This famous First Growth is often described as perfumed, elegant and delicate, and one of the finest wines in Bordeaux. According to Baron Eric de Rothschild, Chateau Lafite has a beautiful, generous, and kindly soul that turns bare earth into heaven. The blend for this grand vin varies from vintage to vintage, but is typically 80-95% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5-20% Merlot, with the balance from Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.


**2002 Lafite-Rothschild [Bordeaux Blend] 750**

**Varietal**: Bordeaux Blend
**Vintage**: 2002
**Country**: France
**Region**: Bordeaux
**Sub-region**: Pauillac
**Producer**: Lafite-Rothschild
**Color**: Red
**Type**: Red
**Closure**: Cork
**Alcohol percent**: 12.5%

The 2002 Lafite-Rothschild is a Bordeaux blend from the renowned Pauillac sub-region of Bordeaux, France. This wine, produced by Lafite-Rothschild, is notable for its deep, dark color and complex bouquet.

Vinous’ Neal Martin describes the wine as having “a surprisingly concentrated bouquet with blackberry, sous-bois and brine,” along with hints of espresso. He notes that the palate is “medium-bodied with a little chewiness on the entry,” and finds the tannic profile somewhat rustic. Despite some limitations from the growing season, Martin gives it a respectable score of 91.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate offers high praise, scoring the wine 94 and calling it “a brilliant offering and a candidate for wine of the vintage.” The review highlights the wine’s “notes of lead pencil shavings/graphite along with black currants, plums and crushed rocks/mineral.” Parker’s review emphasizes the wine’s elegance and incremental power, describing it as having “loads of fruit definition and a long finish.”

Wine Spectator’s James Suckling provides an even higher score of 95, commending the wine’s “crushed berries, currants and spices, with tobacco notes.” He describes it as “full-bodied, with gorgeously velvety tannins and a long finish of pretty fruit,” calling it a “racy yet elegant Lafite” and advising that it will be best enjoyed after 2010.

Neal Martin’s Wine Journal echoes the complexity, scoring it 93 and noting aromas of “blackberry, pencil-lead, black olive, sous-bois and cedar.” The review mentions a “seductive entry” and a texture that is “very smooth and silky.”

Jeff Leve from TheWineCellarInsider.com rates it 94, pointing out its “bright, crisp, crunchy” character and “vibrant” red berries. He notes the wine’s mint, herb, tobacco, and cedar coating, and advises drinking it from 2024 to 2042.

Decanter also provides a score of 93, mentioning the wine’s “still-tight tannins” and “elegant, savoury-edged black fruit and tea leaf notes.” The review suggests further cellaring for continued development.

Overall, the 2002 Lafite-Rothschild is a complex and elegant wine with high ratings from multiple reviewers, and it promises further development with additional aging.