2010 Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac (1.5L) (Pre-Arrival)

SKU #1067031 100 points Wine Enthusiast

*Cellar Selection* Almost black in color, this stunning wine is gorgeous, rich and dense. It's grand and powerful, with a strong sense of its own importance. The beautiful tannins and the fragrant black currant fruits are palpable. It's a great wine, with huge potential. (3/ 2013)

99 points James Suckling

This is shy and not giving its all at the moment. Yet it is full and intense with a tightly intertwined tannic and fruit structure. Ethereal blackberry, currant, cedar, and nutty flavors. Dried flowers too. Cedar jewel box smell comes out with time. Great finish. So, so long and harmonious. Try in 2018. (2/ 2013)

98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2010 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot (a 3% difference from the barrel sample shown two years ago), achieved relatively high alcohol of 13.32%, according to administrator Charles Chevalier. The wine is very impressive, not as fleshy, flamboyant and massive as the 2009, but nevertheless, a big, rich, full-throttle Lafite-Rothschild meant to age a half century or more. Deep purple, with notes of white chocolate, mocha, cedar and charcoal as well as hints of vanillin and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied yet has that ethereal lightness that makes it a Lafite. Rich, with good acidity, precision and freshness, this is a slightly zestier version of the 2009 as well as more restrained and structured than that particular vintage. It will need at least 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 50+ years. (2/ 2013)

95-98 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Glass-staining deep purple-ruby. Archetypical Lafite elegance on the nose, offering delicate, pure aromas of cassis, blueberry, cedar and graphite complicated by intense minerality. Then bright and fresh in the mouth, with perfectly harmonious acids nicely supporting the pretty blackcurrant, cedar and delicate herbal flavors. Very long and extremely refined, with uncanny silkiness of tannins. A cool, refined, impeccably balanced Lafite that will need plenty of aging: drink 2022 through 2050. One of the top half dozen wines of the vintage. (6/ 2011)

97 points Wine Spectator

Rather tight, with an alluring whiff of cocoa that lures you in before disappearing into the core of steeped plum, roasted fig and blackberry coulis notes. Sandalwood, black tea and loam elements fill in on the long and expansive finish. This seems to be lying in wait for what could be a very long time in the cellar before unfurling fully. Best from 2018 through 2045. (3/ 2013)

K&L Notes

87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.8% Merlot.