80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot from vines with an average age of 40 years. The early harvest at Lafite began with Cabernet Sauvignon on September 3rd and finished on September 21st (about a month earlier than 2010). Very dark ruby in color with a deep ruby rim. Classy and exquisite notes of Asian spices dark chocolate raspberry coulis and hints of lead pencil and fresh roasted coffee. Medium bodied on the palate with well-integrated tannins and balanced acidity. The oak is fairly apparent but not obtrusive. The wine's highlight is its long complex and silky finish. The most balanced of all the First Growths in this vintage showing an alluring elegance but certainly not the power of the 2010.

(95-96 points) Produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Spice, blackberry liqueur, licorice, earth, graphite and gravel scents lead to a full-bodied wine with supple tannins, freshness and good concentration. The wine ends with a bright, elegant cassis-filled finish. 95-96 Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2011&wine=Chateau%20Lafite%20Rothschild

The wine shows the power typical of a Lafite but within the context of the fruity 2011 vintage. The immensely dense tannic structure gives the wine a solid feel that is lifted by so much ripe black currant and berry fruits. At the back, the wine has a more brooding, dark character that suggests great aging potential. Drink this wine from 2019.

Developing into classical Lafite - meaning the frame comes from fine tannins, and the overall impression is of subtle complexity, still extremely young but with energy and lift. A gentle cedar smoke and liquorice edging becomes clear as it opens up, and the black fruits are savoury. The St-Estephe plot was hailed on in early September, but the fruit was already relatively ripe, so even though they harvested 15 days earlier than ideal, it was ripe enough to use in the Grand Vin, and the overall yield was 52hl/ha. Higher Merlot in the blend than you would find today (now closer to 10%).

Love the nose on this, with sweet tobacco, delicate currant, cedar and blackberry. Full body with integrated tannins and a juicy, fruity, subtle finish. The texture to this wine is beautiful. Better than I remember from barrel. Try in 2019.

This delivers pronounced tobacco and bay leaf notes up front, with a core of steeped plum and currant fruit and a fleshy edge through the charcoal-lined finish. There's some serious buried minerality, which should emerge with cellaring. Best from 2018 through 2031. –JM

(RP90-93 points) A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot (harvested between September 3-21), the 2011 Lafite Rothschild came in at 12.6% natural alcohol (considerably lower than in 2010 and 2009). Exhibiting a deep ruby/purple color, lots of crushed rock, red and black currant, forest floor and underbrush characteristics, moderate tannin and medium body, it is built somewhat along the lines of the 1999 and 2001. It should be a 20- to 25-year wine, but it is not at the level of the 2008, 2009 and 2010. Fresh acids give the wine a somewhat more clipped feeling than most great Lafites have exhibited. Nevertheless, there is a lot of freshness and vibrancy to this vintage. - Robert Parker

The 2011 Lafite-Rothschild was impressive from barrel. It is very composed on the nose with brambly red fruit, loam, touches of sous-bois (decayed autumn leaves). After five minutes, there is a noticeable liquorice scent. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, a little soft in the middle with a fleshy tarry, liquorice-infused finish that just tapers away. Elegant, refined, but not the First Growth's strongest effort from this period. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting. -- Neal Martin