100 points James Suckling: "The second you put your nose in the glass, you know that it is 100 points. The combination of sweet tobacco, fresh flowers, currants and sultanas on the nose leaves me breathless. Turns to cocoa powder and freshness. The palate re-enforces the show, with phenomenally polished tannins. Fabulous class. Could be a remake of the phenomenal 1959. Try in 2022. (2/27/12)"
100 points (20/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "Enormous density, nose closed but intense. Impressive and powerful on the palate but also balanced with its generous fruit. A legend. (Jan 2012)"
100 points (20/20) Michael Schuster (The World of Fine Wine): "Sweet, delicate, fresh, complex nose; concentrated and refined at once; beautifully balanced, rich yet restrained, fresh, and with superfine tannins; delicate, transparent (in the best Burgundian sense), sweet, yet fresh-fruited to taste; very long across the palate, intense, vibrant, complex, mouth-coating, and with terrific fruit and aroma persistence. A wonderful Lafite, with all the hallmarks of the best of this wine: power, delicacy, finesse, definition, fragrance. A stunningly complete and harmonious wine without any necessity for extract or muscle. 2024-50+. (Issue #42; 2013)"
100 points Tim Atkin, MW.
99+ points Robert Parker: "The main reason the 2009 Lafite Rothschild did not receive a perfect score is because the wine has closed down slightly, but it is unquestionably another profound Lafite, their greatest wine since the amazing 2003. Among the most powerful Lafites ever made (it came in at 13.59% alcohol), the final blend was 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. The selection was incredibly severe with only 45% of the crop being utilized. A tight, but potentially gorgeous nose of graphite, black currants, licorice and camphor is followed by a full-bodied wine revealing the classic elegance, purity and delineated style of Lafite. It is phenomenally concentrated with softer tannins than the 2005, the 2003's voluptuous, broad, juicy personality, and low acidity. There are several vintages that I thought were a replay of their colossal 1959, most notably 1982 and 2003, but 2009 is also one to keep an eye on. It is still extremely youthful and seems slightly more backward than I would have guessed based on the barrel tastings, but it needs 10-15 years of bottle age, and should last for 50+. (Feb 2012)"
99 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Elegant, fresh, vibrant, lively, focused and refined, there is a beautiful purity to the fruit found here. Classic Pauillac here, but the wine is also lush and almost opulent in nature. Medium/full-bodied, with delicious array of red and black fruits, tobacco leaf, crushed stone, smoke and crisp red fruits in the end note, this beauty demands at least 15 more years to start delivering its true potential. The wine was made from blending 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and .5% Cabernet Franc. This is the highest percentage of Merlot in the blend since 1995. The wine reached 13% alcohol. (Sep 2019)"
98 points Wine Spectator: "[$1,800 list] This is stunning for its ability to take massively endowed fig, currant paste and crushed plum fruit flavors and harness them with ultrasuave freshly roasted espresso, black tea and ganache notes. A seductive style, long and velvety, with the dense core of black fruit and smoldering iron just waiting and waiting. Best from 2020 through 2040. (1/11/12)"
98 points Decanter: "It displays, as Lafite always does, more of a laid back elegance than Latour, and the difference between the two once again highlights the huge differences in terroir between north and south Pauillac, with the deep gravels here giving finesse, composure, almost nonchalance. It tames with a whisper, bringing you to submission by gently, purposefully and ever so slowly layering one thing on top of another. It has gorgeously pure and precise fruit on the nose, while the palate displays a multitude of flavours, from charcoal to cassis to crushed stone, and yet no one thing dominates. There are a ton of tannins, but they are individually fine, and it's only in retrospect that you realise how many of them there are. The tone of Lafite is speaking over the vintage, and it's going to run and run. Drink: 2024-2046. (Feb 2019)"
98 points Falstaff Guide: "Deep dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Starts somewhat restrained, ripe dark berries, delicate tobacco nuances, some liquorice, light precious wood nuances, a hint of mint in the background. Complex, juicy, pronouncedly fruity texture, ripe heart cherries, mineral and taut on the finish, already approachable, has great length, with 17% Merlot, which is quite high for Lafite, now already significantly more accessible than expected, today it is only 7-8% on average. (Feb 2020)"
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100 points James Suckling: "The second you put your nose in the glass, you know that it is 100 points. The combination of sweet tobacco, fresh flowers, currants and sultanas on the nose leaves me breathless. Turns to cocoa powder and freshness. The palate re-enforces the show, with phenomenally polished tannins. Fabulous class. Could be a remake of the phenomenal 1959. Try in 2022. (2/27/12)"
100 points (20/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "Enormous density, nose closed but intense. Impressive and powerful on the palate but also balanced with its generous fruit. A legend. (Jan 2012)"
100 points (20/20) Michael Schuster (The World of Fine Wine): "Sweet, delicate, fresh, complex nose; concentrated and refined at once; beautifully balanced, rich yet restrained, fresh, and with superfine tannins; delicate, transparent (in the best Burgundian sense), sweet, yet fresh-fruited to taste; very long across the palate, intense, vibrant, complex, mouth-coating, and with terrific fruit and aroma persistence. A wonderful Lafite, with all the hallmarks of the best of this wine: power, delicacy, finesse, definition, fragrance. A stunningly complete and harmonious wine without any necessity for extract or muscle. 2024-50+. (Issue #42; 2013)"
100 points Tim Atkin, MW.
