Drank this in a blind drinking party, it was the third to last one after 99 Latour, 98 Haut Brion, 99 Mouton and before 99 Margaux and 98 La Mission HB. Very distinguishable taste, light and smooth.
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decanted 4 hours beforehand.Smooth and silky and at it's apogee.A well made and balanced wine which will continue to drink well for another 5-10 years.
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Opened and decanted an hour+ before serving. Plum and black cherry with cigarbox notes. Good+ weight, very good balance when poured (less harmonious when first tasted pre-decant).
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Silky smooth palate with gigantic amounts of high quality, classy, leathery dark fruits! The tannins are almost all gone but still showing some kind of youthfulness, maybe approaching the peak of early maturity! Definitely, no hurry to drink it up!
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Very dark coloring when poured. Fading dark fruits, supplemented with tobacco, leather, chocolate and graphite. Monolithic when first poured, it opened revealing a smooth mature Bordeaux, although it seemed as if brooding tannins still lurked in the background.
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Mature, drinking a point today, even if served a little bit too warm.. Tobacco, black berries, cigarbox, sweet, inegrated tannin, textbook style. #BillionairesLunch#Hjorts
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Dark ruby color floral nose Mildly disappointed but still complex with cedar graphite and cassis For a 95 rated wine I thought it would be richer and denser
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A very nice wine, but not a great Lafite. This bottle has held up very well over 23 years. It was a pretty big Bordeaux with an attractive nose and lots of fruit. But it lacked complexity and frankly, if I had not known what it was, I would not have recognized it as Lafite. I have now had three elite Bordeaux from the 1999 vintage -- this, Latour and Palmer. The Palmer was not as big as the others but was the clear winner.
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Wonderful wine. First first growth and was not disappointed. Drank from a Reidel Grand cru bordeaux glass but did not decant. To be honest this did not move that much over the course of 4-5 hours. Medium to full bodied, nice intensity on the nose. Lots of earthy bordeaux complexity - some plum, currants, dark cherry - but the overall impression is one of supreme balance - nothing was out of whack and everything was very well integrated - tannins and acidity and fruit. This did not decline over 4-5 hours - but was drinking well from the first go.
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Was hoping this one wasn't past its prime, so opened it at 23 years. In retrospect it probably could have aged another 6 years. Still it was very exciting to taste one of the rare Bordeaux Premier Cru. Clearly my palate needs more training. It was definitely smooth, well balanced and enjoyable, alas not the best wine I have ever tasted. Certainly one of the most expensive ones I have ever had.
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In the Lafite Vertical, this held its own and showed beautifully. This is a medium-bodied, elegant and softer styled Lafite but it's gorgeous tonight and great for near term drinking. Seductive with delicious flavors of lead pencil and sweet gravel and a flowing, silky texture. A very pretty Lafite and it's so well balance that there's no rush to drink it. 94+
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Medium garnet colored with soft brownish edges. In the nose soft notes of ripe red berries and lots of truffle, forest floor and mushrooms. On the palate ripe strawberries, soft cassis, ripe red cherries, mushrooms, wet forest floor and elegant oaky notes. Medium bodied with a medium intense and for a 22 years old wine quite lively acidity. Tannins are completely integrated and leave an elegant silky touch on your tongue. Great depth and complexity - beautiful tertiary notes. Beautiful overall balance. Very long and fine finish. A great example for a beautifully aged first growth which is showing all its elegance after 22 years. Drink now until 2028. No need to aerate the wine in my opinion, just let it breathe in the glass and in the bottle. Not the best Lafite I had but definitely a very good one. It’s always a nice experience to try a bottle of the big five from Bordeaux. (IG)
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The 1999 Château Lafite Rothschild is entering adolescence and beginning to show very well after an hour in the decanter. Offering up aromas of rich dark fruit mingled with cigar ash, loamy soil, cedar wood, spices and notable but not overbearing hints of the stables. Medium to full-bodied, muscular and concentrated, with lively acids and still rather youthfully assertive tannins, the 1999 is quite typical of this era chez Lafite, having recaptured the power and intensity of the estate's pre-1960 vintages but without their elegance. Where it not for the overt brettanomyces (which I suspects dries out the finish as well as muddling the aromas) I'd be inclined to score it a touch higher.
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Medium ruby,medium(+) rose,red cherry,red plum,blackberry,green bell pepper,eucalyptus,ripe fruit,cloves,charred wood,wet leaves,hazelnut,dry,high acidity,smooth medium(+) tannin,low alcohol,medium(+) body,very long finish,outstanding wine,suitable for bottle ageing. Very good balance
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Deep ruby color. Deep brooding and complex perfumery aroma of black fruits, potpourri, wet forest floor and espresso. Dry, bright but rounded acidity, ultra velvet tannins, taste of blackberry, blackcurrant, vanilla and hint of mushroom. Full body. Great balance. Long lush finish. 99.
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Compared to the 1996 drank at the same dinner, this came across as more open and more fruit driven (dark berries and cloves), very vibrant and with tremendously silky structure. Very elegant and approachable.
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A beautiful and elegant wine. Had alongside a 1955, 1986 and a 1990. This was a masculine wine but still very young and needs time. Leather, cigar box and smoke, cassis and lots of tannins. Wonderful wine
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Austere and aristocratic. Acidic profile does dominate what is well-arrayed notes of pencil, clove and leafy currant. Good structure and persistence. Nice beats with time - more soil and grippy tannins with suede and loam. Well-rounded, if you can wrap around the acidic tension. Not great, but correct and quite enjoyable.
