Two years in the making, this vertical of Lafite was supposed to be a pinnacle of First Growth Bordeaux. We were able to include many of the top mature vintages of the last 60 years, despite one of the guests forgetting to bring one of them (the 1989). While not all of the wines had been purchased on release, all were carefully sourced and appeared to be in excellent condition, with clean labels and capsules and firm corks. We decanted them a few hours in advance and brought them to the restaurant properly chilled. Still, despite all the precautions, the stars were not aligned.
- 1990 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill - France, Champagne
A great opener for the Lafite vertical, the ‘90 SWC is fabulous. Massive weight, very, very rich and toasty, it seems more like a Bollinger than Pol Roger but perhaps a bit more balanced. Superb Champagne in the hyper-rich style and perfectly mature. (95 pts.)
- 1996 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
This vintage of Lafite is a real beauty and one of the stars of a vertical back to 1959. Lovely deep dark ruby red, just a faint bit of amber at the meniscus. Extremely rich, luscious and ripe with the fruit in the black cherry and blueberry register. The tannins are ripe and smooth. So delicious already. It would be spectacular except for lack of bouquet and slight dryness in the finish. (94 pts.)
- 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
A rather subdued showing for the ‘90 Lafite, this bottle seemed much older than it age despite perfect storage since release. Quite a bit of maroon color even at the center. Subdued nose, fullish body. Started out well but as it evolved it displayed overripe notes of browning fruit and what freshness it had faded. Nothing first growth here. For a “young” Lafite this bottle was puzzling and must be just an off bottle. (90 pts.)
- 1986 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
For me, although not for everyone, this bottle was the wine of the night. Very deep color, gorgeous fragrance, endless waves of fruit. Fabulous balance. Blackberry galore with undertones of mulberry and violet, very sweet fruit. Still some unresolved tannins, but they are ripe. To my palate, it is at the early stage of maturity. The only negative was that it faded a bit in the glass after a couple of hours. A great Lafite even if it resembles Château Margaux more than first growth Pauillac. (96 pts.)
- 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
From magnum, the ‘82 Lafite, which should have been the star of the show, was instead the most disappointing bottle of the series. Our guest had carried it down from Connecticut where it had slumbered in perfect storage since release, waiting for that one special occasion. It’s not bad of course but there was a distinct lack of mid palate density. Some cooked dark brown sugar notes, the fruit almost reached the stewed register, a mixture of sweet and sour. Slightly austere, tannins resolved but a bit coarse. Unfortunately another off bottle. (91 pts.)
- 1975 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
After reading all the mixed reviews for the ‘75 Lafite, I was eager to taste it for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s tannic as expected for a ‘75 but very good in an old fashioned way with lots of cedar, smoke and spice. Surprisingly elegant, too. Very nice indeed. (91 pts.)
- 1966 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Some around the table thought this bottle was corked and after a few sips, I reluctantly agreed. This was a recent purchase with a good appearance, top shoulder level, crumbly wet cork and heavy sediment on the decant. Tawny color, like tea, faint nose which is not entirely clean. Frail on the palate, tangy finish. Some thought it was musty or moldy and although I did not pick up on that, I could see it was not a good bottle. (81 pts.)
- 1961 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Better color than the ‘66 since the ‘61 was pale mahogany and there’s lots of enjoyment here. From recent purchase from WineBid with a high shoulder level and a very fine sediment. Pinched and a bit mean yet there was some old wine sweetness, cinnamon and elegance to this light bodied Lafite. Decent energy, elusive, intriguing and complex. Not one of the top ‘61s, but it’s very nice, especially if you can see the label when you drink it. (92 pts.)
- 1959 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
This bottle, from the famous Nicolas Collection, was purchased about 25 years ago from a merchant who just got it then on re-release, which explains the impossible into neck level. In the glass it looks about 25 years old with its shimmering bright ruby red color. Subdued on the nose though. At first thrilling on the palate, superb texture, round, deep, sweet and lingering and immeasurably complex. Wow, this is fantastic. But after about 15 minutes, it waned and the acidity became too prominent. If you happen have a case or two lying around, I recommend drinking it up soon. (93 pts.)
- 1971 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
A behemoth of a Sauternes, this bottle of ‘71 Yquem was so heavy it seemed as the bottle was too slight to contain it. Groaning with botrytis, crème brûlée and tangerine peel, it’s great if you want power rather than finesse. For me, too top heavy, though. Other bottles have been better balanced. Still, mighty impressive. (93 pts.)
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