Château Lafite Rothschild 1982 is a red wine from Pauillac, Bordeaux, produced by Château Lafite Rothschild and classified as a First Growth (1er Grand Cru Classé) in 1855. It blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. The Wine Advocate awards it 98/100 with a drinking window of 2012 to 2045; Jancis Robinson rates it 18/20, to be enjoyed from 1995 to 2036; James Suckling awards it 96/100. Critics describe a harmonious and elegant wine with supple tannins and a persistent finish.
Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in Pauillac, classified as a Premier Grand Cru in 1855. Its 112-hectare vineyard is spread across the hillsides surrounding the château, the Carruades plateau and a plot located in Saint-Estèphe. Acquired in 1868 by Baron James de Rothschild, it still belongs to the Rothschild family as part of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite).
Owner
Famille Rothschild, via Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite)
Maître de chais
Eric Kohler, directeur technique
Surface (ha)
112.00 ha
Histoire du domaine
The Lafite estate is recorded as a wine producer as early as 1234. The estate is situated on a gravelly ridge in Pauillac, the name of which is thought to derive from ‘La Hite’, a Gascon term meaning ‘hill’. In 1855, Château Lafite was listed amongst the Premiers Grands Crus in the Médoc wine classification. Baron James de Rothschild acquired the property in 1868. The château then took the name Château Lafite Rothschild. Since that acquisition, the descendants of James de Rothschild have ensured the continuity of the estate across several generations. Saskia de Rothschild, a member of the sixth generation, is currently chair of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). The technical management of Château Lafite Rothschild is overseen by Eric Kohler, who is also technical director at Château Duhart-Milon.
Critiques professionnelles
Notes & cotations
The Wine Advocate98/100+
Reviewed by
William Kelley
Published
Drink Date
2012 - 2045
The 1982 Lafite Rothschild is at the peak of its powers today, and the two bottles I drank this year were both exceptional. Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries and blackcurrants mingled with notions of cedar chest, cigar box, camphor and dried flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with an effortlessly elegant, harmonious profile and a long, fragrant finish. While this is far from being the most powerful Médoc of the vintage, it is among the most pleasurable.
I am impressed with the loads of ripe fruit with almost dried raspberries and blackberries and a minty undertone on the nose. It's full bodied, with bay leaf, berries that turn to mineral undertones. It's full-bodied, with round tannins and a lingering finish of chocolate, cedar and other woods. I would leave it another three to four years to soften and open just a tiny bit; otherwise, decant three hours in advance.
The left bank 1982 first growth deliberately chosen to be served first at this Room to Read dinner because it is generally the lightest of them. Mid blackish ruby with a pale rim. The first bottle was uncomfortably tart, the second one decidedly fruitier though still obviously fairly light bodied, very Lafite in its ethereal bouquet but on the palate it really grew into a sweet representative of the vintage. If this had been the climax of a well-planned meal (rather than being trumped in terms of body by its peers) I would have been delighted. On the nose there was definitely something stony and it just got more and more charming in the glass for up to an hour and then started to fade. (I thought of its fan the late Michael Broadbvent MW who would have laid his watch next to the glass.) But it’s a bit silly that this wine is so much more expensive than the other first growths – about £2,500 a bottle. Blame the Chinese.
