The 2020 Lafite-Rothschild is a wine that I completely misread in the glass. It has a very well-defined bouquet—mainly red fruit, mulberry, warm gravel and subtle floral scents. Very comely. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry, again, red fruit at the fore, with notes of white pepper and a touch of bay leaf. There is a lot of structure here, and I’m just missing the “juiciness” that I observed after bottling, suggesting this has gone into its shell. I will seek to re-taste another time. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Neal Martin Vinous
