For years, no, decades this is been good, but a bit firm and dry. At 35 years of age, the wine is really starting to blossom. On the nose, the cedar, spice tobacco, cigar box, ash, crushed rock and currant character hit it out of the park. But the biggest change is that the wine has moved from firm to elegantly reserved. Residing on the corner of supple and stoic, supple looks like it's going to take the lead, as the tannins are starting to soften, and the naturally elegant profile of Lafite is taking the lead. Give it 5-10 more years and this could really steal the show! 1-2 hours in the decanter, depending on the provenance is all it needs. Tasted Dec 2021

The 1986 Lafite-Rothschild is a great wine although over several recent encounters it is never a convincing "perfect" wine. This mirrors the bottle I tasted at the property in 2016: blackberry and graphite on the nose, gawky at first, but coalescing with time. The palate is well balanced with firm tannins, strong graphite scents unfolding with time, superb energy if not delivering quite the finesse and precision that the very best Lafite-Rothschild will bestow. This is a wine that benefits from long decanting, say five or six hours, though it never quite reaches the ethereal heights that it could have done. Tasted at the International Business & Wine First Growth Dinner at the Four Seasons.

Quality 838 | Brand 999 | Economics 932 | buzz brand
Quality: Predicted life of 16 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group, which averages 9 years Brand: #2 Most sought after wine globally, with 87,284 searches on Wine-Searcher per month Economics: #3 most active wine at auction, its top 5 vintages having seen 4,733 75cl equivalent bottles traded in the past year Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 151,058 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

This was by far the most youthful and concentrated of the trio (1983, 1985 and 1986) of Lafite vintages served blind with masses of tannins still in evidence. Sweet and arguably just slightly lacking freshness and energy compared with the 1985 – also thicker. But there is still the Lafite polish. This could be drunk now but should last an age. More solid and stolid than most Lafites. May 2018

We are in perfectly-aged claret territory here, the most beautiful impression of a wine at its plateau. It's perfectly ready to drink and is still generous, with a long life ahead of it. Its spicy notes, touches of pencil lead and still-concentrated cassis combine with menthol, buttery leather and that classic Médoc saline, mineral-edged flourish - this is the height of well-aged Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tasted by Jane Anson (at Château Lafite Rothschild, 24 May 2018)
Part of Bordeaux: The five first growths

I hadn't had the next wine in a long, long time, and it is still one of the all-time great Lafite-Rothschilds of the last 50 or so years - the 1986. Obviously from my cellar, where it has been since I bought it when it was released, this is a wine that proprietor Baron Eric de Rothschild has always said is one of his favorite Lafite-Rothschilds of the last 100 years. This is a 100-point wine. Still incredibly youthful, but beginning to show some cedar wood, graphite and blackcurrant fruit, the wine is medium-bodied, as many Lafites are, but stunningly concentrated and relatively light on its feet. There is still tannin to resolve, and the wine seems a good decade away from hitting full maturity, which is rather remarkable since it is already 30 years of age! 100 points RP - Hedonist's Gazette - May 2016
The 1986 possesses outstanding richness, a deep color, medium body, a graceful, harmonious texture, and superb length. The penetrating fragrance of cedar, chestnuts, minerals, and rich fruit is a hallmark of this wine. Powerful, dense, rich, and tannic, as well as medium to full-bodied, with awesome extraction of fruit, this Lafite has immense potential. Patience is required. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2030. Last tasted 11/94.

Robert Parker (Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition Jan 1998)

Hedonist's Gazette - May 2016
I hadn't had the next wine in a long, long time, and it is still one of the all-time great Lafite-Rothschilds of the last 50 or so years - the 1986. Obviously from my cellar, where it has been since I bought it when it was released, this is a wine that proprietor Baron Eric de Rothschild has always said is one of his favorite Lafite-Rothschilds of the last 100 years. This is a 100-point wine. Still incredibly youthful, but beginning to show some cedar wood, graphite and blackcurrant fruit, the wine is medium-bodied, as many Lafites are, but stunningly concentrated and relatively light on its feet. There is still tannin to resolve, and the wine seems a good decade away from hitting full maturity, which is rather remarkable since it is already 30 years of age!