J.M.

matthewjukes.com

19 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/30/2013

Beautifully aromatic and less introverted than usual at this early stage - charismatic and alluring.

My Bettane + Desseauve

17,5 / 20

the4/27/2013

Ce n’est pas le plus corsé des Premiers dans le millésime, ni le plus avancé dans sa texture et sa saveur, l’ensemble reste équilibré, strict, aristocratique, avec un boisé un peu asséchant sur cet échantillon. À revoir dans un an. Carruades nous est apparu un peu trop banal par rapport à sa réputation et à son prix probable.

Wine Advocate

92-95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/26/2013

The classically styled 2012 exhibits attractive elegance, medium body and outstanding concentration, but not the complexity and depth or prodigious qualities of many other recent Lafites. It is a relatively soft, spicy effort displaying notes of crushed rocks, white chocolate, black currants and graphite. It should be drinkable in 5-8 years and last for two decades.

Charles Chevalier was candid in saying that the tropical heat wave, along with the poor flowering resulted in intense labor in the vineyard and during the harvest where triage was the operative word, and had to be done thoroughly and consistently. The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, was the result of a harvest that took place between September 28 and October 9 for the Merlot, October 9-16 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The small amount of Cabernet Franc included in the Carruades de Lafite was harvested on October 11 - 12. Only 38% of the production made it into the grand vin. If the 2012 fills out completely it could turn out similar to the 1998 Lafite.
Drink: 2018 - 2038

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/26/2013

91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% and .5% Petit Verdot produced a restrained, medium bodied, lighter style of Lafite Rothschild which offers an elegant, refined, red berry profile with polish and freshness. A strict selection and extensive sorting was required for the vintage. In fact, optical sorting was performed for the first time at the estate. 37% percent of harvest was used the grand vin. This is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon used in the blend since 2000, when it was 94% 92-94 Pts

Jean-Marc QUARIN

16,5 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/25/2013

Couleur sombre de bonne intensité et pourpre. Nez discret, fruité. Caressant en entrée de bouche, savoureux au milieu, finement tramé mais de puissance moyenne, ce vin évolue savoureux vers une finale de bonne longueur, agréable. Le relief m’a manqué.

Jancis Robinson

18,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/24/2013

Drink 2022-2045
91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot. Very dense and lustrous. Unusually (for Lafite) intense and creamy; it's almost as though Carruades has assumed Lafite character and Lafite is more Moutonish, almost flamboyant! Dry edge but very savoury and rather lords it over us – see how ripe our Cabernets were…! Perhaps the tannins are not the ripest but the fruit certainly is. Classic Pauillac if not exactly classic Lafite. Not quite as 'whole' as Haut-Brion perhaps. (18,5- points)

Decanter.com

18,5 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/22/2013

Vibrant fruit from 91% Cabernet, not yet expressive but all the firm elegance of Lafite for a very good future. 18.5/20pts ( 95/100pts)
Drink: 2018 - 2035

Jamessuckling.com

93-94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2013

This is beautiful for the vintage. Full body and very tender with fine tannins and a pretty finish. Attractive currant, cedar, and sweet tobacco character. More delicate than the 2011.