1998 Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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1998 Château Lafite Rothschild  (Pauillac) 94 With 2 hours, give or take of decanting, the wine has body and depth, but it's also reticent. Tobacco leaf, cigar box, cedar, herbs, green peppers, and red currants show, but there is a distinctive green note on the nose and palate that is becoming more apparent, along with some dryness in the finish. Lovers of old-school-styled Bordeaux will probably like this more than I did. With 2 hours, give or take of decanting, the wine has body and depth, but it's also reticent. Tobacco leaf, cigar box, cedar, herbs, green peppers, and red currants show, but there is a distinctive green note on the nose and palate that is becoming more apparent, along with some dryness in the finish. Lovers of old-school-styled Bordeaux will probably like this more than I did. 6,249 Views   Tasted Aug 28, 2021  • Buy This Wine For The Lowest Price DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTE | Post to Still young, with a lot of tannin to resolve, the wine seemed tightly hemmed in and took effort to bring out its textbook cedar wood, tobacco, cassis and earthy, spicy nose. Concentrated and deep, with a lot of its ability held tightly in check, this will require at least another decade or more to really begin to gets all it has to offer. Still young, with a lot of tannin to resolve, the wine seemed tightly hemmed in and took effort to bring out its textbook cedar wood, tobacco, cassis and earthy, spicy nose. Concentrated and deep, with a lot of its ability held tightly in check, this will require at least another decade or more to really begin to gets all it has to offer. 8,030 Views   Tasted Feb 27, 2015 With aromatics filled with tobacco, cassis, earth, minerality and spice, this elegant, regal wine feels great on your palate as the wine offers no hard edges. Supple and refined, another 10 years in the bottle will add a lot of complexity to this vintage of Lafite Rothschild. 1998 was much for successful in Pomerol and St. Emilion. It was a difficult year for Bordeaux in the Medoc. Part of the reason for the quality of Lafite in this vintage is due to the sever selection. Only 34% of the crop was used in the Grand Vin. That level of dedication shows in the quality and style of the wine. With aromatics filled with tobacco, cassis, earth, minerality and spice, this elegant, regal wine feels great on your palate as the wine offers no hard edges. Supple and refined, another 10 years in the bottle will add a lot of complexity to this vintage of Lafite Rothschild. 1998 was much for successful in Pomerol and St. Emilion. It was a difficult year for Bordeaux in the Medoc. Part of the reason for the quality of Lafite in this vintage is due to the sever selection. Only 34% of the crop was used in the Grand Vin. That level of dedication shows in the quality and style of the wine. 13,699 Views   Tasted Jun 18, 2011 This is not yet showing much of its potential. With intense coaxing and swirling, this very tight wine offered hints of cassis, tobacco, cedar, herbs and chocolate. The intense levels of sophisticated, concentrated fruit that flowed over your palate offered glimpses to how great this wine will be for owners with patience. The wine displays incredible class, breed, finesse and elegance, balanced with power. This will turn out to be an amazing Lafite, but it will require 20 more years of bottle age. There is no reason to open this wine today unless you have a case and want to see how it’s developing. It will give a glimpse into its future, but will not deliver much joy. This is not yet showing much of its potential. With intense coaxing and swirling, this very tight wine offered hints of cassis, tobacco, cedar, herbs and chocolate. The intense levels of sophisticated, concentrated fruit that flowed over your palate offered glimpses to how great this wine will be for owners with patience. The wine displays incredible class, breed, finesse and elegance, balanced with power. This will turn out to be an amazing Lafite, but it will require 20 more years of bottle age. There is no reason to open this wine today unless you have a case and want to see how it’s developing. It will give a glimpse into its future, but will not deliver much joy. 8,563 Views   Tasted Oct 13, 2008

When to Drink Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is not a wine to drink on the young side. The wine is usually far too tannic and reserved in its youth. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 3-6 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is usually better with at least 15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Lafite Rothschild offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15 and 60 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Lafite Rothschild with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms, and pasta.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is the most elegantly styled of the three First Growths from Pauillac. But do not confuse the term elegant with light. Chateau Lafite is perhaps the most aromatic of the First Growths as well, with a perfume that fills the air with cedar, cassis, spice, tobacco, truffle, lead pencil, dark, red berries, and earthy notes.

In the best vintages, the wine requires decades to develop to its full potential. Trust me on this, it is worth the wait!

Lafite Rothschild is also involved in several diverse wine investments in countries outside of France. Vina Los Vascos in Chile was their first venture outside of Bordeaux, where they make several red and white wines primarily from Coloagua Chile.

In 1999, they joint ventured with the Catena family in Mendoza, Argentina to produce Bodegas Caro.

Continuing to expand, in 1999, they purchased Domaine d’Aussieres in the Languedoc-Roussillon appellation, located just below the Southern Rhone Valley. Their first move to Asia came in 2011 when they planted vines in the Penglai Peninsula in the Shandong Province in China. The vineyards were planted by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Since 1995, the DBR group has also produced "The Collection," which is a series of generic, low-priced wines from various Bordeaux appellations sold under the name of Legende.

www.lafite.com