The vintage got off to a fine start with a mild and dry winter. The good weather continued through to the beginning of spring, leading to an early start to the growing cycle.
In April and May, the unusually cold and above all dry weather slowed down growth, and the head start was quickly lost. The first flowers appeared in our Pauillac vineyards on 28 May. This key stage of the cycle saw rather capricious weather, with rainy episodes in the second part of flowering leading to some poor fruit set
and uneven ripening.
June saw a change of direction after a rainy and cool start, with the onset of a heatwave in early summer such as we had not seen since 2003. Fortunately, it was only short-lived and the vines quickly caught up, seeming better armed than in previous years to withstand this heat. Rain came miraculously on 26 July: 45 millimetres fell in Pauillac, perfect for triggering véraison. August temperatures then remained very moderate, without any peaks but with a few scattered showers, making us briefly fear the arrival of botrytis. But the drier weather at the end of the month, which continued until mid-September, allowed us to start the harvest under calm conditions.

On the eve of the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the acquisition of Château Lafite by the Rothschild family, our teams faced major challenges due to the capricious weather conditions. From December to July, unremitting rain increased the risk of mildew and hail. The summer only really started in mid-July with very high, sometimes extreme heat, which helped to restore the vines’ health and set us on the path to a great vintage.
New measures were taken to improve the selection of the batches in the Carruades vineyard for the 2018 vintage. Every possible effort was made to achieve greater precision and potential in the final blend.

After a fairly mild winter, there were two nights of severe frost in the spring, on 26 and 27 April, which inflicted major damage on Bordeaux’s vineyards. Miraculously, Lafite came out unscathed.
Conditions then became excellent, with higher than usual temperatures, and balanced, well-spaced rainfall. Flowering was early, and by mid-June the fruit had set almost two weeks earlier than usual.
After some heavy rain at the end of June, temperatures remained lower than normal throughout the summer, without ever becoming cold.
This enabled the vines’ slightly premature development to be rebalanced, and ripening took place slowly in ideal conditions until mid-September, when the harvests began.
A rainy spell, from 10 to 20 September disrupted the otherwise perfect weather, causing more concern than actual damage.
Over the course of a conventional 20-day fermentation and maceration period, the wines quickly confirmed their potential and fairly traditional character.

2016 was characterized in Bordeaux by a very uniform climate, resulting in a good quality vintage for the entire region. Bud break occurred around the normal time, although the spring was rather rainy and cold. June was particularly overcast and cool, but flowering nevertheless took place in good conditions. The summer was hot and very dry, almost too dry at the beginning of September, with ripening becoming hindered in some cases due to water stress. Lafite’s superb terroir was perfectly able to cope with these conditions, and to wait for the welcome rain on 13 September. This created optimal conditions for the final ripening of the grapes, ready to reach exceptional levels of maturity.

A recurring phenomenon in recent years, the beginning of the winter was mild and dry, and it was only at the end of January that beneficial colder temperatures arrived, accompanied by rain. Bud break began in early April as usual, and the vines then grew quickly, as they had ample reserves of water and the weather was mild. In June, flowering was early and uniform, which is always a promising sign.
The influence of the Atlantic ocean and the Gironde estuary helped to reduce the effect of a somewhat hot summer with high temperatures. Water stress was high, but rain in August brought the freshness required for the grapes to change colour and then to ripen perfectly. Conditions were ideal during the harvests, enabling us to obtain optimal ripeness for each plot.

Significant rainfall from November to February restored groundwater reserves, which had already been substantially replenished by average or higher than average rain in 2012 and 2013.
Temperatures remained above normal and the vines missed the hearty winter frosts; what we really wanted were about two weeks of crisp mornings with beautiful sunshine, dry cold and no wind. But you cannot control nature! Bud break was early, followed by uniform flowering during the first week of June, spurred on by a rise in temperatures.
As always, the impact of the weather on the vineyard was our primary concern, and our teams worked throughout the year to ensure that the grapes reach maturity in perfect health. The onset of ripening occurred over two periods, first in late July and then again after 15 August, creating differences in the ripeness of the bunches on the same vine.
Some “juggling” was therefore necessary when it came to the harvests, in order to make the best choices; the pickers and sorters were under strict orders to only keep the very best quality red grapes, suited to the production our Pauillac grand vins.

The very wet, cold winter resulted in work in the vineyard being considerably delayed; bud break was late, and flowering was three weeks later than the average for the last 50 years; the changeable weather resulted in some flower abortion and uneven grape size, and therefore in lower potential yields than usual. Then at the end of June, the weather suddenly changed, and it was if we were in the middle of the summer with no transitional period; there were however several localized storms (on 27 July and 2 August, depending on location).

The situation became somewhat challenging from 15 September: there was rain, sun and a long wait for the grapes to fully ripen, even though they had partially caught up from the late start; things then became more delicate at the end of September, when it became clear there was a risk of “explosive” growth of botrytis! It was like a race with no time to warm up, and we had to find all the pickers we could to go as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the sorting teams were very efficient despite the difficult harvest. The usual picking sequence for the red wine grapes had to be adjusted in order to minimize the impact of the botrytis and to take into account the potential to make the first or second wine.

