Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2011

Description

Lafite has a soul, a beautiful, generous, kindly soul. Lafite turns bare earth into heaven. Lafite is harmony, a harmony between man and nature, because without our magnificent winegrowers, nothing would be accomplished. – Baron Eric de RothschildIn 1815, Guillaume Lawton said of Chateau Lafite, I consider it to be the the most elegant and delicate, with the finest substance of the three Premier Crus. The location of its vines is one of the finest in the Medoc. In 1855 the Chateau was ranked as a Premier Grand Cru in the famous classification that was prepared for the Universal Exhibition of that year.The weather conditions for the 2011 vintage were unusual and required all of our technical teams vigilance and expertise. This was a very early vintage, with an exceptionally hot spring, low rainfall at the beginning of the year, but then more in the summer, and a persistent threat of powdery mildew a vine disease that is usually quite rare in the Bordeaux region. Finally, just as we were getting ready to harvest, a huge hail storm in the north of Pauillac and Saint Estephe on 1 September obliged us to reorganize the picking schedule. The plots that had been affected had to be picked first; fortunately, as a result of the conditions, the grapes had ripened early, and quality was not compromised.TASTING NOTES AT BOTTLING Intense, deep crimson colour. Dense nose, aromas of red and black fruit, boxwood and spicy notes.Very dense on the palate with fine intensity. Very complex finish.” – Chateau Lafite Rothschild