2014 Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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2014
Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)
Dark fruits, Cuban cigar wrapper, spice, cedar and wet forest scents open the wine. Elegant, fresh and sweet, the wine has put on weight during its aging time. The tannins are silky, the wine is fresh, pure and clean. The finish has energy, length and purity. For Lafite, this will drink well young, but by young, that means you still need to wait at least 20 years. A difficult vintage because of the various levels of maturity. This resulted in a lot of sorting, which made the effective yields lowers than in most vintages. 4,013 Views Tasted Jul 12, 2017An earthy mélange of cedar and ripe berries on the nose, this wine is smooth, soft and fresh with the aroma of cassis and blackberries. Its refined tannins evoke the silky finesse of a crisp, dark red berry finish. The harvest took place between September 22 and October 10, beginning with the Merlot, followed by the Petit Verdot and representing 38% of the crop. A combination of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 12.7% ABV. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is often a difficult wine to taste young. This could easily out on weight, improving in bottle and beyond. 94-95 Pts 9,866 Views Tasted Apr 14, 2015 |
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.