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Opened cleanly, with most of cork dry and well preserved.
Nose of fresh blackberry, with a little petroleum at initial open, clearing up towards ripe cherries, bit of citrus and touches of vermouth.
Acajou color of a well aged Bordeaux. Initial taste after opening. Sweet cherry on the front, lots of complexity mid palet, with nutmeg, orange peel, fading red fruit. Drying out on the back pallet with some lingering tangyness.
After decanting a few hours, there isn't significant change. Oak is a little more pronounced, a bit of tobacco, a little cedar on back. Still an elegant Bordeaux and drinking very well now.
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Jamming with Stu (Dune, Fort Lauderdale): Great fun to drink this with the 2004, 1986, and 1982 Lafite. Elegant, red fruits, leafy green and cedar, red fruited and riper than the other Lafites, we’ll balanced, excellent.
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Massiv textur men ändå sluten i smakerna trots någon timmes vädring. Kan ett vin vara för mycket i balans så att inget riktigt får skina? En besvikelse - eller orimliga förväntningar?
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HDH annual Bordeaux tasting: Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Chicago, IL): For me, this bottle was all about the nose. What an exuberant fruit-bomb of a nose, with a distinct hint of creme de cassis, coupled with some figs and other dark, sweet fruits. The palate, unfortunately is a little less explosive, showing a little more restraint and less stuff altogether. It's perhaps a little more leathery, and there's some serious power here. Given the amount of ripe fruit here though, I think this may well be one of the sleeper wines that will last longer than the vintage charts will tell you.
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Dark color of the wine does not suggest 20 years of age. Dark plummy fruit notes on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied. Certainly not a blockbuster by any means. 91-92
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(Tasted Double Blind) Pours a deep, youthful purple/blue with zero bricking and an opaque core. The nose evolves over the course of a few hours in the decanter. Quite clearly Cabernet, at some points the fruit is so boisterous that I wonder if it's from California or Tuscany. After a few hours it shows it's origins: charcoal, gravel, blackberry, blueberry, dry hay, furniture, moss, and plum. Complex, refined, and elegant. The palate features rich fruit, and moderate tannin and acid. A very nice wine. Not quite classic, but very very good. 93 is probably conservative.
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The wine looks garnet colored. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, black currant (cassis), forest floor, toast, coffee, cedar, vanilla, black pepper and cinnamon.
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Beautiful texture. 100 points on the sliky velvet texture. But beyond that, it's very mediocre. No depth. No structure. No complexity. It's .... Okay. 90 points. Many 90 point wines you can be enthusiastic about. But because it's a Lafite Rothschild, it's pretty disappointing. Lots of postage. Wrong address.
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Wish I had let it open for 2 hours before drinking, rather than drinking within 2 hour afte opening. Glad to have drunk a storied wine, but definitely have had better, especially considering the cost.
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With some coaxing, the 1999 Lafite gives off notes of black cherries, graphite, and roasted herbs. Medium-bodied, with good refinement and balance, the wine in nonetheless a bit difficult to pin down, as it seems a bit closed at the moment. Seems to have enough raw material to eventually emerge out of its shell, but is probably better left alone for a few more years. 92+.
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Quite young, but fine to drink today, if you enjoy a wine in the middle of the primary stage that is just starting to become secondary. The medium bodied, elegant wine is on the bright, fresh, crisp, red berry side of the style range. Here you find forest leaf, tobacco, cedar, cassis, cherry and spice notes. Softly textured, with fresh, spicy, red fruits, tobacco and herbs in the finish.
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From magnum this had no hard edges whatsoever. There was ripe, glossy cassis fruit, some graphite and cedar and a touch of earth. Tannins were round and buried under the wine’s flesh.
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12.5% Chalk, graphite, cedar, leather, spice box n Turkish delight, very classy and captivating. tSo elegant on the palate, very tight but the balance is truly remarkable, the finish is linear, tannin is silky smooth, mineral is impressive. First class even though it is not in its drinking window. A success for the vintage.
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SL Birthday Dinner: Very youth with intense aromas coming out of the glass. Hint of capsicum on the palate with superb length on the finish. Stunning juice.
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Drank from magnum. Classic nose of graphite and blackcurrant laced with dried herbs. On the palate elegant but quite backwards with notes of old leather, sous bois and blackberry.
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Lovely wine but not a blockbuster. Medium bodied, nose of Blackberry, pencil, cedar, and spice. Light on its feet with nice balance, yet still exhibits first growth concentration.
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Decanted 1.5 hours, then poured 2 glasses at the dinner table, it is worth noting a couple of unusual factors. The ulledge was exactly how I remember when first purchased back in 2003, in fact, cork was tight, dry, and looked like it was bottled yesterday, extraction was easy using the rabbit, even more amazing was that there was near zero sediment. One last thing this bottle has not move from its very cool cellar location since 2003. That being said, this Bordeaux was as expected fabulous, showing off the best qualities that this so so vintage has to offer. Classic graphite/pencil shavings, slate, cedar, cigar box, balanced by complex flavors of plum, cherry, currants, cassis, smooth, integrated tannins awesome structure suggesting this will hold for 10 maybe 20 more years in a cool consistent evioroment. Paired with charcoal grilled rack of lamb, this was a near perfect pairing as I have ever had. One final note, this special culinary expirence was in celebration of my wife and I 34th anniversary of our marriage which is proably more amazing than I or she could ever imagined!!!!
