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The 1996 vintage took place in three main stages. Optimal weather conditions during the growth of the grapes, followed by a cold and rainy August to finish with a very sunny September.
Château Lafite Rothschild 1996 is a very rich, dense, very structured and complex wine. This premier cru classé borrows the elegance of the 1953 vintage and the power of the 1959 vintage. It is a wine for long keeping.
Vintage | Wine 1996 |
Classification | Médoc - 1er Cru Classé |
Region | Bordeaux |
Appellation | Pauillac |
Colour | Red |
Volume | 0.75 l |
Country | France |
Château | Château Lafite Rothschild |
Country | France |
Château Lafite Rothschild, 1st growth in 1855, is one of Bordeaux's most famous chateaux. It shares with the greatest the top of the official classification of 1855. Located on the Pauillac appellation, the vineyard of 103 ha is divided into three parcels: the hills surrounding the Château, the Carruades plateau to the west and a parcel of 4.5 ha in the neighboring town of Saint-Estèphe. Most of the terroir is composed of fine and deep gravel mixed with Aeolian sand on a tertiary limestone bedrock. The grape varieties are 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The average age of the vineyards of the great wine is 40 years, the 20 ha of young vines (less than 10 years) being used for the development of the second wine. There are also extremely old plots of over 80 years, one called "La Gravière" dating back to 1886. The maturation of the wine is carried out for 18 to 20 months in 100% new oak barrels. Lafite Rothschild produces about 15,000 to 20,000 cases per year. The estate also produces a second wine, the Carruades de Lafite, for around 25,000 to 30,000 cases. The name of the second wine of Chateau Lafite Rothschild of the "plateau Carruades, where stood a group of plots, which was bought by the castle in the nineteenth century, and which adjoined the rump Castle. The "Carruades de Lafite" were once called "Moulin des Carruades", then take the name, Carruades de Lafite.
The mythical vintages of Chateau Lafite Rothschild are 1921, 1945, 1959, 1982, 1986, 1988 and 2000, 2005 in recent years.
DOMAINE FOREY Père et Fils 1996
Vosne Romanée
Saint Julien
Saint Julien
Saint Emilion
Pauillac
Champagne
Côte Rotie
Pomerol
(04-1999) This massive wine may be the biggest, largest-scaled Lafite I have ever tasted. Extremely powerful and full-bodied, with remarkable complexity for such a young wine, this huge Lafite is oozing with extract and richness, yet has managed to preserve its quintessentially elegant personality. This wine is even richer than it was prior to bottling. It should unquestionably last for 40-50 years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050. The wine of the vintage?
(06-2018) Strong ruby, purple reflections, somewhat feint water edge. Strong smoky-spicy underlay of blackberry jelly, prune, a touch of bouillon, needs a lot of air. Dark berry, taut, sustainable tannins, which still need to soften, a really multilayered wine, peppery notes on the finish, sloe and sour cherry, a touch of noble chocolate in the aftertaste.
(01-2006)
(04-2017) A glorious Lafite that exudes confidence and harmony. This vintage of Lafite has all the elements for greatness - firm, ripe tannins, fresh acidity and medium body along with layers of nuanced flavors that are incredibly persistent on the palate. There is finesse as well as power and intensity here, a winning combination. Still young but starting to peak. A wine to cellar for decades.
(08-2021) If you prefer your elegance and refined character-filled wines on the young, buy reaching adolescent side, where the fruit, with its trail of tobacco leaf, cedar, cigar box, lead pencil, and salty rocks is just starting to fold into the secondary stage, you came to the right place. While another 5-10 years will really bring this to center stage, due to its forward style, this is starting to work in your glass.