99 points,

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, February 2013

This is shy and not giving its all at the moment. Yet it is full and intense with a tightly intertwined tannic and fruit structure. Ethereal blackberry, currant, cedar, and nutty flavors. Dried flowers too. Cedar jewel box smell comes out with time. Great finish. So, so long and harmonious. Try in 2018.

Jancis Robinson, April 2011

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot. Now, will this be the only time I ever get to see this wine, before it all migrates east? Very intense dark blackish crimson. Lovely Lafite scent - recognisable member of the family with a hint of oyster shells. But some extra breadth, even fat, this year. Hugely ambitious. Dense and quite dry on the end. But with Lafite breed and race. Somehow manages to have real roundness, covering the notable acidity and doubtless tannins which are very difficult to discern. Already a marvel and a pleasure to taste. Lovely, lovely balance. 19 out of 20

97 -99 points,

Jeff Leve, TheWineCellarInsider.com, April 2011

Produced from a blend of 87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12.8% Merlot, (which is close to what the estate used in 2005,) the wine opened with cedar, earth, minerality, cassis and forest floor aromatics. In the mouth, the wine is suave, polished and fresh, with layers of pure blackberry and spicy cassis. This is pure refined elegance. While not the most powerful First Growth, it's the most regal in bearing. According to the Director, Charles Chevalier, part of the reason for the success in 2010 was due to less pumping over than usual. Chevalier added, with the high 13.5% alcohol level, his team spent more time watching over each individual vat during fermentation.

John Sweeney, JJ Buckley, April 2011

87.2% cabernet sauvignon and 12.8% merlot. The harvest at Lafite began on September 24th with the merlot and finished October 13th with the cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. 13.48% alcohol. This showcases a spicy, peppery nose with notes of raspberry, chocolate and black tea. On the precise palate, it is very pure and elegant. The chalky minerality is accented by pure cabernet flavors and framed by well-integrated French oak. Moderately complex and medium to full bodied, but I wish this had a longer finish.

99 points,

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, November 2012

The Lafite-Rothschild 2010 is a blend of 87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot. It has a very sophisticated bouquet that demands a little more encouragement compared to the Mouton-Rothschild tasted earlier on this day. But it is worth the effort as it reveals wonderful graphite infused black fruit that boast bewitching focus and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy, firm tannins that encase some fabulous, exuberant Cabernet Sauvignon: blackberry, a touch of fresh date, Christmas cake and kirsch. It is extremely well focused, less flamboyant than the 2009, but utterly harmonious and "complete". This is a future legend that will vie with the 2009 Lafite. Spellbinding! 99+

98 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, March 2013

The 2010 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot (a 3% difference from the barrel sample shown two years ago), achieved relatively high alcohol of 13.32%, according to administrator Charles Chevalier. The wine is very impressive, not as fleshy, flamboyant and massive as the 2009, but nevertheless, a big, rich, full-throttle Lafite-Rothschild meant to age a half century or more. Deep purple, with notes of white chocolate, mocha, cedar and charcoal as well as hints of vanillin and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied yet has that ethereal lightness that makes it a Lafite. Rich, with good acidity, precision and freshness, this is a slightly zestier version of the 2009 as well as more restrained and structured than that particular vintage. It will need at least 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 50+ years.

95 -98 points,

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, June 2011

Glass-staining deep purple-ruby. Archetypical Lafite elegance on the nose, offering delicate, pure aromas of cassis, blueberry, cedar and graphite complicated by intense minerality. Then bright and fresh in the mouth, with perfectly harmonious acids nicely supporting the pretty blackcurrant, cedar and delicate herbal flavors. Very long and extremely refined, with uncanny silkiness of tannins. A cool, refined, impeccably balanced Lafite that will need plenty of aging: drink 2022 through 2050. One of the top half dozen wines of the vintage.

100 points,

Wine Enthusiast, May 2013

Almost black in color, this stunning wine is gorgeous, rich and dense. It's grand and powerful, with a strong sense of its own importance. The beautiful tannins and the fragrant black currant fruits are palpable. It's a great wine, with huge potential. -R.V.

97 points,

Wine Spectator, March 2013

Rather tight, with an alluring whiff of cocoa that lures you in before disappearing into the core of steeped plum, roasted fig and blackberry coulis notes. Sandalwood, black tea and loam elements fill in on the long and expansive finish. This seems to be lying in wait for what could be a very long time in the cellar before unfurling fully. Best from 2018 through 2045. -JM

About Winery

Undoubtedly the best-known Bordeaux wine...Château Lafite is one of the three undisputed greats of Pauillac...The vineyards of Chateau Lafite Rothschild sits on the highest knoll of the Pauillac area. (Appellation Pauillac Controlée)... The vineyard was at one time owned by Alexandre de Segur, proprietor of Chateaux Latour and Calon Segur. Lafite became public property in 1794, after the owner (the President of the Parliament of Guyenne) had been guillotined in the Revolution. After changing hands a few more times, the Rothschild family acquired the property when it was put up for auction in 1868 and remain the owners today.

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