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Chateau Lafite Rothschild - 20 year vertical blind tasting (Fribourg): Tasted blind. Discrete nose of red fruit, with a rum element to it, lacks a bit of freshness and excitement. Enters the palate well structured and a bit tight still but then builds up nicely. Unfortunately the finish is a bit dry again. There was a slight cardboard smell on the finish hinting towards TCA. Not sure this bottle was fully representative. Group rank # 16/20. Readiness: Ready after decanting.
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Decanted for 1 hr. Youthful but very drinkable. Great depth of fruit with a touch of graphite and cedarwood, classy, very classy, still far from peaking but a treat to try it now, ideally leave 5-10 more years
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tasted blind in a sea of other wines, so I had really no idea what it was or what was coming. overall slightly stinky and somewhat flat. in a word unbalanced, and I moved on to the next...
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Very drinkable. Relatively much residual sweetness. Balsamic nose with cassis, violets, pencil wood, cedar. On the palate with berry compote and vanilla tones. Medium body.
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Intriguing wine. In terms of the nose, flavours (mint, cedar, spice, caramel), finesse and complexity it scores 98 or 99. However, as others have noted, this is not a particularly powerful or well structured wine. I can't see it getting better than today but still suspect it will drink well for at least five and probably ten years. It reflects the many other 1999s from Bordeaux I have drank; I think this is a nice, charming vintage but overall on the light side and one that is for drinking rather than keeping.
FYI, I brought this with me and we drank it at the Alyn Williams restaurant at the Westbury in London. Normally they charge £50 corkage fee (typical for top London restaurants) but if you buy another bottle from the wine list this corkage fee is waived, which is commendable and worth noting for people like me who like to bring their own wine. The food, from the tasting menu, was outstanding and a great companion to the Lafite and the other wines we consumed that evening.
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From a half-bottle - decanted one hour before drinking and consumed over the next 2 hours. Nice dark rubis/fire-red colour with a dark core. On the nose, an open and generous bouquet of cedar, tobacco, liquorice, but also fellenberg plums and black currants. A little later, I noticed a faint touch of coffee. On the palate, the attack is frank and fruity with an immediate fruity line of red currants, leading to a length composed of the secondary aromas noticed on the nose. Good length, though I suspect that it is shorter than the Haut-Brion 2001 tasted a few weeks ago, though it is somewhat finer on the palate. Has the same ethereal side I noticed in the Carruades de Lafite 1990 drunk so long ago. Less powerful than the Leoville Poyferré 2000. I’d give a slight plus to the Lafite for complexity on the nose, though the Haut-Brion 2001 was more powerful (and from a better vintage) and had a slightly better balance in the mouth. This is a good time to drink it from a half-bottle if you like wines balancing slightly dominant secondary aromas with primary aromas. Sandalwood notes.
Demie-bouteille - décanté une heure à l’avance. Belle robe rubis sombre, mais n’ayant aucune influence de pourpre - que rubis - rouge feu. Au nez, c’est ouvert avec un beau bouquet avec des arômes comme le cèdre, le tabac blond, la réglisse, mais aussi les prunes fellenberg et une touche de cassis. Plus tard, je remarque une pointe de café. En bouche, l’attaque est franche et fruitée, avec une intensité de fruit en tout début de bouche (groseilles rouges). Celle-ci donne gentillement place dans la longueur aux arômes secondaires. Bonne longueur, mais je soupçonne un petit peu plus court que le Haut-Brion 2001, si ce n’est plus fin. Un petit côté “ethereal” que j’avais perçu dans le Carruades de Lafite 1990, il y a de ça, très longtemps. Nez magique! Très belle tenue en bouche, si ce n’est que j’aurais pu l’attendre plus longtemps. Plus complexe que le Haut-Brion 2001 et des intensités aromatiques plus marquée mais un peu plus court et en bouche, n'a pas le même équilibre et la puissance du HB2001. Moins puissant que le Léoville Poyferré 2000. Je donnerais un petit plus au Lafite comparé au HB au nez et il est aussi plus mûr à ce stade. Beau vin, prêt à boire si l’on aime la combinaison d’une dominante d’arômes secondaires avec un peu de primaire dans une demie-bouteille. Sandalwood.
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I would have not expected such a beautiful wine from the 99 vintage. Drinking beautifully with lots of graphite, pencil lead, cedar, perfectly picked vibrant semi sweet red fruit and a long, crisp, fresh and throbbing finish. I would happily drink 5 of these instead of one 82' any day! A must try..
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The 1999 Lafite Rothschild, is a ruby-hued beauty with a translucent rim—this bottle was incredibly fresh and vibrant on opening. Initially, seemingly more red fruit-driven, the nose evolved into a darker expression with time in the glass. Nuanced aromas of loamy earth, rose petal, black currant, and pencil shavings led into a wine that, while restrained and elegant, boasted ample sweetness at its core. Ultra-fine, polished tannins gave way to a medium-plus finish that culminated in bay leaf, cigar box, and spice.
