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Chateau Lafite Rothschild Premier Cru Classe

Lafite Rothschild 1998

Lafite Rothschild

Case Format: 12x75cl

Max score: 96.0

The most famous wine of the Bordeaux region, Château Lafite Rothschild definitely lives up to its hype. Located in Pauillac, the estate exists at the north of the appellation separated by marshland from the neighbouring Saint-Estèphe. Its grand vin is cultivated on a gravel plateau, which sees the vineyard planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (c.92%), Merlot (c.7%) and Petit Verdot (c.1%). At 107 acres the vineyard is one of the largest in the Médoc. Dating back to 1234 Lafite Rothschild has a long history and has been under the ownership of the Rothschild family for over 200 years. Its respect for and cultivation of its terroir has continued for centuries, culminating in the creation of its ground-breaking wines. Lafite Rothschild produces an elegant style of Pauillac that is brimming with flavour. Expect warm notes of cedar, truffle and tobacco, the lip-smacking tartness of cassis, and the vibrancy of juicy red fruits.

IN BOND

CRITIC REVIEWS

94
Jane Anson

Easy vintage until September, when conditions in the Médoc particularly became humid, which meant accelerating the harvest (it was one of those years when Lafite benefitted enormously from its ability to ramp up a bigger-than-expected team of pickers). Salin still calls this a lunch wine, because of its supple freshness, its balance that would work so perfectly with food.The vintage was a showcase for Bordeaux on the Right Bank, where it was considered great from the start. The Medoc and Graves were less well received at the time, but are ripe for rediscovering now. This still has a lovely deep ruby red colour, and on both the nose and palate you are getting to secondary aromas, a walk in the forest, mushrooms, cedars, heather, game – these are flavours you just don’t get in young wines, and amply reward the patience of holding bottles back. The surprise, and the Lafite signature, comes in its vibrancy, in its huge persistency and in the lift on the finish.

95
Charles Curtis MW

The vintage began with a dry spring followed by a hot August, giving grapes with thick skins and plenty of tannin and colour. Rain arrived at harvest, but because of earlier conditions, no damage was done. The final wine is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot; just over a third of the grapes made it into the grand vin. Results were inconsistent – one bottle showed a tell-tale whiff of Brettanomyces tamping down the fruit, but a second bottle was much better, with clean, curranty fruit, rich texture, and silky tannins. When it is good, it is terrific.

DELIVERY INFORMATION

Please note the price indicated by Duty Paid shows the cost of the wine with the applicable taxes (Duty & VAT) added.
Cru Wine stores all its wines in-bond with LCB Eton Park. When choosing your Shipping Method, if you would like to keep the wine stored in-bond, please select "1 Month Free Storage at LCB Eton Park". This also applies to wines which are currently En Primeur as these are not available for immediate delivery. Storage charges will apply if you choose to store your wines with us. If you would like your wines delivered, please select "Private Home Delivery in the UK". Duty and VAT will be applied if you choose to have your wines delivered to a UK address. If you live outside of mainland UK additional delivery charges will occur. Please see our FAQs Page for further information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

COLOUR

COUNTRY

REGION

VINTAGE

CASE FORMAT

MAX CRITIC SCORE

96.0

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