Château Lafite Rothschild en primeur history

This famous Bordeaux first growth has admirers around the world, and it won’t be a surprise to see Château Lafite Rothschild en primeur wines near the summit of critics’ rankings in most vintages. 

Here is a summary of Jane Anson’s scores and tasting notes going back to 2016, including the recently tasted Lafite Rothschild 2020 en primeur sample, plus release prices.

Lafite Rothschild en primeur scores

• Lafite 2020: 97 points
• Lafite 2019: 98 points
• Lafite 2018: 99 points | Latest in-bottle score: 98
• Lafite 2017: 98 points | Latest in-bottle score: 97
• Lafite 2016: 99 points | Latest in-bottle score: 100

Lafite 2016 has been the highest-scoring grand vin from the famous Pauillac first growth’s last five vintages, although neither the 2019 nor 2020 wines have yet been tasted after bottling.

Of the 2020 en primeur wine, Anson praised the ‘incredibly fine, gentle richness to the tannins’.

She added; ‘Impressive that even in dry vintages like 2020 with the real concerns over global warming, the top Bordeaux estates can still produce wines of this quality.’

These scores above also show the potential for ratings to be tweaked between en primeur barrel samples and the in-bottle tastings that normally take place around 18 months later.

Lafite is the first of the first growths to release its 2020 price, releasing its wine at a price that ‘should soar’.

Lafite Rothschild en primeur prices: Recent vintages

Data: Jane Anson’s last rating of the wine, with prices sourced from Liv-ex on 1 June 2021.

Lafite 2020 (97 points): Ex-Bordeaux €475 per bottle | Ex-London £5,880

Lafite 2019 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €396 per bottle | Ex-London £5,112 (12x 75cl in bond) | Current price: £5,400 ($7,657)

Lafite 2018 (98): Ex-Bordeaux €470 | Ex-London £6,000 |

Current price: £6,794 ($9,634)

Lafite 2017 (97): Ex-Bordeaux €420| Ex-London £4,870 |

Current price: £5,292 ($7,504)

Lafite 2016 (100): Ex-Bordeaux €455 | Ex-London £5,112 |

Current price: £7,350 ($10,422)

See also: Bordeaux wine investment – 20 years of hits and misses

Prices may vary and are published for informational purposes only. This does not constitute investment advice. 

Lafite wine style: ‘Never trying too hard to impress’

Despite Lafite’s superstar status and luxury credentials, ‘it can be something of a surprise when you open a bottle to realise that the wine itself never likes to shout its arrival, or try too hard to impress’, wrote Jane Anson in a profile of the Bordeaux first growths last year.

‘I can’t think of another property in Bordeaux that you can cellar with greater confidence – and I mean not just for decades but for a century or more, fully expecting that it will still be fragrant and mouthwatering when you finally get round to drinking it,’ Anson wrote.

‘Lafite tends not to have the inky depths of some Pauillacs when young, certainly not compared to Mouton or Latour, and it goes for complexity and nuance, for mouthwatering brilliance that steals up on you and takes you by surprise.’

Lafite at a glance

• Vineyards: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
• Owner: Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) since 1868. Saskia de Rothschild took over from her father Baron Eric in 2018.
• Technical director, Eric Kohler; MD, Jean-Guillaume Prats; consultant, Eric Boissenot.

Lafite Rothschild en primeur and in-bottle tasting notes

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