Deep, dark and restrained, offering cool black fruit with hints of cocoa and sea spray minerality. Poised and perfumed, it glides across the palate with Lafite’s signature elegance. Tannins gently frame the red fruit, achieving seamless balance. Subtle yet commanding, with layers of refinement, depth and completeness, and a minty, stony, crystalline purity. A masterpiece of understatement and precision. I love this wine. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. Organic.

A benchmark modern Lafite showing tobacco, orange peel, cedar, pencil shavings, violets and cigar box—so perfumed. Medium-bodied with lots of graphite, stone and hints of redcurrants on the palate. It goes on for minutes. Reminds me of Lafites that I love made decades ago. Could be the great 1986. A blend of 94% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Best after 2030 but already fascinating.

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. Just sensational in its power while remaining weightless, it offers utterly classic Lafite aromatics of crème de cassis, freshly sharpened lead pencils, spring flowers, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, and seamless on the palate, it has a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, off-the-charts purity, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s shockingly accessible, yet there’s no shortage of structure, depth, or concentration. Aged in new French oak barrels, this is a monumental Lafite that should evolve for 50-75+ years. If this doesn’t do it for you, I can’t imagine what would.

In bottle, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild has turned out even better than I anticipated. Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, minty blackcurrants, violets and cigar box, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and suave, with a deep, enveloping core of lively fruit, beautifully refined tannins, and a long, perfumed finish. Even at this early stage, it's remarkably integrated and harmonious, and it's certainly the most elegant of the first growths this year, reminding me of a modern-day version of Lafite's magical 1953. - William Kelley

Deep garnet-purple colored, notes of freshly crushed black currants, ripe plums, and juicy raspberries pop from the glass, leading to a beguiling undercurrent of star anise, cardamom, iron ore, and iris, with a gentle waft of forest floor. The exquisitely elegant, medium-bodied palate is an exercise in finesse, delivering a laser-precise backbone of very fine-grained tannins and incredible tension to frame the multi-layered minerals, berries, and spices, finishing with epic length and depth. Legendary. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Aromatically, the wine opens with flowers, black and red currants, crème de cassis, blackberries, cigar box, licorice, and an array of spices. Silky, sensuous, refined, and elegant, it is powerful yet also light on its feet. There is length, expansiveness, freshness, and layers of refined fruits that coat your palate. The finish seamlessly builds as it lingers for close to 60 seconds. This is bottled silky elegance that can be enjoyed starting at 10 years of age, coupled with serious aging potential, as I am positive it will be fabulous at 50 years of age or longer! The wine blends 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, with 17.5 % press wine. 13.6% ABV. This is an earth-shattering vintage of Lafite that buyers with the disposable income should add to their cellars. Drink from 2030-2065. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2022&wine=Chateau%20Lafite%20Rothschild

Intense medium to full intensity, violet plum colour, opens to show squid ink, pencil lead, crayon, densely knit tannins that tread with the lightest of touches, peony and crushed roses aromatics as it opens. This is balanced and expertly judged, with a full finesse architecture this spirals through the palate, building in intensity as it goes. Delicious, with huge ageing potential, 3.82ph. Eric Kohler technical director, Saskia de Rothschild owner.

The 2022 Lafite-Rothschild has a more marine-influenced nose with multidimensional black fruit, beautifully defined, with bunches of violet emerging with aeration. The palate is medium- bodied with gentle grip, layers of black fruit, intense and yet remarkably light on its feet, with a long, mineral-driven finish. Stunning. One of the great vintages in recent years, a First Growth that will mature over decades. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London. - Neal Martin

The grand vin from Lafite is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, the latter from one small parcel (of two planted) which is home to some very old vines, and the élevage was in entirely new oak. I adore the nose here, the fruit profile moving from red to black, but with a savoury tension rather anything broad or rich, with nuances of black pepper, olive, liquorice and tobacco, not to mention a wrapping of finely polished new oak and a touch of fine reduction. This latter element also wraps up the palate, which carries dark fruit, olive, liquorice and currant, with a very fine and well-honed core of finessed tannins, which support the sinewy substance of the palate. The finish is all snugly defined elegance, and overall this has an excellent and rather aristocratic stance, with a long finish of incredibly tightly packed tannins. Buyers of this wine will need to be patient. The alcohol on the label is 13.5%.