Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac 2016

Jamessuckling.com

100

byJames Sucklingthe2/6/2026

Graphite, cherries, tobacco and cedar on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, subdued and elegant, showing harmony, refined fruit, freshness and tannins that are polished and focused in the finish of generous, polished fruit. A beautiful, elegant, balanced Pauillac. Drinking exceptionally well now, but it will go on and on. Drink or hold. 10 Years On retrospective.

Vinous

97

byNeal Martinthe8/13/2020

The 2016 Lafite-Rothschild was tasted from two bottles, the first demonstrating some signs of oxidation. The second is quite rich and powerful on the nose, offering blackberry, raspberry, black olive and sous-bois scents that are almost Pessac-Léognan in style. The palate is well balanced with firm, grippy tannins. It feels precise and poised, brimming over with energy and displaying a sense of control toward the lightly spiced, athletic finish. I would like the aromatics to be tempered, although that will happen with time. There is real breeding in this 2016, and it will mature in bottle over decades. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

Jancis Robinson

18,5

byJancis Robinsonthe2/5/2020

Yvesbeck.wine

100

byYves Beckthe3/20/2019

Pourpre violacé profond. Ce qui est d'entrée fascinant avec Lafite 2016 est ce bouquet fin et puissant à la fois. Complexe et pourtant surtout marqué par une subtile fraîcheur variétale et par moult effluves telles que cassis, groseilles et cèdre. Au palais, le vin prend lentement place. Il est gracieux, élégant, ample et affiche sa puissance au fil des secondes en révélant des tannins aux grains fins et en laissant soin à la structure de confier du caractère à l'ensemble du palais. Ce Lafite est extraordinaire dans la manière élégante qu'il a d'afficher sa puissance. C'est une très grande réussite et il appartient maintenant déjà au Panthéon des très grands Lafite. Caractère crémeux, dense, équilibré, finale persistante. 2026-2066 100/100

Jeb DUNNUCK

100

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/1/2019

On another level and one of the greatest young Bordeaux I’ve ever tasted, the 2016 Lafite-Rothschild is composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot raised in new oak. It takes the classic elegance and class of Lafite and turns the dial up to 11, offering a massive, heavenly array of blackcurrants, cedar pencil, graphite, tobacco, and incense aromas and flavors that soar from the glass. Deep, full-bodied, and flawlessly constructed, with perfectly integrated fruit, acidity, and tannins, this is legendary stuff all the way. It will be drinkable in 7-8 years and keep for 50-75 years or more. Along with Mouton, it’s the wine of the vintage from the Médoc. Hats off to director Eric Kohler.

Wine Spectator

98

byJames Molesworththe2/5/2019

This offers the best of both sides of Pauillac, with a deep, deep well of dark currant, fig, blackberry and black cherry paste flavors forming a lush side while a series of I-beams made of graphite and iron provide the rigid structure. The two sides meld, pulling in extra sweet tobacco, smoldering cast iron, juniper and savory notes on the finish, leaving a mouthwatering feel. A real stunner. Best from 2025 through 2045. 16,000 cases made.  –JM

Jamessuckling.com

100

byJames Sucklingthe2/4/2019

Incredible aromas of crushed berries, sweet tobacco and wet earth. So perfumed and gorgeous. Hot stones and cement, too. Full-bodied, dense and powerful with lots of intense tannins and a never ending finish. Juicy and flavorful. A muscular Lafite, not seen for a long time. Classssssss! Try after 2025.

Vinous

98

byNeal Martinthe1/24/2019

The 2016 Lafite-Rothschild underwent three days of pre-harvest selection to pick out the clusters that you could see through, where the grapes had little pulp because of retarded maturation during the growing season. This tank represented 3% of the volume that did not even make it into the Carruades because it would have detracted from the precision. It has a beautiful bouquet, one of the most seductive in recent years, offering pure blackberry and boysenberry fruit, hints of pressed violet and India ink that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite saturated tannin that belies the backbone, and a rondeur that I was not anticipating. Referring back to my notes, it’s clear that this first growth has developed greater amplitude and perhaps sensuality in barrel. It has a sense of approachability, although it clearly has the substance to last for many years.

Vinous

99

byAntonio Gallonithe1/21/2019

The 2016 Lafite-Rothschild is a total stunner. Seamless, racy and voluptuous in the glass, the 2016 is even better from bottle than it was from barrel. Once again, I am blown away by the inner sweetness and purity of the fruit. The 2016 is, rich, concentrated yet also light on its feet, in the way only Lafite can be. Dramatic and ample the 2016 Lafite is a beautifully resonant, super-expressive wine endowed with regal beauty and tremendous overall balance. It will drink well for many years and decades.

Wine Advocate

99

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

The 2016 Lafite Rothschild is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, with 15% of the press wine contributing to the blend this year. Deep purple-black in color, it slowly reveals the most gorgeous perfume of kirsch, lilacs, black raspberries and warm blackcurrants with underlying nuances of cigar box, rose hip tea, cloves, licorice and pencil lead plus a waft of garrigue. Medium-bodied and built like a brick house with a firm yet beautifully ripe, finely pixelated tannic backbone and seamless freshness supporting the amazing intensity of black fruits and floral layers, it finishes very long and provocatively perfumed.