2012 was characterized by difficult weather conditions in the Bordeaux region.
After a relatively mild winter, the spring was mostly wet and rainy, especially April, with a hail storm on the 24th. Such conditions hampered fertilization, leading to fears of reduced yields. Work in the vineyard was as vital as ever.
June and July alternated heat and humidity. The weather became more stable from the beginning of August, enabling the healthy grapes to finish ripening in good conditions.
Nevertheless, there was considerable variation in their degrees of ripeness and a great deal of sorting work was carried out by our teams from the end September.

The weather conditions for the 2011 vintage were unusual and required all of our technical teams’ vigilance and expertise.
This was a very early vintage, with an exceptionally hot spring, low rainfall at the beginning of the year, but then more in the summer, and a persistent threat of powdery mildew (a vine disease that is usually quite rare in the Bordeaux region). Finally, just as we were getting ready to harvest, a huge hail storm in the north of Pauillac and Saint Estèphe on 1 September obliged us to reorganize the picking schedule. The plots that had been affected had to be picked first; fortunately, as a result of the conditions, the grapes had ripened early, and quality was not compromised.

The vineyard cycle began with a cold, relatively wet winter, resulting in a slightly later bud break than in 2009, in mid-April. Growth was then boosted by dry, sunny weather in April. May and June were characterized by alternating periods of rain and sunshine. June began with a cold spell that complicated the flowering of the Merlot, resulting in flower abortion and uneven grape size.
Fortunately, July was very dry (less than 20 mm of rain) with relatively high temperatures, which helped the vines to catch up from the delayed flowering. August and September were very dry, with beautiful daytime temperatures and cool nights creating ideal conditions for the grapes to slowly reach optimal ripeness.

The beginning of the growth cycle was a tricky period due to a rather warm, very wet spring. The team had to be particularly vigilant in order to protect the vines.
Fine, stable weather returned in June and continued throughout the summer. In fact conditions became drought like, interspersed in July, August and September with welcome periods of light rain. Plenty of sunshine, with temperatures that were high without becoming scorching, and fairly cool nights enabled slow ripening that pushed the start of the harvests back to the end of September. Exceptionally favourable weather conditions, crowned by harvests in the sun, made for a vintage that was certain to be outstanding.

The growing season was closely monitored, coming after a severe winter and some spring frost. Flowering was not very productive, constant humidity favoured disease and the summer was moderately warm. Fortunately, September was fine and so it was possible to wait for the grapes to fully ripen, with late harvests.

Plentiful rain during the winter replenished the groundwater levels; the end of the cold damp winter was marked by very early bud break. The temperatures in March and April were quite high, which was good for growth. From then until August the weather was grey and mild, without extremes. Luckily from the beginning of September the weather was fine and stable which enabled the grapes to ripen in peace. Complete ripening for the sugars, tannins and skins was only achieved 125 days after flowering – a longer than usual growth season in a year with 13 lunar cycles.

After a cold, wet winter, there was a fine spring and summer that led to the grapes changing colour early and reaching an excellent degree of ripeness. However, the rain in mid-September disturbed the harvests.

2005 was the fourth consecutive year to have a deficit in rainfall, but the drought began very early, at the end of May, which allowed the vines to adapt by reducing their leaf area. The very hot weather in June and July gave way to progressively cooler weather in August and the cool nights allowed good acidity levels to be maintained, resulting in slow steady ripening.

After a rainy winter and a cold spring, June and July were dry and warm. August was mild and in September the weather was good without being very warm, which led to slow ripening and the harvest dates being pushed back to the end of September. Patience was needed to wait for the grapes to become perfectly ripe.

This vintage was affected by the excessive heat during the first fortnight of August. Temperatures were truly exceptional (above 40°C) and there was little rain  throughout the growth cycle.

The early bud break due to a hot, dry winter was followed by a rather cold and rainy period during flowering which led to coulure (flower abortion) and millerandage (poor fertilization with mixed size berries). From the beginning of June, the yield was expected to be low. The rather cool July and August brought the same unexceptional weather as the preceding months. However, September was superb, sunny and dry with a north-east wind which accelerated the ripening process. A radiant sun shone throughout the harvests, which allowed the grapes to fully ripen without any problems.
The Merlot was picked between 26 September and 1 October, followed by some superb Cabernet Franc, then the Cabernet Sauvignon through to 8 October and finally the Petit Verdot.

2001 had a longer than usual growing season, with flowering taking place during the normal period, but with late, uneven ripening. Great patience was required during the harvests! The first Merlot was harvested on 28 September, and then after a short pause, the harvests continued on 1 October and finished on the 11th.

The weather was excellent in many respects: early blossoming, a combination of above average temperatures and normal rainfall, followed by a harvest in the sun. The result is an exceptional vintage, with deep, dark colour. 

Another early year which required heightened technical surveillance throughout the growth cycle. The harvests were conducted quickly at the end of September, partly in the rain. But good weather in August and early September had already ensured success for this vintage. 

A rainy harvest made us fear the worst after optimal conditions for an early start to the growth cycle, flowering and good temperatures during the summer. But ultimately the grapes were not affected by the rain, which fortunately came very late in the season. 

The early, sunny harvests allowed us to monitor the health of the grapes, which had been affected by a somewhat rainy summer, after a very good spring.