Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2012

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The classically styled 2012 exhibits attractive elegance, medium body and outstanding concentration, but not the complexity and depth or prodigious qualities of many other recent Lafites. It is a relatively soft, spicy effort displaying notes of crushed rocks, white chocolate, black currants and graphite. It should be drinkable in 5-8 years and last for two decades. Charles Chevalier was candid in saying that the tropical heat wave, along with the poor flowering resulted in intense labor in the vineyard and during the harvest where triage was the operative word, and had to be done thoroughly and consistently. The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, was the result of a harvest that took place between September 28 and October 9 for the Merlot, October 9-16 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The small amount of Cabernet Franc included in the Carruades de Lafite was harvested on October 11 - 12. Only 38% of the production made it into the grand vin. If the 2012 fills out completely it could turn out similar to the 1998 Lafite.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted en primeur at the chateau. The Grand Vin was picked between 28th September (with the Merlot) and 16th October (with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot) and is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and a pinch of Petit Verdot. It has a fragrant pencil lead bouquet with small dark cherries and brambly blackberry fruit. The definition is very fine with moderate intensity. The palate is more convincing than the aromatics at this point with fully ripe, quite tensile tannins and very good cohesion. Naturally it does not have the weight of a top Lafite vintage, although the focus is impressive. There is a nascent femininity about this Lafite and it might show much better after bottling. Tasted April 2013.

robert_parker91

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, representing only 38% of their total production, is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance mostly Merlot. It is a very stylish, elegant, yet concentrated Lafite Rothschild with an opaque ruby/purple color, soft well-integrated tannins, nice integrated oak, acidity and alcohol. Lafites’s 2012 reveals good, opaque, ruby/purple color and plenty of lead pencil and blackcurrant fruit. The wine is medium-bodied and should hit its prime 2020-2035.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2012 Lafite-Rothschild opens with striking inner perfume. Long and beautifully persistent on the palate, the 2012 is ample and generous, but never heavy. Shades of dark red cherry and plum infusion shape the finish. The 2012 is not an epic Lafite, but it is expressive and delicious today.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata

(91% cabernet sauvignon, 8.5% merlot, 0.5% petit verdot; 38% of the total crop went into the grand vin; 40 hectoliters per hectare produced): Dark ruby-red. Aromatic nose combines blackberry, black cherry, minerals, violet, spices and cedar. Fresh and juicy in the mouth, offering clean flavors of dark berries, graphite and cedar but not the flesh of the great vintages. This very fragrant Lafite displays noteworthy energy but turns tougher on the back end, finishing firm and tight, with rather muscular tannins and a vegetal nuance.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind, the 2012 Lafite-Rothschild is a vintage I have not tasted for several years. It has a well-defined nose with slightly leafy black fruit, pencil shavings and cedar. It does not quite deliver the precision of the 2012 Latour tasted alongside, but it is distinctly "Lafite". The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, well balanced with tobacco-tinged black fruit. Elegant and composed, it is not a vintage that goes out to win applause, rather, quietly goes about its business. Give it a couple more years in bottle. Tasted blind in Bordeaux.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2012 Lafite-Rothschild has much more fruit concentration and presence on the nose, mulberry, leather, sage and a touch of tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, clean and fresh with impressive purity and body. This feels "grand", beautifully balanced though I find this attenuates a little towards the finish. Drink now, but it will keep another 15 to 20 years. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.