Château Lafite Rothschild 2022

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. 

"Composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. The nose is almost impenetrable to start, needing a lot of shaking to wake up delicate scents of crushed red and black currants, raspberry leaves, warm plums, and boysenberries, followed by hints of crushed rocks, damp earth, lilacs, and Jasmine tea, with just a hint of orange peel. The palate is classic great Lafite, featuring incredibly tightly knit layers of black fruits, minerals, and floral notes bound with a rock-solid structure of exquisitely fine, very firm tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. This is an intellectual triumph, but don't think about touching it for 10-15 years. pH 3.85." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent (6/2023) Ratings: 98-100

"The 2022 Lafite-Rothschild was picked from 31 August to 24 September and apart from the 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, there is 17.5% pressed wine in the blend. The IPT is slightly lower than 2020. There is 13.6% alcohol this year, higher than 2018 and 2019. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, crushed stone, touches of pencil box and undergrowth, very Lafite-Rothschild in style. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity, linear and focused. Compared to vintages a couple of decades ago, there is mid-palate weight, yet it retains classicism and transparency, while delivering quite a gentle but insistent grip on the finish. Perpetually the most deceptive of First Growth, one should not doubt its long-term potential. - Neal Martin, Vinous (5/2023) Ratings: 96-98

"The 2022 Lafite Rothschild is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. All of the Lafite signatures are present, but what impresses most about the 2022 it its poise, its stature. Readers will find a regal, statuesque Lafite built for serious aging. There’s tons of fruit and tannin, all masterfully put together. A modern-day classic. Drinking window : 2032-2062 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous (5/2023) Ratings: 96-98

"A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, sweet soils tones, cigar box and lilac. Medium to full-bodied, it's the most tensile of the first growths this year, with a layered, concentrated but youthfully introverted mid-palate, lively acids and a long, saline finish. It checks in at a rather high pH of 3.85, which belies its incisive profile, from a harvest that extended from August 31 to September 24. 95 - 97+ - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (5/2023), Ratings: 95-97

"The 2022 Château Lafite-Rothschild is based on 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot that was harvested between the 31st of August and the 24th of September. It's a richer, more opulent wine compared to the more classic 2020 (although the pH is higher in the 2020) and has a deep, full-bodied, concentrated profile as well as classic Lafite aromatics of spicy red and black fruits, freshly sharpened pencils, graphite, and tobacco. Deep, rich, and concentrated, it nevertheless stays pure and flawlessly balanced, with ample, ripe tannins and a great finish. It's going to have some up-front appeal by Lafite standards but should still require a decade of bottle age. Director Eric Koher compares this to the 2005, but this modern-day clone of the 1959 is one of the most powerful, concentrated Lafites I've tasted." - Jeb Dunnuck, (6/2023) Ratings: 97-99