Vertical: 2009 & 2010 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac

From 2009—which Robert Parker called “unquestionably the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted”—and 2010, the 99-point season that Spectator thinks it’s the best ever in the Left Bank, this pair of timeless Lafites bears a total of FOUR perfect scores between them.

They were stored in ideal conditions in Bordeaux since bottling, and now, with over a decade of age on them, these bottles are simply as good as First Growths get. Parker called the ‘09 “unquestionably profound” and “among the most powerful Lafites ever made.” As for the 2010, he praised it as “exceptionally rich” while putting a jaw-dropping 50-year drinking window on it. 

Lafite is known for combining Pauillac’s innate power with an aristocratic elegance, and for thrilling on both a visceral and intellectual level. It’s been one of the iconic wines of France since Louis XV and Thomas Jefferson both sang its praises in the 1700s, and it remains one of the most collectible wines in the world. 

2009 was characterized by a warm summer and fall, which allowed for perfect ripening and yielded small, concentrated berries. Lafite used just 45% of their available grapes for their grand vin, declassifying most of the crop. In other words, only the most flawless grapes made it into their 2009 Lafite, and the resulting wine captures the magic of Pauillac in legendary style.

The 2010 season featured a dry summer and fall, and Wine Spectator thinks it’s the best ever for the Left Bank, awarding it a 99-point score. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has it tied with 1990 and 1982—two of Bordeaux’s all-time-great years. These wines will be revered—and can be enjoyed—by generations to come.