Wine Advisor
Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1999
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Description
Within the five rarefied first growths, Lafite is perhaps the wine with the best reputation for quality and longevity, commanding correspondingly high prices. It is considered by some to be the best wine to come out of Bordeaux. In 1815, Guillaume Lawton said of Château Lafite, “I consider it to be the the most elegant and delicate, with the finest substance of the three (Premier Crus). The location of its vines is one of the finest in the Médoc”. In 1855 the Château was ranked as a Premier Grand Cru in the famous classification that was prepared for the Universal Exhibition of that year. Lafite is also known as the ‘King’s wine’, after being introduced to the Court at Versailles by Maréchal Richelieu.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This Lafite is finally coming into its own, although as Charles Chevalier said, it is still a very primary, relatively unresolved wine. It has a very intense nose, great lift, a little earthy and animally, sous-bois, hint of green pepper. Good definition, rather surly and primal. The palate is full-bodied, certainly showing more concentration than the Latour 1999, very good structure and balance. Fine tannins, intense black fruits with a hint of damson, tar, and cigar box but unlike the 1997 Lafite there is a lingering tang of black cherries and a touch of earthy on the dry aftertaste. The ’99 is certainly a great success for the vintage although it needs more bottle age to coalesce. Drink 2015-2030. Tasted September 2008.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 1999 Lafite Rothschild is entering adolescence and beginning to show very well after an hour in the decanter. Offering up aromas of rich dark fruit mingled with cigar box, loamy soil, spices and subtle animal top notes. Medium to full-bodied, muscular and concentrated for the vintage, with lively acids and still rather youthfully assertive tannins, it's a fine effort that would rate higher if it displayed greater aromatic purity.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1999 Lafite (74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18.5% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1.5% Petit Verdot) reveals the characteristics of a hot growing season. It possesses what I call concentrated finesse. The bouquet offers up aromas of lead pencil, black fruits, vanilla, and minerals. Rich yet suave, gloriously precise, and ethereal in its nicely-layered texture that floats across the palate without any heaviness, this deep, medium-bodied, impressively-endowed Lafite-Rothschild should be one of the few Lafites that can be drunk early in life. It possesses the requisite stuffing, power, and extract level to evolve for 20 or more years. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the IMW Lafite seminar in London. The 1999 Lafite Rothschild has a slightly more autumnal, leafy nose when compared to the 2000, but it has extremely good delineation and clarity with scents of brambly blackberry fruit, boysenberry, melted tar and a touch of allspice. The Merlot lends the aromatics more roundness. The palate is medium-bodied with a harmonious, smooth, spicy entry imparted by the dash of Petit Verdot. It is not powerful or even tannic, but it has a vibrancy and tension that makes it a very fine Lafite. Very elegant towards the blackberry and graphite finish with a long tail of citrus fresh blackberry and cedar on the finish. Tasted February 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted en primeur I thought it lacked stuffing but barrel maturation added some body and depth. Tasted again in November 2003: a far more involving nose than Mouton. Blackberry, herbs and minerals. Quite refined. The palate still lacked a little depth with a fleshy, Merlot-like finish. At the Lafite vertical in November 2005. A very deep garnet hue but a shade more watery on the rim. A nose of blackberry, blueberry and minerals, a touch of black olives and brine. Good definition but lacking intensity overall. The palate is still very tannic, a little angular with unresolved tannins. A slight coarse texture. Sharp acidity, a little abrasive with an earthy, briny finish. An average Lafite but fine for the vintage.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A great effort for the vintage, the 1999 possesses an open-knit, friendly, with sweet tannin, low acidity, and plump, corpulent, earthy, black fruit notes intertwined with a touch of pain grille and berries. The wine is opulent and pure, with a sensational mid-palate as well as 35+ second finish. This wine will be approachable upon release, yet will last 25 or more years. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1999 horizontal at Bordeaux Index. This Lafite has a very upright, very “correct” bouquet with cedar, smoke, a touch of shoe-polish and just a faint hint of tangerine but remaining unresolved like the sample poured by Charles Chevalier at the property last year. The palate is full-bodied with firm tannins, lots of cedar and tobacco on the mid-palate. Good backbone, real depth here but lovely freshness and vibrancy towards the finish. A little foursquare perhaps, but this has a wonderful poise and sense of tension. This is a Lafite of good breeding for the vintage and I feel it will improve with age. Drink 2012-2030. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1999 Lafite Rothschild sports an engraved "1999" on the bottle along with an eclipse to mark that significant historical event of August, 1999. It is a quintessential offering from Lafite Rothschild. This prodigious wine is both elegant and intensely flavored, and almost diaphanous in its layers that unfold with no heaviness. An opaque ruby/purple color is accompanied by a complex bouquet of lead pencil, graphite, cedar, creme de cassis, toast, and vanilla. It is medium-bodied, with extravagant layers of richness yet little weight, and a finish that is all sweetness, ripeness, and harmony. This extraordinary Lafite increasingly appears to be a modern day clone of the majestic 1953. A mere one-third of the crop made it into the grand vin! Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Winemaker Eric Kohler recalled the 1999 Lafite-Rothschild as being born in a sad summer. Personally, I have liked this First Growth since I first tasted it in barrel. Now 20 years old, it is beginning to show a little bricking on the rim. The bouquet is clean and detailed, with black currant, raspberry, melted tar and cedar developing in the glass (but less of the allspice that I observed in previous bottles). The palate is medium-bodied and maybe more compact than expected, possibly due to this being ex-cellar. While not a concentrated Lafite-Rothschild, it is very harmonious and elegant, brushed with a subtle pepperiness toward the finish and a tang of dried orange peel on the aftertaste. Delightful. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright, deep ruby-red. Ripe, deep aromas of currant, flowers, coconut and mint. Firm and tight, with excellent cut and precision; brisk flavors of bitter cherry, berry skin and minerals. A slightly dry-edged midweight that's best today on the long, slow-building finish. Shows an intriguing late note of faded rose.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright medium ruby. Floral, minerally aromas of blueberry and violet. Quite dense and intensely flavored; thick but shapely and delineated, thanks to a firm spine of acidity. Consistent from start to finish: no hole in the middle here! Finishes with dusty, even tannins (polyphenols are near the level of the '96, but the tannins are ripe) and excellent length. A superb performance for the year.
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