Château Lafite-Rothschild 2017

This is a youthful tumble of warmed black currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors, entwined with bay leaf, tobacco, savory, lilac, smoldering charcoal and warm cast iron notes. Terrific stony minerality zips everything up for now, but riveting acidity and excellent energy should carry this easily in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 16,000 cases made.

Deep ruby in colour but not so inky as to be impenetrable — that is not their style. Nose subdued at first, but on the palate it unfurls to show violet edging and rich but well-defined black fruits. Lafite never tries overly hard to please everyone in its early years, and this will take some time to open up. There is plenty of concentration — there are hefty tannins but they are so finessed that you don't feel them at first. It will almost certainly take a full ten years to reach its drinking window, unlike many in 2017. Its 97% Cabernet Sauvignon means a lot of the power is implied at this point, with only a hint of Merlot to soften and gently layer up through the palate. Extremely impressive. A yield of 40 hl/ha, only very lightly affected by frost. 99% new oak. 3.75 pH.

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot. Inky crimson. Dark, savoury black fruit, a little understated in aroma. On the palate, could do with just a little more flesh. It's balanced and not overdone on the tannins but not the standout first growth this year. Elegant but rather underwhelming, perhaps lacking the sweetness and mid-palate depth of Merlot. Tannins very fine. Fresh and really quite soft, textural finesse but rather understated fruit. Savoury graphite finish. (JH)

The 2017 Lafite-Rothschild was bottled at the end of June 2019, two months prior to my visit to the château. It has a lovely bouquet with blackberry, briary, brine and cedar. Generous, especially for the normally more introspective First Growth. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that frame the blackberry and bilberry fruit. The acidity is nicely judged and there is a satisfying linearity from start to finish. Classic Lafite-Rothschild in many ways, though it does not have the precision on the bravura finish that singles out a truly great vintage like 2016. Yet, this will certainly give 20–30 years of pleasure.

This most graceful of the First Growths is brimming with luster, tranquility and refined textures. The wine glides in discreetly, slowly building intensity as it expands on your palate while quietly and effortlessly moving from sweet red fruits to darker plums and cherries. There is a flawless ascendancy here with length, purity of fruit and balance. This is a wine of finesse. Produced from a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 12.8% ABV with a pH of 3.75. The Grand Vin represents 40% of the harvest, which took place September 11 to September 29.

Deep, dark ruby with purple reflections, brightening at the rim. The multi-faceted bouquet shows cherries, a hint of spice, and oak. The palate has a fresh body, a red-berry texture, delicate redcurrants, fine structure, silky, integrated tannins, and a savory, mineral finish. It’s a delicate, old-school Lafite, long-lasting and more light-footed than ever. Good development and definite ageing potential.

The grand vin 2017 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild checks in as a Cabernet Sauvignon–dominated blend that includes just 2.5% Merlot and less than 1% Petit Verdot, brought up in new French oak. It shows the classy, elegant style of both the vintage and the estate, revealing a ruby/purple hue, complex notes of red and black currants, lead pencil, and cedary herbs, medium-bodied richness and depth, and both present tannins and acidity. It checks in behind the 2015 and 2016 yet is nevertheless a classic Lafite. It will benefit from a decade of bottle age and keep for 30 years or more.

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot. Ruby garnet with a dense core. Releases a beguiling bouquet of fresh wild raspberries, licorice, and lingonberries. On the second nose, fragrant cassis blossoms, Tahitian vanilla, and red currant compote. On the multifaceted palate, incredible finesse and precision with ripe, gently sweet extract and perfectly supportive freshness—everything is in its place. A focused finish with a catapult-like continuation of the delicately refined aromatic package. A first-class violin concerto! As last year, the best of the three 1er Crus from Pauillac. 19+/20

Kunz barrel sample 18: (96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot) Concentrated, complex, profound bouquet of small black berries, currants, black licorice, currants, mahogany, truffle, dark tobacco. A concentrated, tightly knit, multi-layered, elegant palate with dense, sweet, dark fruit, compressed, diverse aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, a finely muscled structure, and a very long, aromatic, fresh finish with many powerful echoes.

(96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot, 0.5% Petit Verdot) Concentrated, complex, and profound bouquet, small black berries, currants, black licorice, currants, mahogany, truffle, dark tobacco. Concentrated, tightly knit, multi-layered, elegant palate with dense, sweet, dark fruit, compressed and diverse aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, a finely muscular structure, and a very long, aromatic, fresh finish with many powerful lingering flavors. 19/20 2027 - 2050

A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Merlot, and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It rolls out with expressive notions of blackcurrant cordial, fresh juicy blackberries, and Morello cherries, plus touches of violets, crushed rocks, wild sage, and pencil shavings, with a hint of lavender. Light to medium-bodied, the palate delivers exquisitely fine-grained tannins and fantastic tension to counter the tightly knit red and black fruit layers, finishing long and minerally. A stunning wine!

A racy nose with almond notes and a hint of nutmeg. Balanced body but a bit lean compared to other Pauillac, fine texture, oak that’s slightly drying. Some enthusiasts are still looking for a bit more vinosity.

Direct attack, a fruity, juicy, sappy, digestible, fresh wine with impressive length; lacks a bit of body; elegant, well-integrated tannins.

Dense garnet-red with slight purple highlights. Lafite immediately shows great subtlety and freshness, with notes of raspberry and a hint of blueberry. On the palate, the wine is dense, gourmand, and endowed with suave, silky, compact tannins with very fine grain. They are in perfect harmony with the structure and add breadth. So much freshness and finesse in this wine and, above all, what an aromatic expression, right through to the finish. The latter is fruity, racy, and persistent. To shine, there is no need to be opulent and powerful. Subtle and refined works beautifully too! A truly great Lafite

Logo on the capsule: JL (Lafitte Liège) Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Superb nose—intense, refined, noble, and complex. Subtle core of black fruit cut with pine wood, flowers, and licorice. Smoky touch. Incredible! Ultra-delicate on the attack, very precise in feel and melting at mid-palate, yet dense; the wine unfolds with complexity on the finish, with tremendous flavor. It ends long and impossible to spit. Noteworthy is the rarity of such density at barely 12.5% alcohol. Note a pH of 3.57, lower than that mentioned En Primeur.

96–98. Barrel Sample. Firm and closed, this is a dark and dense wine. There are impressive tannins alongside juicy black plum flavors as well as great concentration. It is an exceptional wine, with the power you should expect from a Lafite. It is certain to age and will not be ready before 2025.