Château Lafite Rothschild sits at the northern edge of Pauillac, and has been in Rothschild hands since Baron James de Rothschild bought it at auction in 1868. It was ranked first among the first growths in the 1855 classification — a precedence it has never entirely surrendered.

The style is the most restrained of the five: Cabernet Sauvignon on deep gravel, aged in the estate’s own cooperage, and built on perfume, tension and length rather than power. Lafite asks for patience more insistently than any of its peers.

2009 was the warm, near-perfect season that produced Bordeaux’s most opulent modern vintage — and the interest of Lafite 2009 is that it stayed itself. Where others gained weight, this gained depth without ever thickening.

Cassis and cedar over violet, incense and fine graphite; deep on the palate yet oddly weightless, the tannins silken, the persistence exceptional. Still closing in on its window — the patient will be rewarded from the late 2020s.

Supplied in original wooden case, six bottles.