2000 Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac
SKU #1003931
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.
(2/2011)
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. *Best of 2003* (RV)
(6/2003)
98 points
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. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045 (JA)
(7/2020)
98 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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. (RP) 98+
(6/2010)
98 points
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. (AG)
(11/2017)
98 points
Wine Spectator
This is remarkably young, with a deep well of succulent black currant, fig and blackberry fruit notes that feel 10 years younger than most peers, carried by wave upon wave of velvety tannins. Despite the density and heft, there's glorious length and finesse too, with alluring black tea, smoldering charcoal and warm paving stone notes just starting to emerge. Awesome wine. (JM, Web-2016)
96 points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Full medium ruby. Flamboyantly perfumed aromas of cassis, graphite and tobacco, lifted by a floral nuance and stony minerality. Very young and precise but not austere or forbidding. A remarkably rich, silky, seamless Lafite with superb vibrancy for the vintage. Tannins are noble and the aristocratic finishing flavors go on and on. (ST)
(6/2003)
Jancis Robinson
Dark ruby - same colour as Ch Margaux 2000. Very light - almost soapy - on the nose. Lots of chew and potential. Polished sinewy tanins but not nearly ready - however many bottles have already been drunk in China! Appetising but wait. Green notes at the moment. This has length and potential. (JR) 18.5/20 points
(3/2010)
K&L Notes
97 points, Neal Martin for Vinous: "The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is a millennial First Growth that bided its time and let greatness come naturally. Now, as it begins to reach its drinking window, it is starting to “find its groove”. This is the best showing after half-a-dozen encounters. Youthful in color, the bouquet remains pure and well defined, with trademark black fruit, graphite and cedar, though this particular example exhibited a touch more blue fruit. Whilst the aromatics are more understated than those of the 2000 Latour, there is a sense of panache. The palate is medium-bodied with irresistible lithe tannins that are neatly interwoven into the intense black fruit with veins of graphite and fresh tobacco, the former more conspicuous towards the finish. The 2000 is utterly graceful, and although it is not what you might tag a “barnstorming” performance, it is nonetheless one heavenly Pauillac that is just up to the second of a dozen chapters. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild dinner at Amuse Bouche in Hong Kong." (07/2018)