Community Tasting Note

fclarity wrote:

Saturday, June 13, 2015 - This bottle was sourced from a member of the wine trade with deep contacts in Bordeaux. It was a very heavy bottle and about 70% of the label had disintegrated. The capsule was corroded, oxidized, and brittle. The cork was (amazingly) only a little crumbly and showed Lafite's branding.

This wine was from the best vintage of the 30's and had dropped a lot of sediment. It had a red center and light puce rims. The nose was quite muted at first and this was an excellent sign. Usually, these old wines are rather funky when first opened. After a couple hours, it developed a medium intensity nose of cherries, roses, tea, almond paste, and some Cuban cigar. This bottle's nose was shockingly fresh! On the nose alone I might have guessed the '59.

In the mouth, this wine was round with a light, velvety presence that just flowed over your palate like silk. There were some light rounded tannins but the wine was so integrated, balanced, and long it was mind boggling.

I was hoping this wine would be good, given the sketchy condition of the label and capsule. My hopes were more that realized as this bottle was terrific! This is another example of how fill and color are the most important indicators of quality.

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