And Salin had another plan in motion. There is no doubt that this is one of the best Bordeaux wines ever made. The winery produces both a white wine, Aile dArgent, and a red wine, Rouge dArgent, in addition to Aile dArgent. When we discussed the 08, I said, Why dont we do that? Salin recalls. The best wines, which Lafite is unquestionably in that category also have a freshness and vibrancy to balance the matured bouquet. There is a deep seam of black plum and liquorice with some nuances of minerals and earth, but this is deep, dense and savoury. The legend of Lafite | JancisRobinson.com In 2001 he wrote: So much on show, so much left to show., Clive Coates MW writing a year later, thought the wine fresh, classy and intense, adding: It will get even better as it gets more decadent.. Annual production ranges between 15,000 to 20,000 cases, depending on the vintage. In some cases, it will be different depending on the vintage character. Michael Broadbent rated it highly from the outset, and his subsequent notes remarked on its fragrance and slow evolution. And it would be a public humiliation for one of the wine worlds premier chteaux. 1982 Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux Red - Sokolin LLC Indeed, some criticised the vintage at the time for an almost Napa-like (thus atypical) opulence and predicted a short life for the wines. Lafite is blessed with a fantastic terroir near to the Gironde estuary in the northern part of Pauillac, close to the border with St-Estphe. The palate is wonderfully concentrated and sonorous; it seems to extend in a column of dense black fruit. Lafite in particular has maintained a youthful character, developing harmony as it ages. More shipping infoShipping info, Please allow 20 days for delivery in US. Our story, setting a new standard for fine wine investment. Balancing Leisure and Learning: A Students Guide to Watching TV and Sipping Wine, Unforgettable Weddings In The Napa Valley: Celebrating Love In A Vineyard, Experience History And Award-Winning Wines At Renault Winery In Egg Harbor City NJ, Uncovering The History Of Ovid Winery: From Founding Winemaker Mark Herold To The Herold Family Today, Exploring The Winery And Beyond: A Quick 4-Mile Drive From Andaz Napa To The Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Experience The Best Of Napa Valley At Newton Winery, Exploring The Perfect Pairing: White Wine And Roasted Duck, Enjoying White Wine Responsibly: Understanding Calories And Nutritional Value. The designations remain in force today, putting Lafite at the pinnacle of Bordeaux. As a result, the appeal of this Pauillac wine has always been based on Lafite. CA: Los Angeles. Wine has a proven track record of returns and resilience in an unstable market. Chteau Lafite Rothschild is undoubtedly one of the worlds most prestigious and collectable wines. Wine drinkers should begin drinking wine about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to get the best flavor. The mood inside the Mandarin Oriental, one of Hong Kongs most luxurious hotels, was anxious. The 1982 vintage is one of the best wines I have had the privilege to taste when it is on song, with impressive concentration of cassis fruit character with the classic cedar and cigar box aromatics, supremely well balanced and the finish went on and on a truly impressive wine! However, it should be difficult for you to buy a real bottle of 82 Lafite nowadays, as it is relatively rare and some wine merchants and collectors do not offer it easily, so we can only look at it from afar but not play with it. I was so happy that day! This term has been used in the past with disastrous results. The Lucky Country has had a rough few years, but change is in the air. More importantly, it was one of only four Bordeaux wineries given the top First Growth rating when the regions wine merchants drew up a quality classification in 1855. [4], In the early 18th century, Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de Sgur refined the wine-making techniques of the estate, and introduced his wines to the upper echelons of European society. Subscribe to our magazine to stay in the know. The estate is now known as Rubicon, owned by Francis Ford Coppola, who allegedly keeps an empty bottle of this vintage on top of his fridge. Critics have scored this wine 95 points. In Bordeaux, 2016 was a strange year. Secondly, despite its previous reputation, Lafite was not very consistent into the last century, due to Phylloxerra, which swept across the continent, and the effects of the two world wars, and some of the good years were quite mediocre. - Dusseldorf - Germany. The cellarmaster in 1982 was Robert Revelle, who succeeded his father Georges. The problem was that the Chinese had never bought much at En Primeur, Salin recalled recently. Will His AI Plans Be Any Different? Offered in The Treasury: Finest Wines from a Peerless Collection on 29 September 2022 at Christies in London. - New York - USA, Messe Dusseldorf Today the vineyard is 107 hectares, but back then it was about 90ha still larger than any other first growth. The night had turned into a bidding frenzy, with price after price shattered. First growth, or premier cru class, is the top tier of the Bordeaux classification, a list drawn up under the instruction of