Nose
Seductive nose, offering a delightful aromatic palette that mingles notes of liquorice, berries and tobacco.
Palate
On the palate, the attack is pleasant and, considering its youth, this is a remarkably soft, full-bodied wine. It remains well-balanced throughout the tasting, ending with a long, harmonious finish.
Growing Conditions
After a fairly mild winter, there were two nights of severe frost in the spring, on 26 and 27 April, which inflicted major damage on Bordeaux’s vineyards. Miraculously, Lafite came out unscathed.
Conditions then became excellent, with higher than usual temperatures, and balanced, well-spaced rainfall. Flowering was early, and by mid-June the fruit had set almost two weeks earlier than usual.
After some heavy rain at the end of June, temperatures remained lower than normal throughout the summer, without ever becoming cold.
This enabled the vines’ slightly premature development to be rebalanced, and ripening took place slowly in ideal conditions until mid-September, when the harvests began.
A rainy spell, from 10 to 20 September disrupted the otherwise perfect weather, causing more concern than actual damage.
Winemaking
Over the course of a conventional 20-day fermentation and maceration period, the wines quickly confirmed their potential and fairly traditional character.
Aging
16 to 20 months, 80% in oak barrels (10% new).
Appearance
Beautiful dark red colour.
