Château Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac (Premier Grand Cru Classé) 1988 (750ml)

While the first known reference to Lafite dates to 1234 with a certain Gombaud de Lafite, abbot of the Vertheuil Monastery north of Pauillac, Lafite's mention as a medieval fief dates to the 14th century.  The name Lafite comes from the Gascon language term for "la hite", which means "hillock".  There were probably already vineyards on the property at the time when the Segur family organised the vineyard in the 17th century, and Lafite began to earn its reputation as a great winemaking estate.  Jacques de Segur was credited with the planting of the Lafite vineyard in the 1670s and in the early 1680s.  In 1695, Jacques de Segur's heir, Alexandre married the heiress of Chateau Latour, who gave birth to Nicholas-Alexandre de Segur.  The wine histories of the fiefs of Lafite and Latour were thus joined at the outset.  

From the early 18th century, Lafite found its market in London.  It appeared in the very official London Gazette of 1707 as being "sold at public auctions in the City of London, after being offlaoded from foreign merchan ships seized by British corsairs as as well as by the vessels of the Royal Navy" (the era was in the grip of the Spanish War for Succession).  The London Gazette described the Lafite wine and its counterparts as "New French Clarets".  Between 1732-1733, Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister, purchased a barrel of Lafite every three months.  It was only much later that France began to take an interest in Bordeaux's red wines.  

In 1815, Mr. Lawton published an initial classification of Medoc wines in his brokerage house log.  It was apparently an accurateassessnebt, as it was very similar to the 1855 classification.  Lafite was already at the top of the list: "I ranked Lafite as the most elegant and delcate, with the finest fruit of the three (leading wines)."  He addes that "its wines are the most superb in all of Medoc."  The 1834 vintage was particularly successful, as was 1841, and especially 1846.  The vintage rankings of the Universal Paris Exposition in 1855 officially gave Lafite the rating as "Leader among fine wines".  This ranking would be the benchmark for a new and astonishing era of success for Medoc vineyards.  The period's fnest vintages include 1847, 1848, 1864, 1869, 1870, and 1876.  

The vineyard consists of three main areas:  the hillsides around the Chateau, the adjacent Carruades plateau to the west, and 4.5 hectares in neighbouring Saint Estephe.  The vineyard covers 112 hectares and is well-drained and well-exposed, with soil made up of fine deep gravel, mixed with aeolian sand on a subsoil of tertiary limestone.  It is well-drained and well-exposed to the sun.  The grape varietis are Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%0, and Petit Verdot (2%).

The average age of the grapevines is 39 years old.  But it should be noted that vines younger than 10 years old are not used in the Grand Vin.  This means that the average age of the vines used in the Grand Vin (Chateau Lafite Rothschild) is closer to 45 years.  The oldest plot, called "La Graviere", was planted in 1886.

The property has been managed since 1962 by a single team that, due to the proximity of the two properties, oversees both Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Duhart-Milon.  Eric Kohler, Technical directory of Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Duhar-Milon, is assited by oenologist and winemaker Christophe Conge, and vineyard manager Louis Caillard.

Both chateaux use exactly the same tradiotional techniques, based on strict control of yields, manual harvests, and numerous tasks that are carried out by hand all through the year.  Little or no chemical fertilizers are used, and careful use of organic fertilizers allow the vines to reach an advanced age, the are generally pulled out (with a heavy heart) when they reach 80 years old.

1988 provided a very hot and dry summer, followed by the same weather in September, which brought the crop to maturity. Cabernets and Merlot came out to be very colourful, and structured.

Blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot

Critical Acclaim

WS94
Wine Spectator
Beautiful and subtle on the nose, with mineral, berry, licorice and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a pretty balance of fruit and mint. Long and caressing. Real claret here. Everyone talks about 1989, but this is very close in quality.
RP94
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Broodingly backward and in need of considerable bottle age, the 1988 is a classic expression of Lafite. This deeply-colored wine exhibits the tell-tale Lafite bouquet of cedar, subtle herbs, dried pit fruits, minerals, and cassis. Extremely concentrated, with brilliantly focused flavors and huge tannins, this backward, yet impressively endowed Lafite-Rothschild may well turn out to be the wine of the vintage! Anticipated maturity: 2000-2035.
JS94
James Suckling

I always loved the 1988 and this is a pretty bottle with finesse and wonderful length, showing the uniqueness of Lafite. Medium body, ultra-fine tannins and a refined and polished finish. The subtle currant, tobacco and Spanish cedar shows through here. Perfect now.

This is a cellared bottle - it has been kept in the best possible condition; however, there are no guarantees to the quality, taste, condition, or any other factor of the wine or label.
Due to this, we do not offer refunds or returns on these bottles; they are sold as-is.