1998 Chateau Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac (750ml)

1998 was a challenging, less-than-perfect vintage across the Médoc, which makes Lafite's performance here all the more remarkable. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, representing just 34% of the estate's total harvest that year. Robert Parker called the opaque, purple-colored wine close to perfection, with a spectacular nose of lead pencil, smoke, mineral, and black currant fruit soaring from the glass. Elegant yet profoundly rich, the tannin sweet and the wine spectacularly layered without ever feeling heavy, finishing sweet, super-rich, and impeccably balanced for over 50 seconds. Vinous has since suggested this vintage may even challenge the supremacy of the legendary 1996. A genuine triumph of winemaking in a difficult year, now fully mature and drinking beautifully at over 25 years of age.