September 2, 2018 - Leather, peat smoke, prunes; alive for about 15 mins
June 8, 2018 - MY FIRST REVIEW. Deep red with a serious amber edge. Cork a bit mushy, came out in pieces. No real bouquet... very rich licorice, full bodied yet smooth...slight oak mellow..slow fruit...great finish... took an hour to open fully. Sediment heavy. Enjoyable
July 4, 2014 - Strong aromas matching the dark red color. Opened throughout our dinner, benefitting from over 90 minutes decanting.
May 31, 2014 - Drank it 2014. I had this after very powerful fruity supertuscan wine, which is "modern style" easy to drink for anyone, but lacks the complexity and finesse of classic old world wine. Then we opened this lafite rothschild 1977, and the nose was mind blowing. This is how I think wine should be. Very dark and textured. Tickling the top of your head. Then a sip. The same coarse texture and black berries broken down so it is not just fruit punch. And the finish linger. Afterward we had a famous amarone that tasted like sodapops in comparison. Great wine. But the price is hilarious of course. You can find great wine at $50-100.
February 21, 2014 - Almost a reddish clay color, smooth finish throughout.
September 9, 2010 - Marvelous when tasted 15 years ago, screaming Lafite. Now a relic, though the pedigree shows. Low neck fill, disintegrating cork, some of which stuck to neck suggesting overheating during summer vacation power outage (or maybe years earlier). For ten minutes, the wonderful roundness of old Lafite, introduced by some complex and ethereal, if subtle, aromatics led by tobacco, then a slow disintegration. Very acid, no finish. Needed opening 5 years ago, but one can't do everything. No score, although the earlier bottle got 93 and I'm guessing that a long undisturbed specimen might still be nearly that good.
April 18, 2009 - What a special wine for a very special occasion! 1977 was not only my birth year, but also the birth year of my sister-in-law Chris. John, Chris’ father and my father in-law saved a bottle of 1977 Chateau Lafite for his daughter's wedding day, almost 32 years later on April 18, 2009. I did not score this wine, because honestly I really don't think it matters (but it would for sure be well north of 90 points). Many people never get the chance to drink an older wine of this pedigree, and to have had two in less than one year I feel truly blessed.
The bride and groom were gracious enough to allow us a few sips. It was complete from start to finish, especially the deeply fragrant nose! This wine is truly bullet-proof – 32 years later and this wine was still coming on strong in the nose and amazing on the palate.
Color: Brick red edges with a surprisingly more youthful than expected vibrant red center, slightly dark maroon core. Clean, even through a little bit of cork debris.
Nose: Absolutely the best nose on an older wine that I have ever had. Very complex and layered. Very fragrant, it reminded me of how pretty a Burgundy is, but unmistakably Bordeaux. Sandalwood, some crushed dry rose petals, some of that classic smoky oak, cassis & coffee bean.
Palate: Classic older style flavors of cassis, dried cherry, some oak, and old leather all haunted by the ever present taste of fall leaves that haunt many old wines aged well. See you have to understand older wines, they have a few very distinct flavors and aromas, one being the smell of fall, the leaves, the cooler air, etc...this is a beautiful thing and very prone to older wines made from Bordeaux varieties.
March 1, 2006 - Didn't mark a score… Bright red color. Nice red fruit, still plenty of life left. 3/06
June 14, 1991 - Dark carmine with a brown edge. Very Pauillac in the bouquet with cassis, good oak and some lead pencil. Soft tannin and complex. Very good. Long fruity aftertaste.
March 29, 1989 - Fairly dark carmine with a slightly brown edge. Deep and complex bouquet which is still a little backward. But there is black (cassis) fruit, liquorice and beautiful oak. A good dose of tannin; sticky but soft as well. Same for the acidity and fruit. Rich wine, quite complex. Fairly full bodied so, tasting it blind, I thought this was a normal “good” vintage like 1978, 79 or 81. Delicious and harmonious long aftertaste. I also wrote down: “This is a very good wine which is starting to show its merits, but will probably offer even more in a year or two. Lacks the body and refinement of the really great wines, but is coming close.” These last lines explain for me that the vintage fooled me, or in other words Lafite made a good effort in this bad vintage.