1996 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 750ml

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1996 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 750ml

Located in New York

$1,199.00

SKU 11200 Categories , Tags ,
DC100
WA98
JS97
VM97
WS95
JR18.5/20

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Color/Type
Red
Producer
Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Style
Varietal/Spirit
Bordeaux Blend
Country
France
Pairings
Vintage
1996
Region/Category
Bordeaux
Subregion
Pauillac
Size
750ml
JK        WS 95       BH        ST        WA 98       AG        JR 18.5/20       JG        VINOUS        IWC        RJ       
Reviews & Scores
An elegant but muscular Lafite, really summing up the trajectory that this wine takes over decades in a good vintage. It started out in its early years with huge concentration, more in fact than in many vintages, but it is now showcasing the subtlety and infinite range of flavours and aromatics that make Lafite such a singular wine. Expect layers of earth, cigar box, liquorice, cold ash, blackberry, cassis, pencil lead, mint leaf and crushed rock minerality. The first Lafite to be put in an anti-fraud engraved bottle.
DC100April 2021
It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, cedar and a pencil box of graphite. The adjective I use whilst writing this note is that the aromas are "cool". Perhaps given its provenance, this is one of the most backward bottles of 1996 that I have tasted. There are those fine but rigid tannins that lend this Lafite such beguiling symmetry, copious cedar and graphite with a vein of brine and oyster shell. I love the precision of this wine and the sappiness on the finish. 
VM97July 2018
The beauty and balance of this are phenomenal. Seamless tannins and fruit. Full body yet so balanced and refined. Sweet tobacco and berries. Minerals and cedar. A beautiful wine. The depth is superb.
JS97January 2017
The 1996 Lafite-Rothschild was remarkably deep in color considering that it is now 20 years in age. The bouquet is classic Pauillac with pencil shavings and sous-bois infusing the black fruit, masculine and a little aloof, yet focused and very well delineated. The palate is very well balanced with crisp blackberry and boysenberry fruit, spicier than I recollect, a crescendo of flavors so that it seems understated at first but fans out with a sense of confidence towards the finish. I think this still has more to give so cellar it away for another 5-8 years if you can, but otherwise this is an exemplary Lafite-Rothschild that I can envisage getting better and better in bottle, if not quite as enthralling as either Mouton-Rothschild or Château Margaux.
WA98October 2016
Looks (and tastes) SO much much younger and more purple than the Lafite 1995. Quite aromatic, very rich and ripe. Seductive. Very smooth. Almost formless for the tannins are well in retreat. Solid stuff that still has a way to go. Slightly inky. Much younger and more angular than the 1995. But it should come out of its shell very elegantly.
JR18.5/20February 2011
Gorgeous aromas of currant, berries and licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Still holding back.
WS95March 2008

Additional information

Weight 4 lbs
Dimensions 6 × 6 × 16 in
Inventory Location

Bottle Size

Vintage

Producer

Wine Name

Country

Region

Subregion

Class

Wine
Varietal

Category

Fine & Rare, Retail
Color

Rating DC

100
Rating WA

98
Rating VM

97
Rating WS

95
Rating JR

18.5/20
Best Score

100

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