The 1989 Château Lafite Rothschild is a red wine from Pauillac, Premier Grand Cru Classé in 1855, produced by Château Lafite Rothschild, owned by Domaines Barons de Rothschild. Its blend comprises 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. James Suckling awards it 97/100, The Wine Advocate 90/100 and Jancis Robinson 17/20. Critics describe a balanced yet still tightly wound Lafite with spicy accents, notes of berry, plum, dried flowers and a structured finish. The Wine Advocate places its maturity window between 2006 and 2025.
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
Production (average bottles per vintage)
210000
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 Advocate90/100+
Reviewed by
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Published
Drink Date
2006-2025
As I suspected, the 1989 and 1990 vintages of Lafite-Rothschild have gone dormant. Both wines were among the more closed, backward examples in my blind tasting. The 1989 Lafite is also outstanding, but closed, with the tannin more elevated, and the wine so stubbornly reticent as to make evaluation almost impossible. Lafite's 1989 was far more easy to taste and understand several years ago. It appears to have gone completely to sleep. This medium ruby-colored, medium-bodied wine reveals new oak in the nose, and a spicy finish. It is a quintessentially elegant, restrained, understated style of Lafite. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025.
Château Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac 1989: I have never been a huge fan of this Lafite but it seems to be coming into its own now. It's a wine with a character of cloves and berries with hints plums. It shows loads of potpourri. Roses too. Full and so balanced. Tight and youthful. The winemaker at Lafite says that when he wants to show someone a perfect example of Pauillac this is the Lafite he pours. Maybe he is right?
Dry winter, dry spring, dry summer. Just a little rain in July. A severe drought, causing the remarkably early growth of vegetation. Hence for some, the harvest started as early as 31 August. That had not been seen since... 1893! The intense heat continued during the harvest and the grapes were picked in perfect condition, with a high degree of alcohol and well-ripened tannins, the fruit of the drought.This was served blind and I am ashamed of the way that both I and Jay McInerney (sitting opposite each other in the dining room of Ch Lafite) tasted with our eyes rather than our palates. We simply read in the the accompanying booklet that this was the earliest harvest since 1893 and decided before we even tasted the wine that it must be the 2003. A shocking example of mind over matter since the wine looked and tasted relatively mature (mind you, so do quite a lot of 2003s, and Eric next to me told me it was not a 1989). This was much richer and sweeter than the Lafites we had tasted in the chai. There was a slightly charred quality to it (was the fruit a bit raisined? or sunburnt? not according to the booklet). It was already well integrated on the nose but a bit unknit on the spicy palate with some notable acidity and a certain drying quality on the end. Rich and solid and a little atypical for Lafite.