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Still quite structured out of magnum but with 2 hours of decanting, it showed very well. Very balanced and elegant with a solid middle palate and gorgeous flavors of ripe cassis and graphite. The finish is finely complex with mineral and dark spice notes. This is really refined claret in mid-age that could still have further upside. 94+
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Double decanted, then drank over 3 h Bought on subscription, held in a quite good cellar since acquisition. Original violet paper. Very very elegant, typical Lafite nose from start. Typical weight-depletet palate, good mid palate from start. The only developement is an aromatical one with growing secondary notes over 2h. Very harmonious, only drawback is a minimal predominance of acid short after mid-palate. Medium length. Very good even for Lafite. Too expensive now, good p/Q ratio considering price of subscription. Quality sign : drank up faster than noticable. Delicious wine of max breed and elegance...reputation well deserved
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Un vin tout en finesse qui ne parait aucunement âgé.Tout Jeune pour un 99..À peine tuilé...mais vraiment à peine. Tannins bien fondus, aucune rugosité,à 12.5% d'alcool, c'est vraiment soyeux....il lui manque seulement un peu plus de longueur et il serait vraiment top !
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What beautiful florals with sweet roses and sweet meats intermixed with eat and roasted notes. Coffee roast and deep brooding black cherry fruits. Such a seductive luscious wine. If ever a lafite to prove its price point this will be it.
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Consistent with previous bottles, perhaps a bit hotter. Still a very light and elegant style, showing a fine sense of place and subtle power. Best shortly after opening. This has the structure for aging, but the light style suggests relatively early drinking and I don't know that the balance will ever be better than it is right now.
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Pretty much mute at the moment and really just needs more time, although there are impressive ingredients here. Thus far I can't remember being anything other than underwhelmed by the 1999 vintage overall - this was good, but just seems a bit flat and lacks the sparkle and shine of a wine of this stature.
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Burgundy v Bordeaux - Cellartracker (La Trompette, W4): Dark red in the glasss, not much bricking; good nose of fruit and soft tannins, a hint of acidity and good integration of fruit. Just not up to the mark compared to the rest of the flight.
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Similar to the previous bottle, very elegant. This bottle was a bit more advanced, and while it evolved in the glass and showed superb complexity, I liked it best immediately after opening. Drink now or hold.
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I was saving this for a special occasion and opened it last night. With no decanting, this wine was simply wonderful. It was elegant with no tannin at all. It's hard to imagine any more time could improve it.
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Linear and fairly simple for the moment, showing a very traditional and mostly primary Lafite profile including minty fruit, lead pencil and earth. This is quite light and elegant, perhaps showing the rain of the vintage, but the structure and quality are there, with perfect balance and lingering fine tannins. I would have no problem enjoying this now, or holding it another 10 years. From half bottle.
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Great Wine Dinner with Friends and Wagyu (Western Chicago IL Suburbs): How often do you have a flight of 4 bottles of Bordeaux and nobody even talks about the Lafite Rothschild in the flight? Wonderful black fruit with some background cigar box, this was charming and close to entering its peak drinking window.
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Bordeaux 1999 overview (Restaurant Boreas, Heeze): Decadent and elegant in its perfume, this has a feminine and extremely seductive presentation. Vivid and full of fruit like black cherries and cassis. Tannic structure is still a bit present and needs a little more time to integrate. Spicy, touch of black pepper and cinnamon, generous and supple, sensitive dosage of oak. A young but stylish adolescent. Marvelous! 18.5-19/20
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à Sacacomie Un nez de mine de crayon, de cassis, légèrement fumé. De corps léger, la bouche a la finesse et l'élégance, le raffinement de Lafite. Il n'a pas la longueur des meilleurs millésimes, mais c'est un Prince d'une classe exceptionnelle. 92-93 pts
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20.02.2012: Drinking 1999 Château Lafite Rothschild. Beutiful, harmonic, tons of classical Bordeaux tastes. Still rough and will develop. 20 years to young. Keep. To early to say what score it will have when mature, but looks promising
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Cambridge University / CellarTracker Dinner (Pembroke College, Cambridge): So so so young - in fact this was pretty much coiled up and gave little away. The tannins and structure are still quite prominent at the moment but what fruit does come out in precise and focused. Very good, but needs to sit in the cellar for 15 years.
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Tasted blind. Very sweet nose of cassis, blackcurrents and green pepper. Silky smooth on the palate with hints of lead pencil, berries and minerals. Texture is think for a Lafite but has quite a long finish (30s+). Would recommend at least 3 hours decanting and can last for at least another 20 years.
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Deep, dark ruby color. Lovely nose of graphite, spicy dark rasberries and sweet Lafite earth. Decanted for 5 hours and it needed every bit of it to fully open. Quite thickly textured with intense dark berry fruit and a wonderful minerality on the finish. Medium-to-full bodied with excellent richness and smooth, lead-pencil infused tannins. A terroir-driven Lafite that clearly needs more time but just lacks some of the the class and breed of the '96 and '90 tasted recently. Still, this is a friendly Lafite that I think will continue to surprise on the upside. 94+
13th Annual Lyon 10 year Retrospective (Eugene, Oregon): Classic nose of pencil, cigar box, currants, and dark berries. Some wet stone and earth along for the ride with the black fruit palate. Great length! WOTN for most.
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10-year wedding anniversary (At home in Kraainem, Belgium): Dark color, no signs of evolution. Discrete nose. Seems closed in the mouth as well - refined mesh of tannins but little fruit. Excellent but disappointing given the pedigree of this wine. Hopefully still too young - this was only decanted 1 hour.
Robe sombre, pas de traces d'évolution. Nez discret. apparaît fermé en bouche également - une trame affinée de tannins mais peu de fruit. Excellent mais décevant au regard du pedigree de ce vin. En espérant que c'est n'est qu'un vice de jeunesse - peut-être aurions-nous dû le passer plus d'1 heure en carafe?
