Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac 1995

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe6/12/2016

I pulled this lone bottle out of my cellar at the last minute to remind some Italian vintners of the great quality of the 1995 Bordeaux vintage. They seem to be finally opening up! What a red with incredible depth and finesse. Cedar, cigar box and toabaaco character with currants and fresh tobacco undertones. It's full-bodied yet tight and dense. Precision. So refined and intense. Such freshness and beauty. Drink or hold.

Wine Spectator

96

byJames Sucklingthe4/30/2007

Intense aromas of blackberries, black licorice and currants, with mineral undertones. Full-bodied, with a solid core of tannins and a long, silky finish. Still holding back, but is concentrated and powerful. The 1996 is always talked about, but I think this is superior and will be in the future.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010. 20,000 cases made.

Wine Advocate

95

byRobert Parkerthe2/23/1998

The 1995 Lafite-Rothschild (only one-third of the harvest made it into the final blend) is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine was showing spectacularly well when I tasted it in November, 1997. It exhibits a dark ruby purple color, and a sweet, powdered mineral, smoky, weedy cassis-scented nose. Beautiful sweetness of fruit is present in this medium-bodied, tightly-knit, but gloriously pure, well-delineated Lafite. The 1995 is not as powerful or as massive as the 1996, but it is beautifully made with outstanding credentials, in addition to remarkable promise. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2028.

Wine Spectator

97

byJames Sucklingthe1/31/1998

Here's the best Lafite in ages. It's a polished Bordeaux, extremely sophisticated and harmonious, with blackberry, dark chocolate and olive aromas. Full-bodied and very silky, with a lovely fruity chocolate aftertaste. Needs cellaring, but who can wait? Best after 2000.

Wine Advocate

93

byRobert Parkerthe1/1/1998

This dark purple-colored 1995 displays the quintessentially elegant Lafite style in both the aromatics and flavors. Subtle lead pencil, black currant, and cedary notes emerge from the wine's bouquet with coaxing. In the mouth, it is beautifully knit, medium-bodied, suave, and elegant, with no intention of being flamboyant and/or over-sized. This is a textbook, classic Lafite-Rothschild that should reward 10-20 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. Last tasted 1/97 Guide Parker

Wine Advocate

91-94

byRobert Parkerthe2/1/1997

Because Lafite-Rothschild (1) tends to lack the weight of many wines of the northern Medoc, and (2) is never a flashy, ostentatious style of wine, it is often more difficult to evaluate when young than some of its neighbors. This dark purple-colored 1995 displays the quintessentially elegant Lafite style in both the aromatics and flavors. Subtle lead pencil, blackcurrant, and cedary notes emerge from the wine's bouquet with coaxing. In the mouth, it is beautifully knit, medium-bodied, suave, and elegant, with no intention of being flamboyant and/or over-sized. This is a textbook, classic Lafite-Rothschild that should reward 10-20 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035.

Wine Advocate

92-95

byRobert Parkerthe4/1/1996

The 1995 Lafite-Rothschild, a more typical blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc, harvested between September 18 and October 1, looks to be a great Lafite in the making. Only a minuscule 30% of the harvest was chosen for Lafite-Rothschild. For the first time, Lafite did three separate passes through their vineyards, harvesting only the most mature grapes, a la the practice followed in Barsac and Sauternes to make sweet wine. The 1995 Lafite displays outstanding color saturation, a blossoming, elegant, intense nose of smoke, roasted nuts, spices, and red and blackcurrants. The wine reveals sweetness and outstanding richness, as well as Lafite's remarkable ethereal weightlessness and finesse, smooth tannin, and exceptional length. Different from anything else I tasted in Pauillac, it is a compellingly elegant example of Lafite. Given the wine's intensity and tannin (there is no heaviness or bitterness), it will require a decade of cellaring and will keep for 30-35 years. I am very high on this wine and feel it will easily be the qualitative equivalent of Lafite's 1990, 1989, and 1988.