Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: Perhaps not quite as vinous as the Latour. That said, it has solid colour, a precise, cedary nose, a firmly balanced body and those ultra-thoroughbred Cabernet-Sauvignon tannins that are the preserve of this unique terroir. (The second-label Carruades was very ordinary by comparison and frankly quietly disappointing, not a patch on the Forts de Latour or Pavillon Rouge. To be revisited.) 18

Margaret Rand: Closed and tight at the moment, but withatremendous finish. Lafite seldom shows very flatteringly at this stage, but the finish this year is fantastic: very dense, roasted and pruney. 19

Michael Schuster: Dense, mineral and ripe-blackcurrant nose. Very nicely balanced, elegant, medium-weight Lafite with a fresh acidity and fine-grained tannin. Sweet-fruited, fragrant flavour – warm, ripe, relatively supple and a long, easy, succulent mid-palate with a lovely harmony. Not strong, but beautifully defined, delicate and complex. Perhaps not quite as sonorous an expression of the vintage as Latour or Margaux, but typically graceful Lafite – not so much a ‘grand’ wine, more a delicate, fresh, silky-textured, quietly perfumed beauty. In other words, very Lafite! 18