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17 replies

TN: 1955 Ch. Lafite Rothschild

D drdarkrichandboldMember
Enjoyed last night with the one who got me into this hobby...my wine mentor and commonsseur KB. The nose was explosive on this perfuming out of the bottle and glass. It started to mellowed after 20 minutes, but wow...classic Lafite! The palate was not quite as impressive, but holding up well nonetheless. While not over the hill, this is on the back side of the mountain, heading down. Ruby in color with ambering throughout. Notes of sweet cedar, juicy cassis, ripe cranberry, dry dirt, dried mint leaf, sweet tobacco, and saddle leather. Finish started off long, and after about 45mins-1 hour the wine was in decline. 93 pts.
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board-oboard-oMember
quote:
Originally posted by newsguy:
so instead of opening a bottle too early, Board-O, you're saying Drab opened this one too late?


It's possible, but that depends when he got it. I also see nothing wrong with a bottle of wine past its prime when I buy at least 4, maybe a case. I like to follow its progress and try to have as much of it as possible in its prime, but that often results in the last bottle being a bit beyond optimal.
board-oboard-oMember
That's a hard one to answer. Maybe one of the pros will chime in. In my experience, a wine that takes a long time to mature (20-40 years) will hold for a good while, but will decline in less time than it required to mature. With wine that is ready to drink early, I think the cline takes longer. I'm sure there are exceptions.

If we take the example of the wine in this thread, which I've had 4 times, I'd guess it took 40 years to reach its absolute finest. This was a slow-maturing, long-lived vintage. I'm guessing 40 years after it peaked (around 2035) it will be a tea-colored shadow of its former greatness, possibly undrinkable.
mimikmimikMember
  • 1955 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (9/14/2010)
    Not decanted. Upon opening, it had a bit of funk but it blew off quickly. Cedar, wet earth, tobacco, old leather, marmalade, and hints of cherry fruit in he glass. Improved with air. Nice delicate palate with fully resolved tannins, mature and smooth, velvety texture. Still had grip which improved over some time. A bit of the orange pekoe taste on the palate. Medium finish. Lovely. Others like it a bit more. A success given that the fill level was mid to lower shoulder. Glad my contribution to the weekend was not corked. Tasted in a flight with the 1982 and 1986 Lafite side by side. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker
K ksc02Member
Your notes well represent what I got from this wine as well, mim.
However, I liked it a bit more than you, by a point or two (but who's counting. Wines like these tend to trancend point labeling).
I was amazed at how long this ran with a very pedigreed pack (the '82 & '86). It represented its vintage well. Excellent showing of this bottle. Thank you for sharing it with us.
W wine+artMember
quote:
Originally posted by KSC02:
Your notes well represent what I got from this wine as well, mim.
However, I liked it a bit more than you, by a point or two (but who's counting. Wines like these tend to trancend point labeling).
I was amazed at how long this ran with a very pedigreed pack (the '82 & '86). It represented its vintage well. Excellent showing of this bottle. Thank you for sharing it with us.


I liked it more than Mimik as well, but do not forget, he was getting his glasses mixed up all night. Wink

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