CRITICAL ACCLAIM:

RP100 - Perfect still in tissue paper!! Still extraordinarily backward and youthful this large-scaled (massive by Lafite's standards) wine should prove to be the greatest Lafite made after the 1953 and 1959. It continues to offer an exceptionally intense compelling bouquet of herbs black currants vanilla lead pencil and cedar. The wine reveals considerable tannin as well as amazing atypical power and concentration for Lafite. The hallmark elegance of this wine has not been compromised because of the vintage's tendency to turn out powerful and unctuously-textured thick juicy wines. Rich full and still youthful and unyielding this should prove to be a fabulous Lafite-Rothschild - but only for those readers prepared to wait until 2003-2005. It should easily last through the first three decades of the next century. A potential 100-point wine!

The Estate:

Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in the Pauillac region of the Médoc, producing one of the most sought-after and expensive red wines in the world. Lafite Rothschild is known for its perfume, elegance, finesse and harmony, in contrast to the more powerful Latour and Mouton Rothschild. Nevertheless, great vintages can age for 50 years or more.