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Lafite Rothschild 2001

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Lafite Rothschild

Label

Tasting Notes

The 2001 Lafite-Rothschild has a little more precision on the nose compared to the millennial Lafite. It’s vivid and focused, featuring blackberry, briar, cedar and mint, and a touch of cola in the background. The palate is well balanced and svelte in texture, building beautifully with aeration to a gorgeous, truffle-tinged finish that is a little spicier than three years ago, when I last tasted this vintage. Maybe it just tails off toward the finish when compared to the 2000. Still, this is an elegant, blue-blooded Lafite-Rothschild that exudes class. 2023 - 2052

96
Neal Martin, vinous.com, September 2021

The 2001 Lafite Rothschild’s deep, saturated plum/purple color is accompanied by lead pencil liqueur-like notes intermixed with sweet red and black currants, plums, and cedar. This blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot is a classic example of Lafite. Extremely elegant, medium-bodied, with intense concentration, richness, and sweet tannin, it appears to be on a rapid evolutionary track, at least in comparison to recent Lafite vintages that have been far more backward and powerful. The classy 2001 should be at its finest between 2007-2020.

94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (153), June 2004
95/100
James Suckling, Wine Spectator, March 2002

Looks pretty evolved at the rim. Surprisingly evolved but it suggests it can last too. Excitingly nervy in Haut-Brion style. Not forced. Lovely lusciousness and readability. Could drink this already. Great finesse.

18.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, January 2008
Read more tasting notes...

The 2001 Lafite Rothschild has a quintessential bouquet for Lafite: very pure, almost understated at first. It then begins to open with briary, blackberry leaf, cedar and freshly rolled tobacco with subtle floral notes emerging after three of four minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and it certainly shows more vitality than the 1985 served alongside. Slightly grainy tannins, more feminine than previous bottles with dark plum, blackberry, citrus fruit, a touch of dried apricot and a very precise finish. Superb.

96
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, March 2012

A classic Lafite Rothschild, with a good 40 years of potential aging ahead of it, this wine tastes like a juiced-up 1999. A blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot (only 43% of the crop was deemed worthy enough for this wine), the 2001 shows the classic Lafite nose of lead pencil shavings (graphite), plum, cherry, and black currant, with a hint of tobacco leaf, cedar, and spice box. Medium-bodied, with loads of tannin, this intensely concentrated Lafite is somehow restrained, with extraordinary precision and purity. It is a beauty and seems to be putting on a bit of weight. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040.

92/94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (146), April 2003

The 2001 Lafite Rothschild is a wine of concentrated elegance, finesse, and delicacy. This blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot (only 43% of the crop was acceptable) is reminiscent of the 1999, but it reveals additional tannin as well as a more austere finish. An impressive deep ruby/purple color is followed by sweet aromas of cedar, black currants, lead pencil shavings, and subtle toasty oak. It is medium-bodied, with a nicely-layered mid-palate (something many 2001s are not yet revealing), admirable delicacy and precision, and a long finish. It will be drinkable at an early age, yet will last two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2022.

92/94+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (140), April 2002
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.