Professional Ratings

• 100 James Suckling
  Intense aromas of sweet tobacco, dark cedar, cigar humidor, mushroom, roses, and wet earth follow through to a medium to full body with firm, velvety tannins and a driven, intense finish. Very structured with bones. Reminds me of Lafite from the 1980s. Unique for the vintage. 12.5% alcohol. A blend of 94% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot and 1% petit verdot.
  Barrel Sample: 99-100
• 100 Vinous
  The 2025 Lafite-Rothschild was cropped at 27 hl/ha between September 2 and 20. Eric Kohler mentioned that, unlike 2022, it underwent a longer maceration than usual because, after 24 days, he felt the wine was at ease with itself and there was no excess. That comes through completely on the deliriously intoxicating nose, replete with nuanced blackberry, bilberry and estuarine scents, all beautifully defined and seamlessly integrated with the 90% new oak that is made from Lafite’s own cooper. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins. It is blessed with extraordinary harmony and it is so well balanced that you almost overlook the weight and minéralité towards the finish. Just a dab of graphite lingers on the aftertaste. This is a very succinct and refined Lafite-Rothschild that I suspect will drink earlier than the 2022, yet will age with equal grace in bottle. I admit that, upon returning to my car, it was only then that I realized what a brilliant wine the 2025 Lafite-Rothschild is destined to become. –Neal Martin
  Barrel Sample: 98-100
• 98 Jeb Dunnuck
  Checking in as 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot that's resting in 90% new French oak, the 2025 Château Lafite Rothschild sports a classic, deep ruby hue as well as a complex and classic nose of cassis, spicy wood, tobacco, violets, and graphite. It's quintessential Lafite on the palate as well, with its class, medium to full body, ripe, building, yet polished tannins, and nicely integrated acidity. It checks in at 12.51% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. I love its overall balance, purity, and complexity, and I suspect it's going to continue gaining weight over the course of its élevage.
  Barrel Sample: 96-98
• 97 Decanter
  Vivid purple colour in the glass. Cool blue fruit, graphite and wet stones on the nose. Succulent and juicy, ripe and lifted, with supple tannins barely noticeable – the focus is on the purity and refinement of the fruit with bright acidity and an undercurrent of cooling, fresh minty freshness with graphite and wet stones. You really get the spice and fruitiness. A bit more lively, energetic and upfront than Lafite can sometimes be. There’s finesse for sure but there’s also confidence here. Mouthwatering with a ton of flavour and layering but at the end such a finessed and refined finish with a wet stone grip. So balanced and harmonious. An amazing feat this year. Eric Kohler, technical director of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), calls 2025 a: ‘Vintage of happiness – a symphony of all the perfect parameters' and likened the vintage to '2020 but perhaps more delicate and less tannic. More immediate than 2020'. A yield of 27hl/ha. 16% press wine.
  Barrel Sample: 97
• 97 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2025 Lafite Rothschild unwinds in the glass with a deep and brooding bouquet of dark berries, violets, rose petals and pencil lead. Medium- to full-bodied, supple and layered, with suave tannins, good concentration and bright acidity, it checks in at 12.5% alcohol and an unusually low (by the standards of recent warm vintages at Lafite) pH of 3.65. Harvest began here on September 2, with the estate's old-vine Merlot beginning on September 3 and the first Cabernet Sauvignon coming in from September 11 (earlier than in 2022), and the harvest wrapped up on September 20.
  Barrel Sample: 95-97