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A friend opened this the other night for a small group of friends and family. This was one of those times were you can tell that everyone at the table knows something isn't right but is afraid to say anything because "it's a Lafite." Anyway, half the people asked me afterwards what was wrong with the bottle. Brett...mother#$*ing brett. Damn the luck.
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Classic Lafite with strong blackberry fruit, lead pencil, cedar,spice, earth, tobacco, spice and a note of vanilla. Beautifully built and balanced, a great lingering finish, but could use more time. Do not drink until 2013.
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Classic bordeaux aromas, cassis, pencil lead, leather, firm but velvety tannins. A bit young but nice with a few hours of decanting. Should cellar well for 10+ years.
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Wine Spectator Grand Tour 2009 (Borgata -- Atlantic City, NJ): My WOTN. Black currant, cherry, plum, tobacco, leather, tar, earth -- but what made this was these really nice mint notes dancing on top of all the fruit and secondary notes. long, long finish.
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dave's bordeaux blowout (backstreet wine salon): lots of discussion about whether or not this was corked; not readily apparent to me. seemed to follow the vintage theme of being transitional.
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What can I say about this wine? It is clearly the wine of the vintage for 99. Popped and poured after the 47 Cheval Blanc (sorry, not that good...). This wine is in its drinking window, with a nose of crushed granite, led pencil, and soft, ripe blackberry and cassis. Mouthfeel is full bodied, with velvety tannins, and good balance. Pulveriazed granite, red and black fruit, hints of plum, and roasted game. Finish was long, and caressing, with blackberry and hints of vanilla taking over. Really loved it.
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This is not a memorable vintage for Lafite. Can't hold a candle to the 82 we had on Saturday, January 10th. I have had the misfortune to have poor experience w Lafite: 1961 drunk prematurely in 1970 w a client, Gerry Office, in NYC; 1978 at Azul w Richard Spring perhaps 5 years ago, barnyard was excessive; and the 99 which is unexceptional.
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Tasted blind, clearly pauillac nose with leather, tobacco leave, pencil lead, red berries, earth. No " lafite elegance" with this bottle. Big wine with huge finish.
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Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Earth and barnyard. First overall experience with first growths and I guess I just dont get it. Now i understand these are not top vintages and are still quite young but I expected more. Red fruits poke through with more leather and a long finish. Good but not for me.
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Drunk out of half bottles at Veritas. Absolutely a stunning wine to drink and while its from an "off-vintage" that's drinking well young, the weight, depth and intensity resemble a top year. Clearly Lafite with its gorgeous lead pencil nose and classic dark cassis, black mineral and graphite flavors. It is fairly full-bodied and concentrated with a great, sleek texture and nearly perfect balance making it rich but oh so light on its feet. Goes down smooth and pure and obviously gets better and better with air. I can still taste the pure, refined, graphite black thing going on the next day and its making me long for another bottle. Drink now or in ten years.
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Skinner Fine Wine Auction Reception (Boston, MA): Skinner auction reception. Deep garnet with no evidence of bricking yet. Beautiful nose of pencil shavings and cassis. Palate of cassis, cedar, wet stone, some earth with a good (but not overpowering) backbone of velvety tannins. This was just wonderful and seems to be at the beginning of its prime time. Both Ben and I agreed that this was the WOTN.
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What a gorgeous nose this wine has! Elegant, clearly set in Pauillac with ample nobility, minerals, pencil shavings and a whole lot of class. Quintessentially elegant and classy. In the mouth, though, this wine dissapoints. It lacks fruit and is a bit austere and tannic. 94 for the nose, 87 points for the palate.
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Drank at Le Coq Au Vin in Orlando with Angus, Michael and Daniel. Nice match with the onion soup and then the duck confit. Medium bodied. Not much on the nose. Complex and elegant. Not much fruit.
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Bibenda Day 2007 (AIS, Parco dei Principi, Rome): Nose offers nothing much but a little balsamic/herbal character, with some currants and other typical Cab Sauv fruits in the background. Palate of excellent tannins, med high, yet smooth and rich; roasted/toasted notes. Reasonable complexity, length and structure. First bottle was badly corked; second bottle was deemed untainted...
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Impressive nose of cedar and pencil shavings. Is not quite showing all its fruit yet, but is certainly opening up as it sits in the glass. The finish is perhaps the best part...it is subtle and fine and perfectly structured. Score reflects its current. closed state.
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Long, silky, and complex, with graphite, slate, lead pencil, berries, and black currant, swirling into a consistent, long finish, with silky tannins, and wonderful persistence. A beautiful bottle of wine.
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Nephew ATBridge, my wife and my mom consumed this bottle with filets at a very nice restaurant. We double decanted about three hours before consuming. Unfortunately, the stemware at the restaurant was rather small. Still, this was a great, young (in a good sense), classic Bordeaux. The nose (what we got of it) and initial taste were pronounced pencil lead and cedar. In the mid-palate, cassis, oak, some tobacco and a sweet, toasty coconut also came through. We missed the mint and flowers other have mentioned. Nice, long, fruit-dominated finish. Tannins were there, but just in the background. One surprise was that the wine gained in richness but otherwise did not evolve significantly over the two hours we drank it, which was probably because of the small wineglasses. We did not think the wine was closed down at this point. We have four bottles left, so we are looking forward to return visits over the next couple of decades.
