Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 2007 (750ml)

Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Lafite-Rothschild has an elegant cigar box bouquet, with dusky black fruit and a touch of antique bureau-just classic Lafite. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, cedar and tobacco infusing the black fruit, classic in style with a conservative yet focused finish that lingers in the mouth. This is certainly the most subtle First Growth, but one of the most refined too-a sophisticated but understated Lafite-Rothschild that will age with discrete style. Tasted February 2017.

Tasted blind at the 2007 Bordeaux horizontal in Southwold. The Lafite-Rothschild 2007 pips the First Growths under blind conditions. Here it has a stern nose, good definition and more herbaceous than the others, but perhaps more clarity and dare I say, a sense of what you might call "honesty". The palate is well balanced with fine tannins, good acidity, touches of cooked meat and Chinese 5-spice (the irony!), although I wish it had a little more complexity towards the finish that seems. But it is very elegant and refined with a dark chocolate-tinged finish. Classy.

This is a wine for aging. The tannins are dense, very dry with a feel of extraction. It takes a while for the black currant fruit to show through, with acidity and freshness dominant. The wine is still settling, and time will bring the fruit into line with the tannins. A big, juicy wine for the vintage, with spice, sweet tobacco and plum aromas and flavors. Full, long and rich, with a soft texture. A little tight, but should develop nicely in the bottle. Best after 2014. 20,085 cases made.