(JL 96-98 points) Flowers, blackberries, charcoal, cigar box, black currants, spice, cedar, graphite and tobacco come through on the nose with a bit of coaxing. On the palate, the wine offers a pure expression of red fruits, black cherries, spice and a touch of orange rind, along with boysenberry, licorice and red plums on the backend. This is an elegant, regal, classic style of Lafite Rothschild that will age and evolve quite well. The wine is complete from start to finish and was produced from blending 96% Cabernet Sauvignon. 3% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. 12.6% ABV, 3.9 pH. Drink from 2032-2060.

(WE 96–98 points) This is essentially Cabernet Sauvignon, giving beautiful black currant notes that come through in succulent juiciness and a serious core of tannins that are giving the wine a solid backbone. This will push the wine's maturity well into the long-term. ROGER VOSS

Surely a contender for wine of the vintage, certainly on the Left Bank. Vibrant and explosive, what a wine in 2021. Graphite, black chocolate, black pepper and blackcurrant aromas but also with floral edges - so intense! Supple and racy on the palate, this is a firecracker of a Lafite, so much energy and acidity that you get this rush of red and black fruits then the stoney minerality and then the spice. It's sharp and racy with the length that goes on and on. You get it all here but so well delivered, real refinement and elegance in terms of fruit precision and clarity but it's just so energetic and bright. This puts you squarely in Bordeaux with the lively and balanced freshness with these gorgeous powerful and structured Cabernet aspects telling you it's from Pauillac, ending with liquorice, stone, graphite and toasted spice from the one block of old-vine Petit Verdot that went into the blend this year. Vibrant and explosive - an absolute thoroughbred - albeit a young one! Made with 96% Cabernet as opposed to a usual amount between 80-85%. A yield of 33hl/ha. The first year of full organic farming also in 2021.

Reminiscent of the 1995 Lafite but modern, this wine is extremely aromatic, showing lead pencil, currants, blackberries, black olives and smoke with some gunpowder. Notes of iodine, stone, blood and ink. It is medium-bodied, with very fine and creamy tannins that show so much finesse and length. Racy at the end. 96% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot, 1% petit verdot. Give this four or five years to open.

The 2021 Lafite-Rothschild is every bit as exceptional as it was from barrel. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon comes through loud and clear. All the elements are so well balanced. The 2021 is dark, racy and full of Lafite sensuality, all kicked up by the natural intensity of the year. Dark red/purplish fruit, mint, lavender and rose petal are all on display. It’s not a showy wine, and it will need quite a bit of time to fully reveal its charms. -- Antonio Galloni

One of the wines of the vintage, as it was En Primeur, and delivers grip and character, laced with slate, graceful cool blue and black fruit. Finessed tannins opens to show waves of sage, liqourice root, cloves and forest floor. Almost entirely Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Petit Verdot slice from 100 year old grapes. 34hl/h yield, harvest September 22 to October 8, 90% new oak for ageing. A long-ageing wine within the context of the vintage, and a reminder that this is a wine that takes all kind of weather conditions in its stride. 1st year organic conversion.

(96+ points) To my palate, the 2021 Lafite Rothschild has emerged as the finest of the Pauillac first growths this year. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark minty berries mingled with notions of iris, licorice and cigar box, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into an elegantly dense and structured mid-palate that's nicely framed by sweet but abundant tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. - William Kelley

(95+ points) A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Lafite Rothschild has a deep garnet-purple color. Notes of ripe blackcurrants, Morello cherries, and fresh redcurrants prance from the glass, followed by perfumed wafts of lilacs, jasmine tea, fallen leaves, and aniseed, with a waft of rose bud tea. The light-bodied palate vibrates with electric black and red berry flavors, matched by the typically super-fine-grained Lafite tannins and a racy backbone, finishing long and fragrant. This is very pretty. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

A classic expression of this Château, the 2021 Château Lafite-Rothschild checks in as 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It's not massive but textbook Lafite with its red and black currant fruit as well as cedar pencil, ripe tobacco, graphite, and spicy nuances. More medium-bodied on the palate, it has a great mid-palate, ample concentration, ripe, polished tannins, and a gorgeous finish. The vintage doesn't get much better than this beauty, and it should round into form (I would gladly drink a bottle today) with 4-6 years of bottle age. It might be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage, offering 30 years or more of prime drinking.