Château Lafite-Rothschild 1996

Château Lafite-Rothschild 1996

1er Cru Classé

Paulillac

75cl.

- Delivery time about 3 weeks from order -

- Not subject to discounts and/or promotions -

Condition and provenance guaranteed

Original wooden case of 6 bottles

Notes on the 1996 vintage

83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot

"A good harvest year, with excellent conditions for growing the grapes, then a difficult, cold and rainy August that lowered the morale of the winemakers, and fortunately a beautiful September sun.

Tasting notes (on bottling):
In the end, the three phases of this vintage give us a very rich, dense, very structured and complex wine. Some tasters find in this '96' the elegance of 1953, and the power of 1959: a good omen for this long-lived vintage!"

Reviews

Robert Parker : 100
"The 1996 Lafite-Rothschild is unquestionably this renowned estate's greatest wine. The wine exhibits a thick-looking, ruby/purple color, and a knock-out nose of lead pencil, minerals, flowers, and black currant scents. Extremely powerful and full -bodied, with remarkable complexity for such a young wine, this huge Lafite is oozing with extract and richness, yet has managed to preserve its quintessentially elegant personality. The wine of the vintage?" Wine Advocate, April 1999

Wine Advocate : 98
"The 1996 Lafite-Rothschild was remarkably deep in colour, considering it is now 20 years old. The bouquet is classic Pauillac with pencil shavings and sous-bois infusing the black fruit, masculine and a little aloof, yet focused and very well delineated. The palate is very well balanced with crisp blackberry and boysenberry fruit, spicier than I recollect, a crescendo of flavors so that it seems understated at first but fans out with a sense of confidence towards the finish.

I think this still has more to give so cellar it away for another 5-8 years if you can, but otherwise, this is an exemplary Lafite-Rothschild that I can envisage getting better and better in the bottle, if not quite as enthralling as either Mouton-Rothschild or Château Margaux. Drinks 2020 - 2050." Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, October 2016

An elegant but muscular Lafite, really summing up the trajectory that this wine takes over decades in a good vintage. It started out in its early years with huge concentration, more in fact than in many vintages, but it is now showcasing the subtlety and infinite range of flavors and aromatics that make Lafite such a singular wine. Expect layers of earth, cigar box, liqueur, cold ash, blackberry, cassis, pencil lead, mint leaf and crushed rock minerality. The first Lafite to be put in an anti-fraud engraved bottle. (JA)" (4/2021)