The nose is fresh, bright, and dense. With aromas of violets, minerals, spices, cool stones, mint, dark fruits, and plum skins, this is beautiful. Very much still a baby right now, it needs much more time. This is a wine for the next generation. Finesse and elegance, truly a wine that makes you contemplate life. This is not about power, there is really nothing like it. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon. Do not even think about touching this for another ten years, 2020. 15+25+25+35. Find the wine

Perhaps of all the first growths in the totally un-classic 2000 this retains most of the classic Bordeaux. It is certainly almost black in color while the new wood flavors are very present. But it shows an impressive restraint leaving the power of the wine to be revealed over the years rather than immediately. This could well be the longest-lived of the Pauillac first growths. R.V.

A baby, still barely evolved at 20 years old, perhaps the slowest out of the block of all Five Firsts at this point in their lives. Savoury black fruits, elegant yet concentrated, extremely Cabernet and extremely Lafite. The power comes slowly, expanding through the palate to show graphite, pencil shavings, cigar smoke, all with firm acidities and a fantastic grip. 46% of the overall crop went into this wine in the 2000 vintage. A brilliant example of the success at Lafite under the longtime triumvirate of owner Baron Éric de Rothschild, CEO Christophe Salin and estate director Charles Chevallier.

A baby, still barely evolved at 21 years old, perhaps the slowest out of the block of all Five Firsts in this vintage. A high Cabernet Sauvingon year, one of the highest on record, and although you had to be patient, it's clear that the 2000 vintage deserved the plaudits it received on release. The texture is velvety, seductive, with obvious width, and it remains extremely young . I would strongly recommend opening the 2001 over this (not a vintage that I specfically tasted in this vertical, but on recent examples) or certainly the 1996. If you drink this now you are missing out on the extra layer of naunce that is undoubtedly hidden underneath, although you'll already enjoy cassis puree, savoury black fruits, elegant yet concentrated with precision, heft and finely-sculpted tannins, signature Cabernet Sauvignon and signature Lafite. The power comes slowly, expanding through the palate to show graphite, pencil shavings, cigar smoke, all with firm acidities and a fantastic grip. 46% of the overall crop went into this wine in the 2000 vintage. A brilliant example of the success at Lafite under the longtime triumvirate of then-owner Baron Éric de Rothschild, CEO Christophe Salin and estate director Charles Chevallier. Last tasted July 2020. 100% new oak.

(98+ points) Since I gave this wine a perfect score, I suppose some could see this as a downgrade. I found everything still there for a perfect rating, but I was just struck by how tight and backward the wine was. A blend of 93.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, the wine still has a dark ruby/purple color and an extraordinarily youthful nose of graphite, black currants, sweet, unsmoked cigar tobacco, and flowers. The wine is rich, medium to full-bodied, but has that ethereal elegance and purity that is always Lafite. I originally predicted that it would first reach maturity in 2011, but I would push that back by 5-7 years now, although it has 50-60 years of life in front of it. Owners of this beauty are probably best advised to forget it for 5 years. Tasted next to a 1996 several days after the 2000 tasting, the 1996, which is a perfect wine, was far closer to full maturity than the 2000.- RP

This is remarkably young, with a deep well of succulent black currant, fig and blackberry fruit notes that feel 10 years younger than most peers, carried by wave upon wave of velvety tannins. Despite the density and heft, there's glorious length and finesse too, with alluring black tea, smoldering charcoal and warm paving stone notes just starting to emerge. Awesome wine.—2000 Bordeaux blind retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2043. 16,000 cases made. –JM

This is all about the obvious potential, as the wine is young, tight and needs coaxing to bring out much of its charm. Clearly, the fruit is ripe, elegant, fresh and present, the tannins and soft and there is length, but it's not much fun to drink today. Give it another decade and call me in the morning. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2000&wine=Chateau%20Lafite%20Rothschild

The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is deep in color. It has a beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, cedar and mint, still quite closed but very focused. There is a lot of power here, but maybe not the same level of elegance as other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, firm grip, very nicely judged acidity and good density on the finish. This is quite backward and muscular at the moment, although aeration/decanting shaves some of its edges. It’s just beginning to open and improves with time in the glass. -- Neal Martin