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Bordeaux Dinner, featuring a horizontal tasting of the '99 First Growths (Our home): Opened and tasted, allowed to breathe for 5 hours, then poured into individual glasses about 2 hours before tasting. Notes of pencil lead, cassis and cedar - which took a lot of coaxing. Long finish, dominated by ripe red cherries. This had shut down tight since it was opened, so significant decanting is recommended if drinking now. 93+.
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A regal claret even though it's just a baby; it's surprisingly approachable despite its youth, assuming that you decant for an hour or two. I don't detect much of the signature cedar or lead pencil -- nor do I find the unresolved oak that others have detected -- but I do find a barrel of spice, blackcurrant, mint, earth, and leather, all wrapped up in a tight-knit, refined package. It's restrained but concentrated on the palate, with powerful tannins that will need several years to fully integrate (though they're not at all off-putting at this stage). It's got finesse to spare and may be worth another point a decade from now.
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This was an interesting wine. I recently tasted the ’98 Lafite, and the ‘99 is very similar. The nose and taste would have linked them in a blind tasting. Both are very young, tannic, and structured. The ’99 was much more compact aromatically and in the taste. The recent ’98 showed better, but not significantly better. I sense that there is a lot of power hidden behind the tannic structure, and that it will unpack with time
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Great Wines at Brad's House (Minneapolis): Same bottle as Siggy's TN... (Thanks, Dave!). It was interesting to try a youger wine of similar pedigree next to the '82 Latour, '90 Leoville Las Cases and '61 Lynch-Bages (see TNs). However, the '99 Lafite seemed to suffer due to the extra dimensions the other, more mature wines offered. That said, the '99 did improve with air exposure (decanted and consumed over a few hours). This wine is in its first phase of life, with tannins yet to resolve - as well as some obvious new oak that will no doubt become more integrated over time. Deep notes of cassis and asphalt. I think that this showed us only a fraction of what will come in time, and it could end up benifitting tremendously from consumption during peak maturity - as was the case with the '83 Mouton last night (see TN).
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Follow Up Dinner of (Mostly) Bordeaux (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Infanticide, but a promising glimpse into what this wine will ultimately become. Plum, cassis, and blackberry fruit, with a slight hint of caramel. Huge tannins; medium to full body; lots of oak that will undoubtedly integrate with more time. Long finish. Needs at least 5 years. 93+ points.
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With Vicente in the restaurant "El Amparo" of Madrid, celebrating to leave a work after 16 years on the same business. Without any doubt, one of my better ten top wines ever. A symphony of fruit-bearing smells, of caramels of violet, of smoothness accompanied by creamy tannins, of silk in the throat and of a very good price for a restaurant of such category. A deceitful vintage.
Con Vicente en el restaurante El Amparo de Madrid, celebrando el dejar un trabajo después de 16 años para la misma empresa. Sin duda, uno de los mejores diez vinos de mi vida. Una sinfonía de olores frutales, de caramelos de violeta, de suavidad acompañada de taninos cremosos, de seda en la garganta y de un muy buen precio para la categoría del restaurante. Una añada engañosa.
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Bordeaux tasting at Binny's (Schaumburg Binny's): Deep dirty garnet color. The bouquet is full of floral notes, cassis, faint roasted game and cedar notes. Very elegant and balanced on the palate. Tight, some red fruit and cherry flavors. Very long finish.
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Dark ruby/black colour. Aromas of cream, pencil shavings, tobacco. Medium-full bodied, still a bit biting. Again, restrained on the palate; austere, with a bit of sour cherry. Short finish, 15-20s.
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1999 First Growth Bordeaux Tasting (Seattle, WA): The bottle characterized by an eclipse. This was a fabulous wine that was a real treat to taste. Deep ruby without any hint of the brick that was seen on the Mouton. Nose of "lead pencil" - I honestly got it - with cedar dominating. Again, similar to the Latour, this wine seems like it needed a little coaxing to open up. The nose lovely albeit closed. The palate is full of subtle dark plumb, powerful blackfruits, and earth. The flavors nicely tied together with a powerful mouthfeel. Firm, yet sweet tannin on the finish that lingered a good while. Overall, my WOTN. I think this wine is about a 94 currently, but will likely improve to 96 with a little more age.
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Red Carpet: Black coffee-like color; some coffee in nose, dark & brooding, closed in; subdued cassis, smoke; smooth, rich & silky full-bodied; glycerin, fat in the mouth, nice integrated t’s, maybe drink in 2006?
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3/15/2024 - A Glass of Red Likes this wine: 94 Points
decanted 2+ hours. very nice but not an exceptional vintage. served with grilled Veal Chops and mushroom risotto.
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2/9/2024 - d.f.c Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this in a blind drinking party, it was the third to last one after 99 Latour, 98 Haut Brion, 99 Mouton and before 99 Margaux and 98 La Mission HB. Very distinguishable taste, light and smooth.
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12/25/2023 - Rpfe wrote: 93 Points
decanted 4 hours beforehand.Smooth and silky and at it's apogee.A well made and balanced wine which will continue to drink well for another 5-10 years.
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10/19/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Opened and decanted an hour+ before serving. Plum and black cherry with cigarbox notes. Good+ weight, very good balance when poured (less harmonious when first tasted pre-decant).
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10/9/2023 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Austere.
