2022 Château Lafite Rothschild En Primeur
"...this modern-day clone of the 1959 is one of the most powerful, concentrated Lafites I've tasted. 97-99 points" Jeb Dunnuck
"A classical Lafite that reminds me of something like 1986...but it's so today with its purity and precision. 99-100 points" jamessuckling.com
Released for sale en primeur, 2022 Château Lafite Rothschild is offered on allocation, please enquire.
Offered en primeur, on allocation. Landing spring 2025.
Magnums available with £15 ex-VAT bottling surcharge, please enquire for other formats.
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Lafite-Rothschild
Château Lafite Rothschild takes its name from ‘La Hite’ in Gascon dialect – a term for the gravel mound which forms a key part of the terroir. Winemaking was first recorded here in 1234, when it was under the ownership of Gombaud de Lafite. It was owned by the Segur family from the 17th century and in the early 18th century, Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de Ségur improved winemaking at the château. Known as the "Wine Prince", he made Lafite famous in wealthy society across Europe. Lafite itself became known as "The King's Wine", after Maréchal de Richelieu supported it at Court. Famously, Thomas Jefferson visited the estate and bought Lafite throughout his life.
Lafite was classified a first-growth in the 1855 Classification, and it was purchased by the Rothschild family in 1868. Currently the estate is run by Saskia de Rothschild, daughter of Baron Eric de Rothschild.
The estate is on the northern end of Pauillac, separated by St Estèphe by the Jalle de Breuil stream. The complex terroir can be divided into two main areas: the gravel plateau and the Plateau de Carruades, from which the second wine takes its name. As well as 110 hectares of vines, the estate has 300 hectares of woods and marshes.
| RED | 2022 | 5 cases | Château Lafite | 75cl | £3,570 per case of 6 | Château Lafite 2022 / 5 cases / 75cl £3,570 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"Saturated inky colour, with intense ruby reflections. This is a classically constructed Lafite, with clear power to the tannins and intense spice, a little more upfront and concentrated than you find in many En Primeur vintages at this property but it exemplifies balance and confidence. Fully in control, delivering estate signature with finesse and understatement, with pulses of graphite, slate, bitter almond and cocoa bean. Takes its time to uncurl in the glass, leaving you plenty of time to admire its architecture. Give it a good decade at least. 17.5% of press wine, 3.85ph, 41% Lafite of overall production. Harvest August 31 to September 24, earliest since 1893. 100% new oak, Eric Kohler techincal director. Potential upscore in bottle. 97 points" janeanson.com------"A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, sweet soils tones, cigar box and lilac. Medium to full-bodied, it's the most tensile of the first growths this year, with a layered, concentrated but youthfully introverted mid-palate, lively acids and a long, saline finish. It checks in at a rather high pH of 3.85, which belies its incisive profile, from a harvest that extended from August 31 to September 24. 95-97+ points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"The 2022 Lafite-Rothschild was picked from 31 August to 24 September and apart from the 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, there is 17.5% pressed wine in the blend. The IPT is slightly lower than 2020. There is 13.6% alcohol this year, higher than 2018 and 2019. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, crushed stone, touches of pencil box and undergrowth, very Lafite-Rothschild in style. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity, linear and focused. Compared to vintages a couple of decades ago, there is mid-palate weight, yet it retains classicism and transparency, while delivering quite a gentle but insistent grip on the finish. Perpetually the most deceptive of First Growth, one should not doubt its long-term potential. 2032-2075. 96-98 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"The 2022 Château Lafite-Rothschild is based on 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot that was harvested between the 31st of August and the 24th of September. It's a richer, more opulent wine compared to the more classic 2020 (although the pH is higher in the 2020) and has a deep, full-bodied, concentrated profile as well as classic Lafite aromatics of spicy red and black fruits, freshly sharpened pencils, graphite, and tobacco. Deep, rich, and concentrated, it nevertheless stays pure and flawlessly balanced, with ample, ripe tannins and a great finish. It's going to have some up-front appeal by Lafite standards but should still require a decade of bottle age. Director Eric Koher compares this to the 2005, but this modern-day clone of the 1959 is one of the most powerful, concentrated Lafites I've tasted. 97-99 points" Jebdunnuck.com------"A classical Lafite that reminds me of something like the 1986, with its blackcurrant and tobacco character with cedar and hazelnut, but it's so today with its purity and precision. It's really about being Lafite here. Terroir gives great elegance with strength. 99-100 points" jamessuckling.com |
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| RED | 2022 | 1 case | Château Lafite - Carruades de Lafite | 75cl | £1,080 per case of 6 | Château Lafite Carruades de Lafite 2022 / 1 case / 75cl £1,080 per case of 6 |
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