By Chateau Lafite Rothschild
1er Cru Classe Pauillac 2020

The Vintage
The vintage was so early in all its stages that we prepared all year to harvest early, starting from the end of August. The harvest was the last stage of a year of constant concern, during which we went from monitoring temperatures at the weather station to closely watching the vines to detect any development of powdery mildew. The last test we had was the storm on August 15, which brought 100 mm of rainfall, causing us great concern. Little did we know then that it would become a blessing. By the end of August, growth and ripeness appeared normal, but when we tasted the grapes, their extremely expressive aromas came as a great surprise. The rain in mid-August boosted the ripening process. The harvest was excellent, and fermentation progressed very well. The musts reveal a young monster in the making - restrained, incredibly elegant, but disciplined.

Terroir
Chateau Lafite Rothschild is located in the north of the appellation, bordering Saint Estephe. Lafite's best terroirs extend across the 50-ha Plateau des Carruades to the west of the chateau. This plateau, the highest point of the Pauillac appellation, is well-drained and enjoys optimal sun exposure. Its clayey gravel soils offer excellent water-regulating abilities and provide optimal ripening conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon. Some 4.5 ha planted in the neighboring Saint-Estephe appellation count among the oldest vines of the property and provide grapes of outstanding quality for the Grand Vin.

Vinification
For Lafite's terroir to produce its magic, the vinification process is carried out with extreme precision. The distribution of the grapes between wood, stainless steel, and concrete vats is determined based on the characteristics of each plot and the grapes' maturity. Alcoholic fermentation occurs at a controlled temperature with regular pumping over to gently extract phenolic compounds. The maceration period is around 22 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred to French oak barrels. Lafite has its own cooperage in Pauillac, the Tonnellerie des Domaines, which contributes to its unique style. Every barrel is tasted, and only the best are selected for the final blend. The wine is then aged in new oak barrels for 15 months.

Tasting Notes
Deep black color. The nose offers a broad range of intense and well-defined aromas, with spicy black fruits like blackberries and black cherries against a background of subtle notes of cocoa and tobacco, enhancing the aromatic richness of this wine. On the palate, the attack is frontal, dense, and velvety, accompanied by fleshy and powerful tannins that result in a very complex, long, and extremely tasty structure. A wine of superb balance and subtlety that embodies this vintage at its best.

Technical Details
Varietals: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 12.50%
pH: 3.94
Total Acidity: 3.35 g/l
[Information provided by Chateau Lafite Rothschild]

Wine: Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 2020
Score/Rating: 100
Suggested Drinking Window: Best after 2030
Review Date: 05/07/2023
Reviewed By: James Suckling
Tasting Notes: Amazing aromas here with tobacco, crushed stone, cigar box, currants, tar, and lead pencil, as well as spices, iron, and dried ginger. Medium- to full-bodied, with a density and tightness. Very compact and complex. Racy. Delicacy with strength. Orange peel undertones. A wine to contemplate. You must understand it to understand the great Lafites of the past and those of the future. [...] 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Best after 2030, but drink it if you have the chance taste it.

Wine: Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2020 Pauillac
Score/Rating: 100 - Editors’ Choice
Suggested Drinking Window: Drink from 2028
Review Date: 04/01/2023
Reviewed By: Roger Voss
Tasting Notes: Structured, dense and with great concentration, this wine is magnificent. Its black fruits and density indicate the power of the wine and its longevity. At the same time, the wine has the elegance that is always associated with this estate. Drink from 2028. 

Wine: 2020 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
Score/Rating: 100
Suggested Drinking Window: 2038 - 2113
Review Date: 03/29/2023
Reviewed By: Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting Notes: Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2020 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is a sensational effort checking in as 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that hit [...] a pH of 3.94. As Lafite as Lafite gets, this ultra-classic reveals a dense ruby/plum hue as well as a tight, yet layered bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, freshly sharpened pencils, graphite, and subtle spice. Flawlessly balanced, deep, concentrated, and layered, it has an incredible mid-palate, building, perfect tannins, and a finish that leaves you salivating. Refined, elegant, and perfection are the buzz words here.

Wine: Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classe, Bordeaux, 2020
Score/Rating: 99
Suggested Drinking Window: 2028 - 2049
Review Date: 01/02/2023
Reviewed By: Georgina Hindle
Tasting Notes: An utterly brilliant Lafite - a sense of understated charm, it’s certainly not shouting but delivers a bright, sharp, joyous sensation. Almost subtle in its presentation with delicacy and refinement on show yet such clear power underneath. An incredible aromatic display with ripe black fruits, pepper, liquorice and crushed stones - calm, controlled and contained with beautiful tannin integration and a chalky, salinity on the finish. Supremely complete with mass appeal.

Wine: 2020 Lafite-Rothschild
Score/Rating: 98
Suggested Drinking Window: 2028 - 2065
Review Date: 02/2023
Reviewed By: Neal Martin
Tasting Notes: The 2020 Lafite-Rothschild, which contains the highest proportion of Merlot since the 2016, hit the bull's eye from barrel. Revisiting the wine in the bottle since July, it still bursts from the glass with copious blackberries, touches of blueberry and juniper, pencil lead and a hint of crushed stone. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-chiseled tannins, quite linear and "correct" - a quintessential Lafite-Rothschild in many ways. It gently builds in the mouth while keeping a restraint on things, finishing with fine sapidity yet a little more juiciness than you would have found a decade or two earlier. This has the potential to evolve beautifully over several decades.

Wine: 2020 Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)
Score/Rating: 98
Review Date: 03/20/2021
Tasting Notes: The compelling nose, with its showy notes of lead pencil, tobacco leaf, cedar, cigar box, currants, spice and wet forest leaf comes through easily. The palate is pure silk in texture. Seamlessly moving from the beginning, middle and end, the wine is fresh, bright, long and intense. The purity in the fruit, paired with its energy and lift linger for more than 50 seconds. Refined, elegant, complex and compelling, if you have the patience to wait for 15-20 years before opining a bottle, this is going to be one of the great vintages for Lafite Rothschild. The wine is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot [...] 97-99

Wine: 2020 Lafite Rothschild
Score/Rating: 97
Suggested Drinking Window: 2027 - 2055
Review Date: 04/06/2023
Reviewed By: William Kelley
Tasting Notes: The 2020 Lafite Rothschild opens in the glass with a deep bouquet of cassis, black truffle, pencil shavings and violets. Full-bodied, fleshy and layered, its broad attack segues into an ample core of fruit framed by supple, melting tannins. Seamless, layered and complete, it's richer and deeper pitched than the 2019, and its notably high pH of 3.94 likely means it will never shut down. It's a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, incorporating just a touch more Merlot from the plateau of Carruades than the 2019.

Wine: Ch Lafite Rothschild 2020 Pauillac
Score/Rating: 17.5/20
Suggested Drinking Window: 2030 - 2050
Review Date: 02/15/2024
Reviewed By: Julia Harding MW
Tasting Notes: Tasted blind. Dark greyish crimson. Fragrant and refined. A whisper of oak and lovely dark fruit. Juicy, fresh, surprisingly approachable with lots of freshness and refinement in the texture. Sour-fresh finish, real freshness for 2020. Juicy, harmonious, long. (JH)