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Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 2000

Cabernet/Bordeaux Blends from Pauillac, Left Bank, Bordeaux, France
WS 100
JS 100
WE 99
JL 99
RP 98
AG 98
NEW ITEM PRE-ARRIVAL
Item # 15180

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$1,075.00

750ml
Pre-arrival (ETA: May 2025) 4 Available
 
100 points Wine Spectator: "Subtle aromas of currants, leather, tobacco and cedar. Classic cigar box nose, with fruit. Full-bodied, with an amazing texture of silky, ripe tannins. This wine completely coats your palate, but caresses it at the same time. This is the best young Lafite ever made. A triumph. Best after 2012. (3/31/03)"

100 points James Suckling: "The nose is fresh, bright, and dense. With aromas of violets, minerals, spices, cool stones, mint, dark fruits, and plum skins, this is beautiful. Very much still a baby right now, it needs much more time. This is a wine for the next generation. Finesse and elegance, truly a wine that makes you contemplate life. This is not about power, there is really nothing like it. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon. Do not even think about touching this for another ten years, 2020. Find the wine. (2/22/11)"

99 points Wine Enthusiast: "Perhaps of all the first growths in the totally un-classic 2000, this retains most of the classic Bordeaux. It is certainly almost black in color, while the new wood flavors are very present. But it shows an impressive restraint, leaving the power of the wine to be revealed over the years rather than immediately. This could well be the longest-lived of the Pauillac first growths. (Jun 2003)"

99 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "The past 5-6 years have added a lot here. 2000 is bottled elegance. Everything is in place here. The wine has a beautiful sense of refinement, balance, silky tannins and layers of sweet, soft, red fruits that do not want to quit. This is one of the few vintages of Lafite that is better on the palate than it is on the nose. This is an incredible tasting experience that is only getting started. Unless you have a case and you cannot wait to dig in, give it a few more years in the cellar. With time, perhaps a decade or so, this will probably hit triple digits. Drink from 2025-2075. (May 2022)"

98+ points Robert Parker: "Since I gave this wine a perfect score, I suppose some could see this as a downgrade. I found everything still there for a perfect rating, but I was just struck by how tight and backward the wine was. A blend of 93.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, the wine still has a dark ruby/purple color and an extraordinarily youthful nose of graphite, black currants, sweet, unsmoked cigar tobacco, and flowers. The wine is rich, medium to full-bodied, but has that ethereal elegance and purity that is always Lafite. I originally predicted that it would first reach maturity in 2011, but I would push that back by 5-7 years now, although it has 50-60 years of life in front of it. Owners of this beauty are probably best advised to forget it for 5 years. Tasted next to a 1996 several days after the 2000 tasting, the 1996, which is a perfect wine, was far closer to full maturity than the 2000. (Jun 2010)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is utterly sublime. Delicate, sensual and wonderfully nuanced, the 2000 is majestic. The purity of the fruit is simply striking. (Nov 2017)"

98 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "A baby, still barely evolved at 20 years old, perhaps the slowest out of the block of all Five Firsts at this point in their lives. Savoury black fruits, elegant yet concentrated, extremely Cabernet and extremely Lafite. The power comes slowly, expanding through the palate to show graphite, pencil shavings, cigar smoke, all with firm acidities and a fantastic grip. 46% of the overall crop went into this wine in the 2000 vintage. A brilliant example of the success at Lafite under the longtime triumvirate of owner Baron Éric de Rothschild, CEO Christophe Salin and estate director Charles Chevallier. 2020-2045. (Jul 2020)"

98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, brightening to the rim. Black fruit, some plum, fine aok savouriness, fine chocolate, smoky minerality. On the palate completely embryonic, restrained, fine savouriness, still seems relatively austere and monolithic, vivid tannins, the fruit is laid on, nuances of fully ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, notes of cassis and blackberries, extracted sweetness, good persistence, certain ageing potential, has not quite reached the first drinking MATURITY. Patience will be rewarded. (12/31/18)"

98 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "Poured from bottle, the aromatic profile here is just so elegant and so pure. I find very precisely drawn blackcurrant and damson fruits, even though this is now more than twenty years of age, infused with notes of liquorice and crushed chalk. It has a remarkably youthful stance, and the palate seems intent on living up to the expectations set by the nose, as it is brilliantly composed, tense and perfumed, with superb drive and energy. Underneath this upper layer there is a bed of grip coming from a core of polished and integrated tannins which meld seamlessly with the substance of the wine. This feels so pure and complete, that it can be enjoyed now for that density, the purity, and those aromatics. But it clearly has decades ahead of it yet. This is stunning. Drink or hold. (Apr 2022)"

98 points (19/20) La Revue du Vin de France (Jan 2006).

