Château Lafite-Rothschild 2019 (Futures)

• Domaine: Château Lafite-Rothschild
• Appellation: Pauillac
• Classification: First Growth, 1èr Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Left Bank, Bordeaux, France
• Importer: Laguna Cellar

Wine Notes: Château Lafite-Rothschild is now considered one of the greatest Bordeaux wine estates.  It was Originlly simply known as Château Lafite when listed among the Premier Grand Cru Classé in 1855.  Lafite, comes from Gascon term "la hite", which meant "small hill".  On 8 August 1868, Baron James Mayer Rothschild purchased the property for 4.4 million francs, and it became known as Château Lafite Rothschild.  During his term as the ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson visited this estate and became a lifelong customer.

Tasting Notes

"The 2019 Lafite Rothschild is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, harvested from the 19th of September to the 7th of October. Deep garnet-purple in color, it rolls effortlessly out of the glass with compelling notions of baked black cherries, ripe blackberries and crème de cassis followed by hints of mocha, licorice, smoked meats and Sichuan pepper with a waft of eucalyptus. Medium-bodied, the palate is at once ethereally graceful and powerfully intense, featuring layer upon layer of profound smoky, savory flavors and decadently ripe fruit, framed by exquisite, silt-like tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with epic length. In terms of flavor profile, this is a surprisingly (atypically) hedonic, forward expression, with notably lower acidity/higher pH (the pH is 3.9). The alcohol is 13.4%, just a tick higher than the 2018 (13.3%). And yet, the tannins here are unmistakably Lafite, featuring all the tannic grace, finesse and densely pixilated poise fans will expect. What an exciting paradox for the palate—bravo!" - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (6/4/2020, Bordeaux 2019 Issue), Rating: 97-99