Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1998

WEINWISSER: "Dunkel, recht satt. Würziger Cabernet, Pflaumentöne, viel Zedern, nobel und ausladend, erstaunlich zugänglich, das Nasenbild vermittelt die einzigartige Lafite-Süsse. Delikat, elegant, filigran und royal im Gaumen, seidene und doch fleischige Tannine, Lakritze, Spitzwegerichtabletten, schwarze Pfefferkörner und viel Cassis im langen Finale. Ein ganz grosser Lafite."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, the 1998 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet with a hint of brick and gorgeous notions of sandalwood, crème de cassis, smoked meats, black pepper and garrigue with touches of chargrill, dried herbs and mincemeat pie. Medium-bodied, soft and plush on the palate, it has tons of mouth-filling savory and plum preserves flavors and a very long, savory finish. Delicious now, it should keep for 15-20 more years."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, tiefer Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. In der Nase Nuancen von Piemontkirschen, gewürzige Edelholzanklänge, eingelegte Zwetschken, ein Hauch von Karamell, kandierte Orangen, ein sehr vielschichtiges und einladendes Bukett. Am Gaumen dominiert von seinem präsenten, tragenden Tanninkern."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Still young, with a lot of tannin to resolve, the wine seemed tightly hemmed in and took effort to bring out its textbook cedar wood, tobacco, cassis and earthy, spicy nose. Concentrated and deep, with a lot of its ability held tightly in check, this will require at least another decade or more to really begin to gets all it has to offer."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Amazing aromas of crushed blackberries, toasted oak and currant, spices. Really a great nose. Full-bodied, with round and velvety tannins and a long, long finish. It lasts for minutes on the palate. Superb. Best wine of the Médoc, without a doubt.--'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2011. 21,665 cases made."

DECANTER: "Easy vintage until September, when conditions in the Médoc particularly became humid, which meant accelerating the harvest (it was one of those years when Lafite benefitted enormously from its ability to ramp up a bigger-than-expected team of pickers). Salin still calls this a lunch wine, because of its supple freshness, its balance that would work so perfectly with food.The vintage was a showcase for Bordeaux on the Right Bank, where it was considered great from the start. The Medoc and Graves were less well received at the time, but are ripe for rediscovering now. This still has a lovely deep ruby red colour, and on both the nose and palate you are getting to secondary aromas, a walk in the forest, mushrooms, cedars, heather, game – these are flavours you just don’t get in young wines, and amply reward the patience of holding bottles back. The surprise, and the Lafite signature, comes in its vibrancy, in its huge persistency and in the lift on the finish."