Product Overview
Winery's Notes
"The nose is closed at first, then the fruit is expressed, with a slightly dominant woodiness. On the palate, the texture is tight and dense. Then the heart of the wine comes through, with solid, compact balance. Very dense finish, and yet the tannins are "almost light and airy"! Great length with long, lingering flavours."
Varietal Composition: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, .5% Petite Verdot
Appellation: Pauillac AOC
Aging: 20 months in French oak
96 Points - Wine Enthusiast
"Showing the serious side of Lafite, this is big and dark, powered by tannins as much as fruit. The wood aging is still showing, although that will integrate into the great structure that holds up the ripe black currant fruits. Totally dominated by some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux, this wine has strength while also having great freshness. Drink from 2024." -RV, 5/1/2015
(92-95) Points - Wine Advocate
"The classically styled 2012 exhibits attractive elegance, medium body and outstanding concentration, but not the complexity and depth or prodigious qualities of many other recent Lafites. It is a relatively soft, spicy effort displaying notes of crushed rocks, white chocolate, black currants and graphite. It should be drinkable in 5-8 years and last for two decades.
Charles Chevalier was candid in saying that the tropical heat wave, along with the poor flowering resulted in intense labor in the vineyard and during the harvest where triage was the operative word, and had to be done thoroughly and consistently. The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, was the result of a harvest that took place between September 28 and October 9 for the Merlot, October 9-16 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The small amount of Cabernet Franc included in the Carruades de Lafite was harvested on October 11 - 12. Only 38% of the production made it into the grand vin. If the 2012 fills out completely it could turn out similar to the 1998 Lafite." -RP, 4/24/2013
