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Lafite Rothschild 2020 En Primeur: “unashamedly classic”
PREMIUM
CONTENT

  • “A First Growth with unerring balance and harmony,” according to Neal Martin.
  • The wine is being offered for £5,880 (12×75) SEP.
  • 2019, 2017 and 2014 are other vintages that offer good value for money.

The 2020 Château Lafite Rothschild has been released for €475 per bottle ex-négociant, up 19.9% on the 2019 release.

The international trade is offering the wine for £5,880 per 12×75, 8.9% more than the current Market Price of the 2019.

This is the first First Growth to release its2020 wine this year. In terms of price, the 2020 sits at a similar level to the lower-scored 2015. See more Fair Value analysis below.

Critical opinion

“This is quintessential Lafite,” said Neal Martin (Vinous). He awarded the 2020 First Growth a barrel range of 96-98 points and described it as “unashamedly classic in style”.

Antonio Galloni (95-97) concurred, noting that “the 2020 is a super-classic Lafite-Rothschild of grace and finesse”.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Advocate) gave it 96-98 and called it a “magnificent achievement”.

The wine received 97-99 points from Jeb Dunnuck. According to him, “it should surpass the 2015 and 2017 and be in the same realm as the 2018 and 2019”.

Lafite was also one of James Suckling’s top-scoring wines, boasting 99-100 points. Suckling complimented its “superb presence with tannins that melt into the wine”.

Fair Value

While the 2020 looks well-positioned, back vintages that offer value include last year’s release (NM 97), available for 8.2% less, and the 2014 (NM 95), available for 13.3% less.

The 2017 also looks attractive, with 95-points from Neal Martin and costing £5,280 per case.

 

Our Bordeaux En Primeur 2020 page contains everything you need to know about this year’s campaign. You can also sign up for our daily En Primeur email alerts using the form below.