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9/20/2023 - Tao wrote: 97 Points
Silky smooth palate with gigantic amounts of high quality, classy, leathery dark fruits! The tannins are almost all gone but still showing some kind of youthfulness, maybe approaching the peak of early maturity! Definitely, no hurry to drink it up!
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9/8/2023 - vinolovers wrote: 90 Points
Very dark coloring when poured. Fading dark fruits, supplemented with tobacco, leather, chocolate and graphite. Monolithic when first poured, it opened revealing a smooth mature Bordeaux, although it seemed as if brooding tannins still lurked in the background.
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7/21/2023 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Mature, drinking a point today, even if served a little bit too warm.. Tobacco, black berries, cigarbox, sweet, inegrated tannin, textbook style.
#BillionairesLunch#Hjorts
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11/20/2022 - docdavid Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby color floral nose
Mildly disappointed but still complex with cedar graphite and cassis
For a 95 rated wine I thought it would be richer and denser
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11/4/2022 - moorewine3 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent double decanted 1 hour ahead of time and consumed with a filet mignon dinner
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10/6/2022 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 94 Points
decanted for 2 hours
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8/20/2022 - GBFan Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very nice wine, but not a great Lafite. This bottle has held up very well over 23 years. It was a pretty big Bordeaux with an attractive nose and lots of fruit. But it lacked complexity and frankly, if I had not known what it was, I would not have recognized it as Lafite. I have now had three elite Bordeaux from the 1999 vintage -- this, Latour and Palmer. The Palmer was not as big as the others but was the clear winner.
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7/29/2022 - thebonnydooner wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful wine. First first growth and was not disappointed. Drank from a Reidel Grand cru bordeaux glass but did not decant. To be honest this did not move that much over the course of 4-5 hours. Medium to full bodied, nice intensity on the nose. Lots of earthy bordeaux complexity - some plum, currants, dark cherry - but the overall impression is one of supreme balance - nothing was out of whack and everything was very well integrated - tannins and acidity and fruit. This did not decline over 4-5 hours - but was drinking well from the first go.
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7/8/2022 - kassim10 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Was hoping this one wasn't past its prime, so opened it at 23 years. In retrospect it probably could have aged another 6 years. Still it was very exciting to taste one of the rare Bordeaux Premier Cru. Clearly my palate needs more training. It was definitely smooth, well balanced and enjoyable, alas not the best wine I have ever tasted. Certainly one of the most expensive ones I have ever had.
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3/30/2022 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
In the Lafite Vertical, this held its own and showed beautifully. This is a medium-bodied, elegant and softer styled Lafite but it's gorgeous tonight and great for near term drinking. Seductive with delicious flavors of lead pencil and sweet gravel and a flowing, silky texture. A very pretty Lafite and it's so well balance that there's no rush to drink it. 94+
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3/10/2022 - mmkatz wrote:
Consumed with David to celebrate 21.
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12/18/2021 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank with friends at big Christmas dinner. Decanted 2 hours. Silky smooth, extremely well balanced. Best wine of 3 other great big reds
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11/16/2021 - Jon Gash Likes this wine: 95 Points
What can I say. I’ve had this bottle in my cellar for 17 years. It was very very nice.
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5/29/2021 - DrZett wrote: 94 Points
Medium garnet colored with soft brownish edges. In the nose soft notes of ripe red berries and lots of truffle, forest floor and mushrooms. On the palate ripe strawberries, soft cassis, ripe red cherries, mushrooms, wet forest floor and elegant oaky notes. Medium bodied with a medium intense and for a 22 years old wine quite lively acidity. Tannins are completely integrated and leave an elegant silky touch on your tongue. Great depth and complexity - beautiful tertiary notes. Beautiful overall balance. Very long and fine finish.
A great example for a beautifully aged first growth which is showing all its elegance after 22 years.
Drink now until 2028. No need to aerate the wine in my opinion, just let it breathe in the glass and in the bottle. Not the best Lafite I had but definitely a very good one. It’s always a nice experience to try a bottle of the big five from Bordeaux. (IG)
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4/18/2021 - rinnocenzi Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great wine with great fruit and minerality. Tasting great right now
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3/4/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 93 Points
The 1999 Château Lafite Rothschild is entering adolescence and beginning to show very well after an hour in the decanter. Offering up aromas of rich dark fruit mingled with cigar ash, loamy soil, cedar wood, spices and notable but not overbearing hints of the stables. Medium to full-bodied, muscular and concentrated, with lively acids and still rather youthfully assertive tannins, the 1999 is quite typical of this era chez Lafite, having recaptured the power and intensity of the estate's pre-1960 vintages but without their elegance. Where it not for the overt brettanomyces (which I suspects dries out the finish as well as muddling the aromas) I'd be inclined to score it a touch higher.
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2/17/2021 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 99 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of meat, cassis, blackfruits, wet forest, flora, high acidity, medium+ tannin, complex. Decant 90 min.
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2/7/2021 - MarshallLi Likes this wine: 96 Points
Medium ruby,medium(+) rose,red cherry,red plum,blackberry,green bell pepper,eucalyptus,ripe fruit,cloves,charred wood,wet leaves,hazelnut,dry,high acidity,smooth medium(+) tannin,low alcohol,medium(+) body,very long finish,outstanding wine,suitable for bottle ageing. Very good balance
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2/6/2021 - Costes76 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Deep ruby color. Deep brooding and complex perfumery aroma of black fruits, potpourri, wet forest floor and espresso. Dry, bright but rounded acidity, ultra velvet tannins, taste of blackberry, blackcurrant, vanilla and hint of mushroom. Full body. Great balance. Long lush finish. 99.
