Wine Advisor
Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2001
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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
Tasted at "The Sampler's" icon tasting in London. The 2001 Lafite Rothschild has a quintessential bouquet for Lafite: very pure, almost understated at first. It then begins to open with briary, blackberry leaf, cedar and freshly rolled tobacco with subtle floral notes emerging after three of four minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and it certainly shows more vitality than the 1985 served alongside. Slightly grainy tannins, more feminine than previous bottles with dark plum, blackberry, citrus fruit, a touch of dried apricot and a very precise finish. Superb. Tasted December 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Another austere, more classically-trained nose with cedar, pencil lead, blackberry, Morello and dried apricots. Great definition and complexity. A lovely palate, fleshy with fine tannins, superb balance, svelte silky finish. Utterly seductive and probably the most naturally balanced of all the wines. Incredible length and persistency.Tasted October 2007.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A classic Lafite Rothschild, with a good 40 years of potential aging ahead of it, this wine tastes like a juiced-up 1999. A blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot (only 43% of the crop was deemed worthy enough for this wine), the 2001 shows the classic Lafite nose of lead pencil shavings (graphite), plum, cherry, and black currant, with a hint of tobacco leaf, cedar, and spice box. Medium-bodied, with loads of tannin, this intensely concentrated Lafite is somehow restrained, with extraordinary precision and purity. It is a beauty and seems to be putting on a bit of weight. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 10-Year On horizontal. Now this is a serious nose; very complex and well defined with blackberry, briary, cedar, graphite and just a touch of leather, beautifully defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and simply wonderful poise. Very strict at the moment, concentrated on balancing on its tip-toes, the elegant, bay-leaf-tinged finish yet to develop that complexity that will surely come. The breeding is just so obvious here. Tasted March 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the IMW 2001 horizontal. An overtly masculine nose with smoky black fruits, a little less ripeness and opulence than others so far, much more classic in style. The palate has fine, filigree tannins, wonderful focus with a sweet core of black cherries and blueberry, laced with pain grille. A lot of breeding here though it lacks the weight and persistency to suggest that it will be a truly long-term proposition. Tasted November 2005.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2001 Lafite Rothschild is a wine of concentrated elegance, finesse, and delicacy. This blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot (only 43% of the crop was acceptable) is reminiscent of the 1999, but it reveals additional tannin as well as a more austere finish. An impressive deep ruby/purple color is followed by sweet aromas of cedar, black currants, lead pencil shavings, and subtle toasty oak. It is medium-bodied, with a nicely-layered mid-palate (something many 2001s are not yet revealing), admirable delicacy and precision, and a long finish. It will be drinkable at an early age, yet will last two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2022.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the French Embassy in London. The Lafite-Rothschild 2001 has a classic Lafite nose with cedar, blackberry, sous-bois and graphite, becoming more floral with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and simply beautifully balanced with fine, tensile tannins. Great structure and symmetry with touches of bay leaf and thyme towards the precise finish that demonstrates great breeding. Superb persistency here, the flavours refusing to exit. Wonderful. Drink 2013-2025+ Tasted November 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2001 Lafite Rothschild’s deep, saturated plum/purple color is accompanied by lead pencil liqueur-like notes intermixed with sweet red and black currants, plums, and cedar. This blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot is a classic example of Lafite. Extremely elegant, medium-bodied, with intense concentration, richness, and sweet tannin, it appears to be on a rapid evolutionary track, at least in comparison to recent Lafite vintages that have been far more backward and powerful. The classy 2001 should be at its finest between 2007-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2001 Lafite-Rothschild has a little more precision on the nose compared to the millennial Lafite. It’s vivid and focused, featuring blackberry, briar, cedar and mint, and a touch of cola in the background. The palate is well balanced and svelte in texture, building beautifully with aeration to a gorgeous, truffle-tinged finish that is a little spicier than three years ago, when I last tasted this vintage. Maybe it just tails off toward the finish when compared to the 2000. Still, this is an elegant, blue-blooded Lafite-Rothschild that exudes class.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2001 Lafite-Rothschild is a damn impressive follow-up to the 2000. It has a healthy garnet core, showing little sign of maturity. The bouquet offers blackberry, melted tar, cedar and a pinch of dried herbs that might not deliver the clarity of the finest Lafites, yet just seems to meliorate with aeration, offering complementary scents of iris with time. The palate is medium-bodied, with supple tannins, and a mélange of red and black fruit. I notice a touch of glycerin towards the second half, almost candied towards the precise finish of wild strawberry, graphite and a hint of black truffle. I admire the cohesiveness and crescendo of the 2001 Lafite-Rothschild. It should give drinkers 20 or 30 years of drinking pleasure. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright red-ruby. Sexy aromas of raspberry, cedar, coconut, minerals, lead pencil, chocolate and tobacco leaf. Juicy, lively and penetrating, with sharply delineated flavors of blackberry, raspberry and rose petal. Boasts the classic inner-mouth energy of this great first growth, but also grew increasingly silky with extended aeration. Finishes with tongue-coating tannins and superb lift.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(86% cabernet sauvignon and 14% merlot) Very good medium bright ruby. Cool, reserved aromas of cassis, violet, bitter chocolate, licorice, camphor, mint and minerals. Quite austere and tightly wound, but with plenty of density; coats the palate in a way that very few wines from this vintage do. Vibrant acidity gives the wine lovely inner-mouth perfume. Very subtle and aristocratic, finishing impressively long, with fine, horizontal tannins and no hardness. Does not appear to have quite the density or grip of the 2000, but then this wine is often quite closed in on itself in the early going.
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