Château Lafite-Rothschild 1996, Pauillac 1er Grand Cru Classé (1)

Château Lafite-Rothschild 1996
Pauillac 1er Grand Cru Classé
1 bottle

"The bouquet is classic Pauillac with pencil shavings and sous-bois infusing the black fruit, masculine and a little aloof, yet focused and very well delineated. The palate is very well balanced with crisp blackberry and boysenberry fruit, spicier than I recollect, a crescendo of flavors so that it seems understated at first but fans out with a sense of confidence towards the finish. I think this still has more to give so cellar it away for another 5-8 years if you can, but otherwise this is an exemplary Lafite-Rothschild that I can envisage getting better and better in bottle, if not quite as enthralling as either Mouton-Rothschild or Château Margaux." (98pts Neal Martin, Wine Advocate #227, Oct 2017)