Château Lafite Rothschild 2019 (Futures)

Baron Eric de Rothschild, chairman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR), described Château Lafite Rothschild as a viticultural tour de force with the power to, “turn bare earth into heaven.” 

After managing the portfolio of family wine estates for 42 years and overseeing significant expansion across the globe (including new vineyards in Chile, Argentina, and China), Baron de Rothschild transitioned the leadership of the family business to his daughter, Saskia de Rothschild, in 2017.  The château has been owned by the same branch of the Rothschild family since 1868. 2018 marks the family's 150th anniversary as owners.  With over 150 years steeped in rich history, Lafite Rothschild is a place where man and nature work together in perfect harmony to produce wine that continues to captivate wine drinkers around the globe.  

The late American president Thomas Jefferson was reported to have visited the estate and been a lifelong consumer of its great wines.  As a President, he had a penchant for the finer things in life and spent $10,000 on his wines one year -- that's the equivalent of 1 million dollars today.  A hefty amount of that purchase consisted of wines from Château Lafite Rothschild and the other great First Growth, Château Haut Brion.  Naturally, his extravagent lifestyle led him into debt and towards the end of his life he was practicaly penniless.  His biggest regret? That he couldn't drink the wines from Château Lafite Rothschild anymore.

Lafite Rothschild has an illustrious past, with references to its exalted wines that date back to as early as 1234.  The chateau rose to prominence in the 17th century, largely due to contributions of Marquis Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur.  Known as, “The Wine Prince,” the Marquis de Ségur improved the viticultural techniques at Lafite and introduced the wines to royalty at the court of Versailles.  The excellence of the wine was undeniable, and soon Lafite Rothschild’s Grand Vin became known as the wine of kings.  

Lafite Rothschild cemented its reputation when it was recognized as one of the First Growths of the 1855 Classification, earning it much-deserved prestige on a global scale.  As the years progressed, new innovations improved the viticultural process on the estate.  Dairy cows were introduced to organically fertilize the property, and the estate built its own cooperage for making barrels to age the wines to perfection.  At Lafite Rothschild, tradition marries artistic innovation and the result is great wine for generations.

The wines of Lafite Rothschild possess an excellence that transcends beyond their pedigree.  The strength of these wines lies in their versatility.  They are fresh, vibrant, and drinkable even when they are young and deviate from the more austere Bordeaux style that favors raw power.  With that in consideration, these wines have the potential to evolve beautifully for decades to come. 

"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