Will Gardener 92-94+/100

Good deep colour, with a violet rim, bacon fat and cream instantly hit on the nose, perfume, white chocolate, this is open for Lafite. On the palate there is plenty of body but not at all extracted, supple is the word here, grainy tannins on the finish, with subtle layers. The nose seems to promise a bit more at present. A sexy Lafite will open early, nice spicy grip. [Will Gardener, 18/04/2013]

Neal Martin 93

Tasted blind, the 2012 Lafite-Rothschild is a vintage I have not tasted for several years. It has a well-defined nose with slightly leafy black fruit, pencil shavings and cedar. It does not quite deliver the precision of the 2012 Latour tasted alongside, but it is distinctly “Lafite”. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, well balanced with tobacco-tinged black fruit. Elegant and composed, it is not a vintage that goes out to win applause, rather, quietly goes about its business. Give it a couple more years in bottle. Tasted blind in Bordeaux. [Neal Martin, 26/01/2023]

Anticipated maturity: 2023-2045

Antonio Galloni 93

The 2012 Lafite-Rothschild opens with striking inner perfume. Long and beautifully persistent on the palate, the 2012 is ample and generous, but never heavy. Shades of dark red cherry and plum infusion shape the finish. The 2012 is not an epic Lafite, but it is expressive and delicious today. [Antonio Galloni, 01/01/2016]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2037

Vinous 90-93

(91% cabernet sauvignon, 8.5% merlot, 0.5% petit verdot; 38% of the total crop went into the grand vin;
40 hectoliters per hectare produced): Dark ruby-red. Aromatic nose
combines blackberry, black cherry, minerals, violet, spices and cedar.
Fresh and juicy in the mouth, offering clean flavors of dark berries,
graphite and cedar but not the flesh of the great vintages. This very
fragrant Lafite displays noteworthy energy but turns tougher on the back
end, finishing firm and tight, with rather muscular tannins and a
vegetal nuance. [Ian D’Agata, 05/01/2013]

Wine Advocate 91

The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, representing only 38% of their total production, is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance mostly Merlot. It is a very stylish, elegant, yet concentrated Lafite Rothschild with an opaque ruby/purple color, soft well-integrated tannins, nice integrated oak, acidity and alcohol. Lafites’s 2012 reveals good, opaque, ruby/purple color and plenty of lead pencil and blackcurrant fruit. The wine is medium-bodied and should hit its prime 2020-2035. [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 24/03/2015]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035

JancisRobinson.com 17.5

Healthy, glowing crimson. Neat and contained without any flashiness. Classic top claret. But not the sort of wine that would knock the socks off a neophyte. [03/03/2022]

Anticipated maturity: 2022-2040