Bettane & Desseauve (2023) 98 - 99 / 100

Splendide densité de matière, pureté exemplaire de texture, tannin raffiné, un lafite exceptionnel. Peut-être le plus remarquable que nous avons vu naître en 40 ans.

Decanter (2023) 98 / 100

A wonderful example of restraint and delicacy in a year where it was easy to overdo. Sharp and straight, you feel the acidity as soon as this enters the mouth, alive, pulsing, bright and shining. Aromatically so expressive after a few minutes. Delicate almost, such a fine tapestry of tannins, present and at the fore but like taffeta or finely woven silk. It has power but you don't feel it, not instantly anyway, the focus is on the beautiful texture with edges of cool red and blue fruits, flint, graphite, liquorice and tobacco nuances with high acidity that all help build a layered and well constructed mid palate. The structure then focuses and narrows to a mineral, fresh finish. Has bite and succulence, gently muscular with tons of vibrancy. This is definitely one of the less showy wines that really grows on you. A delicious, defined, poised, refined and finessed Lafite. Calm, collected and incredibly charming already

JM Quarin (2023) 100 / 100

Couleur noire. Nez intense, fin, fruité, subtil, noble, cacaoté et très distingué. Sophistiqué dès l’entrée en bouche, avec de la grâce dans le toucher, le vin fond opulent, subtil et en même temps complexe. Très, très grande finale noble, puissante et pourtant aérienne. Un ange passe ! Oh là là, impossible à cracher !

James Suckling (2023) 99 - 100 / 100

A classical Lafite that reminds me of something like the 1986, with its blackcurrant and tobacco character with cedar and hazelnut, but it's so today with its purity and precision. It's really about being Lafite here. Terroir gives great elegance with strength.

Jancis Robinson (2023) 18.5 / 20 Jeb Dunnuck (2023) 97 - 99 / 100 Jeff Leve (2023) 99 / 100

Garnet in color, a single swirl brings out its cornucopia of scents: flowers, currants, cherries, smoke, leather, lead pencil, Cuban cigar wrapper, orange rind and smoke. The wine is pure silky, elegance in texture. This is perhaps the most sensuous vintage of Lafite ever produced with its dream texture on the palate. In the mid-palate, the wine shifts from black to red to black fruits before moving to its wave of orange citrus, ending with refreshing mint notes. The purity in the fruits is striking. The over 60-second finish is seamless, which is a good thing, because this wine is so good, you never want it to end. The wine is complete from start to finish. Drink from 2030-2065.

Parker (2023) 95 - 97 / 100

The 2022 Lafite Rothschild unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, sweet soils tones, cigar box and lilac. Medium to full-bodied, it's the most tensile of the first growths this year, with a layered, concentrated but youthfully introverted mid-palate, lively acids and a long, saline finish.

RVF (2023) 99 - 100 / 100

Issu de vendanges très précoces, Lafite 2022 frise la perfection. L’équilibre est absolu, avec un degré d’alcool record pour le château (13,6°, ce qui reste très raisonnable). Il possède une définition spectaculaire. En bouche, il “pousse” non-stop, déroulant des flots de saveurs, une élégance et une puissance combinées qui s’éternisent sur le palais sans le moindre creux.

Terre de Vins (2023) 97 - 98 / 100

Le grand vin est au rendez-vous et a rebattu les cartes de la sélection parcellaire, étonnant les équipes à la vigne comme en cave. Grenat limpide, la robe annonce le dynamisme, et la tension acidulée est au rendez-vous du palais. Les 94 % de cabernets aux tanins racés cousent un habit classique et de belle tenue.

Vert de Vin (2023) 99 - 100 / 100 Vinous (A. Galloni) (2023) 96 - 98 / 100

The 2022 Lafite Rothschild is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. All of the Lafite signatures are present, but what impresses most about the 2022 it its poise, its stature. Readers will find a regal, statuesque Lafite built for serious aging. There’s tons of fruit and tannin, all masterfully put together. A modern-day classic.

Vinous (N. Martin) (2023) 96 - 98 / 100

It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, crushed stone, touches of pencil box and undergrowth, very Lafite-Rothschild in style. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity, linear and focused. Compared to vintages a couple of decades ago, there is mid-palate weight, yet it retains classicism and transparency, while delivering quite a gentle but insistent grip on the finish. Perpetually the most deceptive of First Growth, one should not doubt its long-term potential.

Yves Beck (2023) 98 / 100

Appellation	Pauillac
Classement	1er Grand Cru Classé en 1855
Superficie	112 ha
Encépagement	Cabernet Sauvignon 70% - Merlot 25% - Cabernet Franc 3% - Petit Verdot 2%
Age moyen des vignes	45 ans
Sols et sous-sol	Graves
Elevage	Barriques neuves à 100% durant 20 mois