Napoleon III in 1855. In 2011, he moved forward with planting grapes in Chinas Shandong Province and soon after built a new winery named Long Dai. Go to shop. I told them, Sprite tastes better without Lafite, and Lafite tastes better without Sprite. Nevertheless, the 1982 sold well among government dignitaries and oligarchs looking for the perfect gift, even if they never really intended to drink it. Irrespective of whether in bottles or magnums or larger, Lafite should be an important part of your fine wine collection. The 1982 vintage is one of the best wines I have had the privilege to taste when it is on song, with impressive concentration of cassis fruit character with the classic cedar and cigar box aromatics, supremely well balanced and the finish went on and on a truly impressive wine! This beverage is very sleek, full of black tea, currant, and crushed fig fruit, as well as subtle smoke, incense, and tar. Producer. In 1868 the Chteau was purchased by Baron James Mayer Rothschild for 4.4 million francs, and the estate became Chteau Lafite Rothschild. DBR Lafite was not the first major French company to invest in Chinese terroir, but its presence was an important vote of confidence in Chinas future as a wine producing country. Chateau Lafite tastes like a fine wine should taste. It is undoubtedly one of the very best wines to come out of Bordeaux. Sometimes small imperfections add complexity in a wine. Wine-Searcher's historical data and benchmark analysis provides trustworthy and valuable insights into likely market trends. To recap what we all know to have been a great season, 1982 saw a dry and mild spring, allowing an excellent flowering followed by a dry and hot summer with regular small showers and fresher nights in August. Flat Rate $9.99 Ground Shipping in CA Ship to the whole of the USA. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Why is lafite so expensive? - Your Quick QnA So, now you know why the '82 Lafite is so expensive, right? The past few years have seen big price hikes for fine wine, but market patience might be wearing thin. And Salin had another plan in motion. A variety of chteaux can be used for power, but Lafite is the ideal wine for elegance and grace. Grand Tasting of 1982 - Fine Wines SG 2010 saw a return to form. Unfinished and not yet bottled. Should go on for decades." World's Most Expensive Wines - Forbes First, the wine is produced in very limited quantities. . [2] In 1797 the vineyards were sold to a group of Dutch merchants.[5]. There are a few factors that contribute to the high cost of Lafite wine. The wines were ranked in importance from first to fifth growths (crus), with four first growths listed initially (Mouton Rothschild was added in 1973). Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982 Cheval Blanc 1982 Petrus 1982. Photo courtesy of DBR Lafite. The 20th century has seen periods of success and difficulty, coping with post-phylloxera vines, and two world wars. Chateau Margaux creeps into the top 10 again with its limited edition 12-litre 2009 vintage. More importantly, Chinese consumption caused Bordeaux prices to rise so high, that it priced many of its traditional British and American fans out of the market. Firstly, there is the 1982 vintage. Long-term drinking is supported by both the short and long-term use of mixed formats. The vintage 1869 bottles -- sold in a single lot -- went for multiples more than expected . There are two seriously beautiful vintages on our hands, and theyre both fantastic. Chteau Lafite Rothschild in Pauillac, France, Get the best stories from Christies.com in a weekly email, *We will never sell or rent your information. Christian Seely, Bordeauxs director of estates, oversees a portfolio that includes the estates of Pichon-Longueville-Baron, Pibran, Petit-Village, and Suduiraut. Nov 22, 2010. PO Box 607Pismo Beach, CA 93448Phone: 805.541.5868Fax: 805.434.9380. [17] In 2019, the estate debuted its first vintage from its Domaine de Long Dai winery in Shandong. Given that wine is a beverage, of course, one bottle is rarely consumed and eventually becomes a scarce item, perhaps hidden away in the hands of a collector and labelled as a non-sale item. This week's news roundup covers all the major themes romance, money and crime. The wine is typically aged for at least 18 months, and sometimes up to 24 months, before it is released. Chteau Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in the Pauillac region of the Mdoc, producing one of the most sought-after and expensive red wines in the world. The bottle of 1869 with an estimated price of $8,000? During the ageing period, the wine would have been regularly racked and then fined before bottling. At the time the sale set a record for the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction, clocking up a whopping $29,000 per glass! The bottles had been shipped directly from Lafites own cellars; among them, a bottle of 1869 Lafite, its price estimated at $8,000. Vintages at Chteau Mouton Rothschild are known for their distinct labels. The estate then became the joint property of his three sons: Alphonse, Gustave and Edmond Rothschild. Because of the magic of Bordeaux, it takes a while to develop the complex secondary and tertiary characteristics of cedar, leather, and tobacco.