Chateau Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac 2017 4df5d4d9d819b397555d03cedf085f48

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/17/2020

Composed of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple colored. It opens slowly, cautiously with restrained notes of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries, warm blackcurrants and wild blueberries, followed by emerging notions of smoked meats, fragrant earth, crushed rocks and lilacs with touches of cast-iron pan and Marmite toast. Medium-bodied, the palate is deceptively light and quite ethereal on entry, growing in the mouth to reveal elegant layers of energetic red and black fruits with tons of savory accents. Framed by exquisitely ripe, wonderfully fine-grained tannins, it has exhilarating freshness and a very long, hypnotically perfumed finish. On a final note, the alcohol here is a jaw-dropping 12.5%, which is something of a miracle considering the ripeness of the Cabernet. A total head-turner, I cannot wait to follow the development of this wine! Drinking Window : 2024 - 2057. 97+

Vinous

96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe3/11/2020

During en primeur, the 2017 Lafite-Rothschild was one of the most impressive wines of the Left Bank. Today, it is equally impressive. An ample, richly constituted wine, the 2017 is an unusually dark, somber Lafite, with a percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon that is among the highest ever here. There is a sort of monastic sense of austerity that gives the wine its impression of reserve. Dark cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, spice and menthol develop in the glass, but it will be many years before it awakens. Readers will have to be patient but there is a lot to look forward to here. Like many of his colleagues, Technical Director Eric Kohler opted for gentle extractions and incorporated a relatively high amount of press wine (16%) into the blend. Those are merely details, though, because the 2017 Lafite is stellar. 96+

Wine Spectator

96 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/7/2020

This is a youthful tumble of warmed black currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors, entwined with bay leaf, tobacco, savory, lilac, smoldering charcoal and warm cast iron notes. Terrific stony minerality zips everything up for now, but riveting acidity and excellent energy should carry this easily in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 16,000 cases made. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/13/2020

Deep and typical on the nose with blackcurrants, black tea, leather and graphite. The aromas draw you down to the palate. Full-bodied, creamy and beautiful with extremely polished, refined tannins. Yet, it’s powerful and long. Highest percent of cabernet sauvignon ever. Juicy and almost exotic, but very tidy with ripe tannins. Try after 2025 and onwards.

Le Point

17,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Nez puissant, fermé, fruits rouges, floral, bouche très sapide, tanins serrés, un peu austère à ce stade.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94-96 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/12/2018

The 2017 Lafite-Rothschild is another classic wine from this estate that’s in the same mold as the 2015, if not slightly deeper, darker, and more concentrated. Made from almost all Cabernet Sauvignon and offering a gorgeous array of crème de cassis, lead pencil, graphite, and hints of minerality, it’s medium to full-bodied, pure, precise, and as refined and elegant as it gets. It has the supple, approachable style of the vintage and will be relatively approachable in its youth, yet will cruise for three decades on its balance and purity.

Vinifera

95-97 / 100

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Nez profond, réglissé, doux, sur le cèdre et graphite, excellente présentation. Chair exquise et fondue de l’attaque, saveur gorgée de fruits et d’épices. L’harmonie de ce vin est confondante et le millésime semble très bien lui convenir, son élégance fait merveille. Très complet, de l’attaque à la finale. Une quintessence de Lafite, avec à peine 12°5 d’alcool.

Vinous

94-97 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

The 2017 Lafite-Rothschild is gorgeous. Silky, nuanced and polished, the 2017 captures all the finesse that makes Lafite such a vaunted property. Even in this unusual vintage, Lafite retains its super classic flavor profile, shape and personality. And that is one of the signatures of truly great sites. Like many of his colleagues, Technical Director Eric Kolher opted for gentle extractions and incorporated a relatively high amount of press wine (16%) into the blend. Those are merely details, though, because the 2017 Lafite is stellar. It also has the potential to be the most complete of the First Growths.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

This most graceful of the First Growths is brimming with luster, tranquility and refined textures. The wine glides in discreetly, slowly building intensity as it expands on your palate while quietly and effortlessly moving from sweet red fruits to darker plums and cherries. There is a flawless ascendancy here with length, purity of fruit and balance. This is a wine of finesse. Produced from a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot and .5% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 12.8% alcohol with a pH of 3.75. The Grand Vin represents 40% of the harvest, which took place September 11 to September 29.

Vinous

95-97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Lafite-Rothschild had been blended in mid-March, a couple of weeks prior to my visit, therefore it was important to let this settle and aerate. Moreover, I returned on my final day in Bordeaux mid-April for a second reading. It feels very aloof at first, even a little green, although that ebbs away with time in the glass to reveal pure blackberry and bilberry fruit, touches of brine, cedar and graphite. Patience discloses a really quite sublime array of aromas. The palate is where all the action is: filigree tannin, very well judged acidity, harmonious and poised with a silky smooth finish that glides across the mouth. It does not possess enormous length but it is very precise and, for want of a better, less clichéd word, classic from start to finish. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Wine Advocate

97-99 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

Composed of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Lafite Rothschild is a little shy on the nose to begin, opening out to scents of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries and warm black plums with touches of yeast extract, charcuterie, cigar box and fertile loam plus a hint of iron ore. POW—the paradoxically ethereal, medium-bodied palate hits you with vibrant, exhilarating black fruit and previously latent floral layers, supported with fantastic freshness and super fine-grained, pixelated tannins, finishing with persistent mineral and perfumed layers. Truly. Stunning.

Decanter.com

98 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

This is delicious, a real take-a-step-back moment. There's a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon here, complex and layered with cassis and bilberry notes that tease the attack before being filled out with charcoal, slate, cedar, and even truffle hints, even at this early stage. The finish just doesn't want to quit. It's effortless but questioning, and most importantly it feels like a Lafite - for me this is a contender for red wine of the vintage. Less intense than 2016, but still just beautiful. 40hl/ha yield, unaffected by frost, or maybe just one tiny corner. 99% new oak. 3.75pH.

Drinking Window 2027 - 2045

WeinWisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/25/2018

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3,5% Merlot, 0,5% Petit Verdot. Rubingranat mit satter Mitte. Verstriimt ein betUrendes Bouquet nach frischen Wald-himbeeren, Lakritze und Preiselbeeren. lm zweiten Ansatz duftige Cassisblüten, Tahiti-Vanille und rotes Johannisbeerkompott. Am facettenreichen Gaumen eine unglaubliche Finesse und Prazision mit reifem, süssli-chem Extrakt und einer perfekt stützenden Frische, ailes ist an seinem Platz. lm ge-bündelten Finale mit einer katapultartigen Fortsetzung des apart-feinen Aromenpake-tes. Ein Violinkonzert der Extraklasse! Wie im letzten Jahr der Beste von den drei 1er Crus aus Pauillac.     
19+/20 2035 - 2065

Wine Enthusiast

96-98 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2018

Firm and closed, this is a dark and dense wine. There are impressive tannins alongside juicy black plum flavors as well as great concentration. It is an exceptional wine, with the power you should expect from a Lafite. It is certain to age and will not be ready before 2025.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

This is very tight and tannic with lots of blackcurrant and sweet-tobacco character. Firm and powerful tannin texture sets this up for a long and chewy finish, yet it remains very compact and polished. It's a wine that possesses all the hallmarks of Lafite — everything from flavors to structure.