1961 Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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1961
91
Elegant, medium-bodied, crisp, bright and almost, but not quite light, there is a floral edge to the red fruits along with spice, tobacco and forest notes. The wine is soft, and effortless to drink, but it is on the lighter, refined side of the style range, lacking the power and concentration found in the other 61 First Growths.

Elegant, medium-bodied, crisp, bright and almost, but not quite light, there is a floral edge to the red fruits along with spice, tobacco and forest notes. The wine is soft, and effortless to drink, but it is on the lighter, refined side of the style range, lacking the power and concentration found in the other 61 First Growths.

3,534 Views   Tasted
It is light, but it is also elegant, refined, soft and silky, with a gentle palate feeling and a finish centered around the purity in the red fruit and earthy, stony, tobacco filled finish. This is a very good wine, though for a First Growth, from the legendary 1961 vintage, it comes up a bit short.

It is light, but it is also elegant, refined, soft and silky, with a gentle palate feeling and a finish centered around the purity in the red fruit and earthy, stony, tobacco filled finish. This is a very good wine, though for a First Growth, from the legendary 1961 vintage, it comes up a bit short.

5,199 Views   Tasted
This was the best bottle of this wine I've ever tasted. Light in color, the floral, cherry blossom, tobacco, cedar, spice and earthy nose was perfectly paired with the medium bodied, silky smooth, fresh, red berry finish. This was all about the elegance and not the power possible from the vintage.

This was the best bottle of this wine I've ever tasted. Light in color, the floral, cherry blossom, tobacco, cedar, spice and earthy nose was perfectly paired with the medium bodied, silky smooth, fresh, red berry finish. This was all about the elegance and not the power possible from the vintage.

5,830 Views   Tasted
Fully mature, it’s easy to find the scents of tobacco, cedar chest, red berries and earth in the nose. Medium bodied without much depth or complexity, the wine ends with light, cranberry and cassis with some tartness in the finish. This is an incredibly weak wine when you consider the wine and the vintage.

Fully mature, it’s easy to find the scents of tobacco, cedar chest, red berries and earth in the nose. Medium bodied without much depth or complexity, the wine ends with light, cranberry and cassis with some tartness in the finish. This is an incredibly weak wine when you consider the wine and the vintage.

5,755 Views   Tasted

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