CRITIC REVIEWS
Neal Martin
Tasted at the IMW Lafite seminar in London. The 1990 Lafite has a very typical Left Bank ’90 nose with luscious brambly red fruit, kirsch, singed leather and truffle. For me, especially compared to the 1989, the aromatics are comparatively diffuse and certainly more decayed. The palate is medium-bodied with a soft, quite fleshy entry with strong savoury, meaty flavours. The ’90 certainly has good weight, but there is something feral and animally here whilst there is a “furry” texture on the “mealy” finish. This is a highly enjoyable Lafite although one that I would not cellar long-term. Tasted February 2012.
Jane Anson
This is an elegant, balanced Lafite that remains mouthwatering and juicy on the finish. It is not the most immediately impressive of the 1990 firsts, but then when does Lafite ever try to shout the loudest? Instead, it is all about a quiet but relentless building of layers, with brambled black fruits, graphite, cold ash and soft leather alongside a spicier rosemary and clove edging. Gilbert Rokvam was the technical director at this time, working with owner Baron Eric de Rothschild. Harvest began on September 13, and the scorching summer temperatures were compared by the property to 1947 and 1949.