2025, Château Lafite-Rothschild, PAUILLAC, 1er Grand Cru Classé

2025 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot.The 2025 Lafite-Rothschild is blessed with extraordinary harmony and it is so well balanced that you almost overlook the weight and minéralité towards the finish. Just a dab of graphite lingers on the aftertaste. This is a very succinct and refined Lafite-Rothschild that I suspect will drink earlier than the 2022, yet will age with equal grace in bottle. I admit that, upon returning to my car, it was only then that I realised what a brilliant wine the 2025 Lafite-Rothschild is destined to become. Drinking Window: 2032-2070. 98-100/100 Neal Martin.Intense aromas of sweet tobacco, dark cedar, cigar humidor, mushroom, roses, and wet earth follow through to a medium to full body with firm, velvety tannins and a driven, intense finish. Very structured with bones. Reminds me of Lafite from the 1980s. Unique for the vintage. 12.5% alcohol. 99-100 James Suckling.Deep plum in colour. Gorgeous, sculpted, jumps out of the glass, showcasing the ability to remain Lafite through so many differing vintage conditions. A ton of depth and character, slate and rosebud, a sappy and highly drinkable Lafite. 27hl/h yields, very small for this estate, one of the smallest on record, but no doubt helped it resist the drought of the summer because these yields were small from the beginning. Eric Kohler winemaker, Eric Boissenot consultant. 2035-2050. 97-100 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux.The 2025 Lafite-Rothschild is powerful and explosive in the glass. Dark cherry/plum fruit, graphite, new leather, graphite, liquorice and lavender race across the palate. A Pauillac of mid-weight structure, the 2025 impresses with its tension and deep, layered personality. Even in the early going, the Grand Vin is so vivid, so expressive. I can't wait to taste it in finished form. 2035-2075. 97-99 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.