A little elegance everyday
The Lafite Rothschild family has been producing wine in Bordeaux since 1868. For six generations, they got to know this beautiful landscape and understand the unique traits of the vines from each appellation. Three decades ago, the family was inspired to create a new wine series, where each wine would be the epitome of the appellation it came from. Their motivation was simple – to ensure wine lovers everywhere could dive into Bordeaux and taste the originality of each appellation. And so, Réserve Spéciale range was born.
The vintage
2016 has been a remarkable vintage in the Bordeaux region, reminiscent of the legendary 1990 in terms of both quantity and quality! It was a fairly challenging year for winegrowers, with a very wet start to the growth cycle (800 mm of rain over the first six months of the year), a very dry period from 1 July to 13 September, and finally localized thunderstorms and a beautiful Indian summer that enabled the grapes to reach optimal ripeness. Excluding the areas affected by frost, hail, or outbreaks of mildew, and in contrast to the rest of France’s vineyards, overall yields this year in Bordeaux were the highest since 2011 (up 10%). The red wines are rich, smooth and fruity, with tannins of a rarely obtained maturity and very deep colours.
Varietals
Merlot : 80%
Cabernet sauvignon : 20%
Cabernet sauvignon : 20%
Tasting
The robe is brilliant with deep crimson hues. The nose is very expressive with generous fresh fruit aromas (red currant, raspberry) enhanced by delicate notes of oak. On the palate this wine is round and finely structured, with a touch of oak and firm yet silky tannins. Nice persistence with a fresh and fruity finish. This wine is best enjoyed in its youth, within 2-3 years after bottling.