99+ points Robert Parker: "The main reason the 2009 Lafite Rothschild did not receive a perfect score is because the wine has closed down slightly, but it is unquestionably another profound Lafite, their greatest wine since the amazing 2003. Among the most powerful Lafites ever made (it came in at 13.59% alcohol), the final blend was 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. The selection was incredibly severe with only 45% of the crop being utilized. A tight, but potentially gorgeous nose of graphite, black currants, licorice and camphor is followed by a full-bodied wine revealing the classic elegance, purity and delineated style of Lafite. It is phenomenally concentrated with softer tannins than the 2005, the 2003's voluptuous, broad, juicy personality, and low acidity. There are several vintages that I thought were a replay of their colossal 1959, most notably 1982 and 2003, but 2009 is also one to keep an eye on. It is still extremely youthful and seems slightly more backward than I would have guessed based on the barrel tastings, but it needs 10-15 years of bottle age, and should last for 50+. (Feb 2012)"
99 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Elegant, fresh, vibrant, lively, focused and refined, there is a beautiful purity to the fruit found here. Classic Pauillac here, but the wine is also lush and almost opulent in nature. Medium/full-bodied, with delicious array of red and black fruits, tobacco leaf, crushed stone, smoke and crisp red fruits in the end note, this beauty demands at least 15 more years to start delivering its true potential. The wine was made from blending 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and .5% Cabernet Franc. This is the highest percentage of Merlot in the blend since 1995. The wine reached 13% alcohol. (Sep 2019)"
98 points Wine Spectator: "[$1,800 list] This is stunning for its ability to take massively endowed fig, currant paste and crushed plum fruit flavors and harness them with ultrasuave freshly roasted espresso, black tea and ganache notes. A seductive style, long and velvety, with the dense core of black fruit and smoldering iron just waiting and waiting. Best from 2020 through 2040. (1/11/12)"
98 points Decanter: "It displays, as Lafite always does, more of a laid back elegance than Latour, and the difference between the two once again highlights the huge differences in terroir between north and south Pauillac, with the deep gravels here giving finesse, composure, almost nonchalance. It tames with a whisper, bringing you to submission by gently, purposefully and ever so slowly layering one thing on top of another. It has gorgeously pure and precise fruit on the nose, while the palate displays a multitude of flavours, from charcoal to cassis to crushed stone, and yet no one thing dominates. There are a ton of tannins, but they are individually fine, and it's only in retrospect that you realise how many of them there are. The tone of Lafite is speaking over the vintage, and it's going to run and run. Drink: 2024-2046. (Feb 2019)"
98 points Falstaff Guide: "Deep dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Starts somewhat restrained, ripe dark berries, delicate tobacco nuances, some liquorice, light precious wood nuances, a hint of mint in the background. Complex, juicy, pronouncedly fruity texture, ripe heart cherries, mineral and taut on the finish, already approachable, has great length, with 17% Merlot, which is quite high for Lafite, now already significantly more accessible than expected, today it is only 7-8% on average. (Feb 2020)"
Product SKU |
307825 |
Producer |
Lafite Rothschild |
Country |
France |
Region |
Bordeaux |
SubRegion |
Left Bank |
Appellation |
Pauillac |
Varietal |
Cabernet/Bordeaux Blends |
Vintage |
2009 |
Size |
750ml |
Color |
Red |
Blend |
82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot |
ABV |
13.6% |
Ships To |
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