Tasting Note
Christophe Salin, director of Barons de Rothschild has been very forthright about the way in which pricing will work this year, indicating that there should be a substantial cut in price for this wine compared with last year. "With Lafite we have the luxury of being able to sell at a high price, but we want to play by the rules and listen to the market. We don’t want to be individualists – Bordeaux is a collective work; we have power and duties so we need to play as a team." The wine is a very simple blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. 2011 Lafite-Rothschild is a huge, powerful effort that manages levels of concentration rarely equalled in this vintage as well as a velvety, nuanced style and wonderful balance, refined tannins and incredible length. This is a wine that starts big, and grows in stature all the time during the multi-layered finish. It may be hard to dethrone.
Region Details
Bordeaux is France's largest quality wine region, indeed producing almost as much wine as Australia. Its westerly position ensures a mild maritime climate, a long growing season and mild summers; rains in the autumn are the primary threat to the harvest, dampening expectations in around one year in three. Red wine predominates - indeed many white wine vines are being uprooted today - with Merlot the dominant variety. The region is dissected by the Gironde estuary, with on the Left Bank the district appellations of the Médoc and the Graves and on the Right Bank, those of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol amongst others. Sauternes is made in the south of the region. The notable red and sweet wines were classified in 1855 according to their then status. At that time not a single Pomerol or Saint-Emilion was deemed worthy despite their historic traditions, and only a single Graves wine. In the last few decades first Saint-Emilion and then Pomerol have become intensely fashionable, their usually small production guaranteeing a premium for scarcity.
Grape Variety
Genetic studies have recently confirmed that, as its name suggests, Cabernet Sauvignon is the accidental result of a crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Most famous as one of the components of a typical Bordeaux blend (alongside Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in varying proportions), Cabernet Sauvignon has been present in Bordeaux since the 17th Century and has subsequently gained popularity throughout the world. The small berries have a thick skin and numerous pips, both sources of tannin. Tannins render a wine well-suited to ageing; hence world-class Cabernets will continue to improve when cellared over many years. Old world examples offer aromas of blackcurrants, violets and herbs whilst plums and currants can dominate those from the New World. Both show a marked affinity to oak scents from barrel ageing. Because of the taut structure and notable acidity, even where labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon, most examples will contain a judicious element of Merlot for softening purposes.
A grape which has become immensely popular around the world in the last 20 years, initially as a purveyor of the flavours of claret in a fleshy, accessible and inexpensive form. Subsequently it has developed a following as a varietal in its own right and often finds itself the recipient of lavish winemaker attention. Most celebrated as the principal 'Right Bank' grape, underpinning most Pomerols and Saint Emilions with its sweet plum and currant fruit and fleshy, soft textures. These qualities have proved ideal as a foil to the drier, more astringent Cabernet Sauvignon and in the rest of Bordeaux, notably the Médoc, it is a contributor to the blend. Indeed so well does it 'round off' Cabernet Sauvignon that it is now rare to find a single Cabernet, even where marked only as such on the label, which does not include a small percentage of Merlot as compensation. The compliment is played the other way round and many varietal Merlots today are seasoned with a little Cabernet to give backbone. Merlot is a major player in Chilean wines, and plantings have overtaken those of Cabernet in California and indeed in Bordeaux, such is the popularity of this easy to admire variety.
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