Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2017

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of the world's most iconic Bordeaux wines, celebrated for its extraordinary elegance, precision, and longevity. Aromas of blackcurrant, cassis, cedar, graphite, violet, cigar box, and fine spice unfold into a seamless palate with silky tannins, exceptional depth, and a remarkably persistent finish.

Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, roast lamb, venison, duck breast, truffle dishes, or aged Comte for an unforgettable First Growth Bordeaux experience.

98 Points - James Suckling

Deep and typical on the nose with black currants, black tea, leather and graphite. The aromas draw you down to the palate. Full-bodied, creamy and beautiful with extremely polished, refined tannins. Yet, it’s powerful and long. The highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever. Juicy and almost exotic, but very tidy with ripe tannins. Try after 2025 and onwards.

97 Points - Decanter

Deep ruby in colour but not so inky as to be impenetrable—that is not their style. The nose is subdued at first, but on the palate it unfurls to show violet edging and rich but well-defined black fruits. Lafite never tries overly hard to please everyone in its early years, and this will take some time to open up. There is plenty of concentration—hefty tannins, but so finessed that you don't feel them at first. It will almost certainly take a full ten years to reach its drinking window, unlike many wines from 2017. Its 97% Cabernet Sauvignon means much of the power is only implied at this point, with just a hint of Merlot to soften and gently layer the palate. Extremely impressive. A yield of 40 hL/ha, only very lightly affected by frost. Aged in 99% new oak. 3.75 pH.

97 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Composed of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Château Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens slowly and cautiously with restrained notes of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries, warm black currants and wild blueberries, followed by emerging notions of smoked meats, fragrant earth, crushed rocks and lilacs with touches of cast-iron pan and Marmite toast. Medium-bodied, the palate is deceptively light and quite ethereal on entry, growing in the mouth to reveal elegant layers of energetic red and black fruits with tons of savory accents. Framed by exquisitely ripe, wonderfully fine-grained tannins, it has exhilarating freshness and a very long, hypnotically perfumed finish. On a final note, the alcohol here is a jaw-dropping 12.5%, which is something of a miracle considering the ripeness of the Cabernet. A total head-turner, I cannot wait to follow the development of this wine.

97 Points - Wine Enthusiast

This wine is poised, gathering freshness and good acidity within the same structured framework as its pure black currant fruit. With 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine has a classicism about it—fruity and structured at the same time. Drink from 2024.

96 Points - Wine Spectator

This is a youthful tumble of warmed black currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors, entwined with bay leaf, tobacco, savory, lilac, smoldering charcoal and warm cast-iron notes. Terrific stony minerality zips everything up for now, but riveting acidity and excellent energy should carry this easily in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040.

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

The Grand Vin 2017 Château Lafite Rothschild checks in as a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend that includes just 2.5% Merlot and less than 1% Petit Verdot, brought up in new French oak. It shows the classy, elegant style of both the vintage and the estate, revealing a ruby-purple hue, complex notes of red and black currants, lead pencil and cedary herbs, medium-bodied richness and depth, and both present tannins and acidity. It checks in behind the 2015 and 2016, yet is nevertheless a classic Lafite. It will benefit from a decade of bottle age and keep for 30 years or more.