1959 Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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1959 Château Lafite Rothschild  (Pauillac) 100 If any bottle deserved 101 Pts, this is it! What a wine tasting experience. Unforgettable in every sense of the word, perhaps majestic captures the essence of this wine. The nose, with its non-stop bouquet of cedar, tobacco leaf, Cuban cigar box, spice, graphite, leaf, herbs, dried flowers, and currants created an incredible perfume. But the star of the show was the powerful, elegant, refined, intense display of red fruits, spice, earth, and tobacco on your palate. Absolutely seamless, the elegant character was as mindblowing as was the over 60 seconds of resonating fruits that had you wondering how a wine could be this good! This was from a magnum, so standard bottles might not be quite at this level. If any bottle deserved 101 Pts, this is it! What a wine tasting experience. Unforgettable in every sense of the word, perhaps majestic captures the essence of this wine. The nose, with its non-stop bouquet of cedar, tobacco leaf, Cuban cigar box, spice, graphite, leaf, herbs, dried flowers, and currants created an incredible perfume. But the star of the show was the powerful, elegant, refined, intense display of red fruits, spice, earth, and tobacco on your palate. Absolutely seamless, the elegant character was as mindblowing as was the over 60 seconds of resonating fruits that had you wondering how a wine could be this good! This was from a magnum, so standard bottles might not be quite at this level. 4,304 Views   Tasted Sep 14, 2021  • Buy This Wine For The Lowest Price DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTE | Post to As unbelievable as it sounds, from 2 different sources, the first in magnum and then again in bottle, I was able to taste and compare my memories of this wine, as they were served only 2 weeks apart! The bottle, due to better storage was in much better shape. Incredibly silky in texture, there was a beautiful purity to the fresh, sweet cherry fruit that paired perfectly with the cigar box, earth, smoke, tobacco, cedar wood and cigar aromatics. Smooth as silk from start to finish, this was an incredible treat! As unbelievable as it sounds, from 2 different sources, the first in magnum and then again in bottle, I was able to taste and compare my memories of this wine, as they were served only 2 weeks apart! The bottle, due to better storage was in much better shape. Incredibly silky in texture, there was a beautiful purity to the fresh, sweet cherry fruit that paired perfectly with the cigar box, earth, smoke, tobacco, cedar wood and cigar aromatics. Smooth as silk from start to finish, this was an incredible treat! 5,962 Views   Tasted Nov 6, 2016 Not the best fill, but perhaps because it was a magnum, this showed much better than expected. Powerful, yet silky, lush and polished, with Cuban Cigar scents, cedar, lead pencil, truffle, smoke and wet forest floor aromas, it was hard to put the glass down. The texture perfectly displayed concentration, velvet tannins, opulence and grace that come with time and great terroir. Not the best fill, but perhaps because it was a magnum, this showed much better than expected. Powerful, yet silky, lush and polished, with Cuban Cigar scents, cedar, lead pencil, truffle, smoke and wet forest floor aromas, it was hard to put the glass down. The texture perfectly displayed concentration, velvet tannins, opulence and grace that come with time and great terroir. 5,861 Views   Tasted Oct 15, 2015 Perhaps some of the vintages of Lafite Rothschild that have left me unmoved were just not aged enough because this wine was superb. The cedar, tobacco, cigar box, smoke, cassis and fresh herb nose was close to off the charts. The palate was treated to a perfect blend of sweet and tart, black and red fruits, silky, elegant textures, ending with a long cassis note. Perhaps some of the vintages of Lafite Rothschild that have left me unmoved were just not aged enough because this wine was superb. The cedar, tobacco, cigar box, smoke, cassis and fresh herb nose was close to off the charts. The palate was treated to a perfect blend of sweet and tart, black and red fruits, silky, elegant textures, ending with a long cassis note. 7,133 Views   Tasted Nov 24, 2013

When to Drink Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is not a wine to drink on the young side. The wine is usually far too tannic and reserved in its youth. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 3-6 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is usually better with at least 15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Lafite Rothschild offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15 and 60 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Lafite Rothschild with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms, and pasta.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is the most elegantly styled of the three First Growths from Pauillac. But do not confuse the term elegant with light. Chateau Lafite is perhaps the most aromatic of the First Growths as well, with a perfume that fills the air with cedar, cassis, spice, tobacco, truffle, lead pencil, dark, red berries, and earthy notes.

In the best vintages, the wine requires decades to develop to its full potential. Trust me on this, it is worth the wait!

Lafite Rothschild is also involved in several diverse wine investments in countries outside of France. Vina Los Vascos in Chile was their first venture outside of Bordeaux, where they make several red and white wines primarily from Coloagua Chile.

In 1999, they joint ventured with the Catena family in Mendoza, Argentina to produce Bodegas Caro.

Continuing to expand, in 1999, they purchased Domaine d’Aussieres in the Languedoc-Roussillon appellation, located just below the Southern Rhone Valley. Their first move to Asia came in 2011 when they planted vines in the Penglai Peninsula in the Shandong Province in China. The vineyards were planted by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Since 1995, the DBR group has also produced "The Collection," which is a series of generic, low-priced wines from various Bordeaux appellations sold under the name of Legende.

www.lafite.com