97 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is deep in color. It has a beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, cedar and mint, still quite closed but very focused. There is a lot of power here, but maybe not the same level of elegance as other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, firm grip, very nicely judged acidity and good density on the finish. This is quite backward and muscular at the moment, although aeration/decanting shaves some of its edges. It’s just beginning to open and improves with time in the glass. Drink: 2023-2060. (Sep 2021)"

97 points Bettane & Desseauve's Guides to the Wines of France: "Intense, magnificently spicy wine. The texture is as refined as one would wish, yet this is still a style that requires patience. Drink 2011 up to 2030. (2011)"
** This item is offered on Pre-arrival and is subject to the terms of our Pre-Arrival Policy **
100 points Wine Spectator: "Subtle aromas of currants, leather, tobacco and cedar. Classic cigar box nose, with fruit. Full-bodied, with an amazing texture of silky, ripe tannins. This wine completely coats your palate, but caresses it at the same time. This is the best young Lafite ever made. A triumph. Best after 2012. (3/31/03)"

100 points James Suckling: "The nose is fresh, bright, and dense. With aromas of violets, minerals, spices, cool stones, mint, dark fruits, and plum skins, this is beautiful. Very much still a baby right now, it needs much more time. This is a wine for the next generation. Finesse and elegance, truly a wine that makes you contemplate life. This is not about power, there is really nothing like it. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon. Do not even think about touching this for another ten years, 2020. Find the wine. (2/22/11)"

99 points Wine Enthusiast: "Perhaps of all the first growths in the totally un-classic 2000, this retains most of the classic Bordeaux. It is certainly almost black in color, while the new wood flavors are very present. But it shows an impressive restraint, leaving the power of the wine to be revealed over the years rather than immediately. This could well be the longest-lived of the Pauillac first growths. (Jun 2003)"

99 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "The past 5-6 years have added a lot here. 2000 is bottled elegance. Everything is in place here. The wine has a beautiful sense of refinement, balance, silky tannins and layers of sweet, soft, red fruits that do not want to quit. This is one of the few vintages of Lafite that is better on the palate than it is on the nose. This is an incredible tasting experience that is only getting started. Unless you have a case and you cannot wait to dig in, give it a few more years in the cellar. With time, perhaps a decade or so, this will probably hit triple digits. Drink from 2025-2075. (May 2022)"

98+ points Robert Parker: "Since I gave this wine a perfect score, I suppose some could see this as a downgrade. I found everything still there for a perfect rating, but I was just struck by how tight and backward the wine was. A blend of 93.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, the wine still has a dark ruby/purple color and an extraordinarily youthful nose of graphite, black currants, sweet, unsmoked cigar tobacco, and flowers. The wine is rich, medium to full-bodied, but has that ethereal elegance and purity that is always Lafite. I originally predicted that it would first reach maturity in 2011, but I would push that back by 5-7 years now, although it has 50-60 years of life in front of it. Owners of this beauty are probably best advised to forget it for 5 years. Tasted next to a 1996 several days after the 2000 tasting, the 1996, which is a perfect wine, was far closer to full maturity than the 2000. (Jun 2010)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is utterly sublime. Delicate, sensual and wonderfully nuanced, the 2000 is majestic. The purity of the fruit is simply striking. (Nov 2017)"

98 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "A baby, still barely evolved at 20 years old, perhaps the slowest out of the block of all Five Firsts at this point in their lives. Savoury black fruits, elegant yet concentrated, extremely Cabernet and extremely Lafite. The power comes slowly, expanding through the palate to show graphite, pencil shavings, cigar smoke, all with firm acidities and a fantastic grip. 46% of the overall crop went into this wine in the 2000 vintage. A brilliant example of the success at Lafite under the longtime triumvirate of owner Baron Éric de Rothschild, CEO Christophe Salin and estate director Charles Chevallier. 2020-2045. (Jul 2020)"

98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, brightening to the rim. Black fruit, some plum, fine aok savouriness, fine chocolate, smoky minerality. On the palate completely embryonic, restrained, fine savouriness, still seems relatively austere and monolithic, vivid tannins, the fruit is laid on, nuances of fully ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, notes of cassis and blackberries, extracted sweetness, good persistence, certain ageing potential, has not quite reached the first drinking MATURITY. Patience will be rewarded. (12/31/18)"

98 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "Poured from bottle, the aromatic profile here is just so elegant and so pure. I find very precisely drawn blackcurrant and damson fruits, even though this is now more than twenty years of age, infused with notes of liquorice and crushed chalk. It has a remarkably youthful stance, and the palate seems intent on living up to the expectations set by the nose, as it is brilliantly composed, tense and perfumed, with superb drive and energy. Underneath this upper layer there is a bed of grip coming from a core of polished and integrated tannins which meld seamlessly with the substance of the wine. This feels so pure and complete, that it can be enjoyed now for that density, the purity, and those aromatics. But it clearly has decades ahead of it yet. This is stunning. Drink or hold. (Apr 2022)"

98 points (19/20) La Revue du Vin de France (Jan 2006).

97 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is deep in color. It has a beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, cedar and mint, still quite closed but very focused. There is a lot of power here, but maybe not the same level of elegance as other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, firm grip, very nicely judged acidity and good density on the finish. This is quite backward and muscular at the moment, although aeration/decanting shaves some of its edges. It’s just beginning to open and improves with time in the glass. Drink: 2023-2060. (Sep 2021)"

97 points Bettane & Desseauve's Guides to the Wines of France: "Intense, magnificently spicy wine. The texture is as refined as one would wish, yet this is still a style that requires patience. Drink 2011 up to 2030. (2011)"
Product SKU 15180
Producer Lafite Rothschild
Country France
Region Bordeaux
SubRegion Left Bank
Appellation Pauillac
Varietal Cabernet/Bordeaux Blends
Vintage 2000
Size 750ml
Color Red
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