Decanter.com

100

byJane Ansonthe10/26/2018

WeinWisser

20

byTjark Witzgallthe5/22/2017

92 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 8 % Merlot. Undurchsichtiges Purpur mit satter Mitte. Was für ein Parfümnach reifen Brombeeren und Schattenmorellen, so dicht, so fein, dahinter Heidelbeeren und Thymian sowie Veilchen. Am kräftigen, aber auch seidigen Gaumen mit reifem Tanningerüst, eine Konzentration, welcheich noch nie zuvor erlebt habe! Betört im Rückaroma mit Blaubeere, Lakritze und Holunder, gefolgt von einem nicht enden wollenden Finale mit blaubeerigem Inferno! Für mich dieses Jahr der beste Pauillac.

Bettane & Desseauve

98

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2017

On retrouve le Lafite qu’on admire, dense, serré, racé en diable, avec une présence en bouche peut-être un rien plus sèche et plus courte que celle de Mouton. La nouvelle direction part sur des bases sûres et saines.

Wine Advocate

96-98

byNeal Martinthe5/2/2017

The 2016 Lafite-Rothschild is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot picked from 23 September until 12 October with the Cabernet Sauvignon (and unused Petit Verdot). It has 13.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and the IPT of 74. Matured in 100% new oak, it has a fresh and vibrant bouquet whilst retaining the classicism of this First Growth. This is more subtle than Mouton-Rothschild or Latour, which is always the case at en primeur, yet there is a brooding intensity that draws you in as it unveils some gorgeous blackberry and graphite aromas. The palate is just superb. This has more density, more vigor, more depth and you could even argue more ambition than the 2015 Lafite-Rothschild showed last year. It gently grips the mouth with unerring focus and symmetry, just a touch of spiciness developing with a long, saline finish that lingers two minutes after the wine has departed. Lafite-Rothschild always develops and meliorates in barrel during its élevage and I suspect this will ultimately turn out to be a regal Lafite-Rothschild.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100

byJeff Levethe4/27/2017

Silky, luscious, refined with profundity and sophistication, the fruit has the concentration, depth, structure and tannins to fill your mouth with flavor, coating your palate with deeply energetic fruits. Balanced between concentrated and fresh, this is regal but not stuck up. There is no attitude here, just pleasure. While intellectual, this does not loft past you. Produced from a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, the wine reached 13.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. The Grand Vin represents 45% of the harvest, which took place September 23 to September 28 for the Merlot and September 29 to October 12 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Vinous

95-98

byAntonio Gallonithe4/26/2017

The 2016 Lafite-Rothschild is polished, silky and captivatingly beautiful. There is a level of precision to the flavors that is simply mind-blowing. Even so, the 2016 remains ethereal and light on its feet, with all the grace of a ballerina. I imagine the 2016 will develop into a stunning wine once it comes together a bit more fully. Even so, it is striking today.

matthewjukes.com

19

byMatthew Jukesthe4/25/2017

(92 Cabernet Sauvignon, 8 Merlot) | 12.7% alc. This is a very exciting Lafite with buoyant, ripe fruit and lovely density of flavour without being in any way heavy. This is a superb Lafite which breaks away from some of the introverted recent vintages and embraces a more forward-facing, engaging style with a profound core balanced with a shinier, more exuberant veneer. Delicious. 19+

Decanter.com

99

byJane Ansonthe4/24/2017

An awesome Lafite, this is elegant to a fault. It has the classicism of the very best vintages, and the pulse of electricity that runs through it is clear from the first moment you taste it. You are absolutely in Pauillac here, the epitome of what the left bank can deliver in terms of elegance and density: menthol edged tobacco, charcoal and cassis with both a subtlety and an intensity at once. It totally expands through the palate and pulls itself out, stretching out in front of you. It's a serious wine, but seamless. Concentrated, pure and fresh, everything is in its place. The blend this year is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot. Harvest took place between 23rd September and 12th October. 98-100 points.

Jancis Robinson

18

byJancis Robinsonthe4/21/2017

92% Cabernet Sauvignon picked from 29 September to 12 October, 8% Merlot picked 23 to 28 September. High IPT of 75. Very rich, dense dark crimson. Not much nose, just a vague impression of quality lurking beneath the super-subtle aroma. Round texture, tannins are in a very low register indeed. Then I'd love to see just a little bit more energy. Round and it may all get together. A really rather delicate Lafite. Nothing in excess; it's true and very classic claret - very Lafite - but arguably just a little muted. 

Wine Enthusiast

98-100

byRoger Vossthe4/19/2017

Barrel Sample. Potentially an 100 point wine, this is a dense, serious and impressive selection. There is a classical structure to this wine, with dark tannins and acidity working in tandem. At the same time, the wine has immense, opulent fruits that are a characteristic of this vintage. It's a wine that will last for many generations.

Jamessuckling.com

100-100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2017

Even stronger and more toned than the excellent 2015, this Lafite shows incredible power yet also finesse. Full-bodied, superfine and chewy wine. Muscular yet agile. Goes on for minutes. Stunning. Perhaps the greatest Lafite since the legendary 1959?