1er Grand Cru Classé en 1855.
Free shipping from 1000€ Tax excl (US and Europe)
It is impossible to talk about the great wines of the Médoc without talking about Château Lafite-Rothschild. A Domaine full of history whose reputation and prestige are only equalled by the legendary wines that are born there. A former medieval seigneury, the first vines were planted in the 1670's under Jacques de Ségur, a member of a family of Bordeaux parliamentarians. The wine gradually acquired an excellent reputation thanks to technical progress at the royal court of Versailles, but also across the Channel with the expansion of trade with England. Then in 1787, Thomas Jefferson, the US ambassador to France at the time, praised it in his travel notes.
The Château Lafite was promoted to the rank of Ier Grand Cru Classé in 1855 on the occasion of the Paris World's Fair, a distinction it shares with the Château Latour, Château Haut-Brion, and Château Margaux, as well as the Château Mouton Rothschild since 1973.
The rest of its rise, Château Lafite owes it to the Rothschild family, Baron James de Rothschild acquired it in 1868 and attached his name to it from that date. When Baron Eric took the reins in 1974, everything was progressively put in place with the aim of modernizing and improving performance in order to reveal the exceptional potential of the terroir. Today, it is his daughter Saskia who manages Château, always with the desire to produce wines that live up to their great terroir.
Today, Château Lafite-Rothschild is based on a vineyard of 112 hectares of vines, located on fine and deep gravelly hilltops with a limestone subsoil and facing the Gironde estuary. The vineyard is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
The Domaine produces a Second wine that is on par with its elder, the Carruades de Lafite.
The wines of Château Lafite-Rothschild are opulently rich, racy and noble, displaying a masterful power that allows them to evolve superbly over the years.
2014 is a beautiful vintage in the Bordeaux vineyard, characterized by a very contrasted climate. The flowering of the vines was homogeneous thanks to a sunny spring, then the summer alternated between a beautiful July and a cooler August. The after-season in September and October was fortunately magnificent, thanks to a succession of warm and sunny days until October. The grapes thus presented a very nice oenological constitution.
Blend of the 2014 vintage: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc.
The robe is a very dark red color, decorated with brilliant garnet reflections slightly tiled.
The nose is intensely complex and fruity, with notes of blackcurrant bud and black cherry, followed by dried flower, cardamom and a greedy toasty woodiness.
The attack is mellow and subtle, the wine imposes itself with a voluminous texture and density, supported by a very elegant tannic framework. It releases flavors of jammy black fruits, cocoa and peppery spices that continue to a long, generous and persistent finish.
Food and wine pairing:
Château Lafite Rothschild 2014 will be perfect with tournedos Rossini, pepper-crusted beef, roast goose, Bresse pigeon with porcini mushrooms and foie gras, or roast doe larded with a winemaker's sauce with Espelette pepper.
For a pairing with cheeses, choose uncooked pressed cheeses such as morbier with truffles, Saint-Nectaire, cantal and mature mimolette.
Finish it off with a delicious dessert such as an Opera cake, a praline dome or a vanilla and chocolate entremet.
Cellaring potential and tasting:
Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2014 in imperial can wait another 40 years in the cellar to reveal its full splendor, as the large capacity of the bottle gives the wine a much greater potential for aging.
However, there is no need to wait all that time, it can be fully appreciated today with proper preparation of the tasting. To do this, make sure to open the bottle the night before in the tasting room so that it can acclimatize to the room temperature. If not, make sure to open the bottle ideally 7 to 8 hours before the tasting.
The bottles will be kept in the cellar protected from light, lying down, at an optimal hygrometric degree of 70%.