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12/24/2020 - popopdrops wrote: 91 Points
Dekantert. Starter litt stum, men tar seg herlig sammen. Ikke åpenbart stor, men god.
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11/30/2020 - amcooleen wrote:
Quinten’s 21st birthday!
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10/23/2020 - Willi Vinotti Likes this wine: 93 Points
Compared to the 1996 drank at the same dinner, this came across as more open and more fruit driven (dark berries and cloves), very vibrant and with tremendously silky structure. Very elegant and approachable.
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8/22/2020 - napasoutherner wrote: 95 Points
A beautiful and elegant wine. Had alongside a 1955, 1986 and a 1990. This was a masculine wine but still very young and needs time. Leather, cigar box and smoke, cassis and lots of tannins. Wonderful wine
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8/16/2020 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Austere and aristocratic. Acidic profile does dominate what is well-arrayed notes of pencil, clove and leafy currant. Good structure and persistence. Nice beats with time - more soil and grippy tannins with suede and loam. Well-rounded, if you can wrap around the acidic tension. Not great, but correct and quite enjoyable.
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7/9/2020 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Quite average.
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7/8/2020 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux Left Bank First Growth BYO (Grand Hyatt Hong Kong): Warm blue fruit, not quite the signature cigar/pencil box nose, a little thin. 93
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7/4/2020 - novocane wrote: 94 Points
Pulled from cellar for 4th of July.
Opened cleanly, with most of cork dry and well preserved.
Nose of fresh blackberry, with a little petroleum at initial open, clearing up towards ripe cherries, bit of citrus and touches of vermouth.
Acajou color of a well aged Bordeaux. Initial taste after opening. Sweet cherry on the front, lots of complexity mid palet, with nutmeg, orange peel, fading red fruit. Drying out on the back pallet with some lingering tangyness.
After decanting a few hours, there isn't significant change. Oak is a little more pronounced, a bit of tobacco, a little cedar on back. Still an elegant Bordeaux and drinking very well now.
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5/3/2020 - mjdixon wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing...slight smell of cork means it was not at it's best, but still didn't get much at all.
Will try the next bottle shortly...
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2/29/2020 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/15/2020 - dbg wrote:
Jamming with Stu (Dune, Fort Lauderdale): Great fun to drink this with the 2004, 1986, and 1982 Lafite. Elegant, red fruits, leafy green and cedar, red fruited and riper than the other Lafites, we’ll balanced, excellent.
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12/24/2019 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dekantert. Diskret, super, men vagt tung nedover i flasken.
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12/7/2019 - Jonne Likes this wine: 91 Points
Massiv textur men ändå sluten i smakerna trots någon timmes vädring. Kan ett vin vara för mycket i balans så att inget riktigt får skina? En besvikelse - eller orimliga förväntningar?
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11/14/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH annual Bordeaux tasting: Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Chicago, IL): For me, this bottle was all about the nose. What an exuberant fruit-bomb of a nose, with a distinct hint of creme de cassis, coupled with some figs and other dark, sweet fruits. The palate, unfortunately is a little less explosive, showing a little more restraint and less stuff altogether. It's perhaps a little more leathery, and there's some serious power here. Given the amount of ripe fruit here though, I think this may well be one of the sleeper wines that will last longer than the vintage charts will tell you.
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9/30/2019 - jmcnewjersey wrote: 92 Points
Dark color of the wine does not suggest 20 years of age. Dark plummy fruit notes on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied. Certainly not a blockbuster by any means. 91-92
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9/9/2019 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
a good entry level vintage - quite round and impressive.
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9/9/2019 - LB88 wrote: 92 Points
Still young but starting to drink
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6/9/2019 - LB88 wrote: 92 Points
Big salty, could wait more for it to get better
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6/8/2019 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
showing quite well - still needs a bit of time. hints of pencil shaving - pedigree shining through.
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5/18/2019 - Wine Canuck wrote: 93 Points
(Tasted Double Blind) Pours a deep, youthful purple/blue with zero bricking and an opaque core. The nose evolves over the course of a few hours in the decanter. Quite clearly Cabernet, at some points the fruit is so boisterous that I wonder if it's from California or Tuscany. After a few hours it shows it's origins: charcoal, gravel, blackberry, blueberry, dry hay, furniture, moss, and plum. Complex, refined, and elegant. The palate features rich fruit, and moderate tannin and acid. A very nice wine. Not quite classic, but very very good. 93 is probably conservative.
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1/29/2019 - LB88 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking well now! Lovely bouquet and well aged flavors on the palate but unfortunately tonight it was overshadowed by the DRC echezeaux 04
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12/1/2018 - Sean Tay wrote:
The wine looks garnet colored. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, black currant (cassis), forest floor, toast, coffee, cedar, vanilla, black pepper and cinnamon.
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11/30/2018 - amcooleen wrote:
Q’s 18th birthday
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8/22/2018 - Jz71 wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful texture. 100 points on the sliky velvet texture. But beyond that, it's very mediocre. No depth. No structure. No complexity. It's .... Okay. 90 points. Many 90 point wines you can be enthusiastic about. But because it's a Lafite Rothschild, it's pretty disappointing. Lots of postage. Wrong address.
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7/31/2018 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Wine10 monthly meeting (Quattro restaurant): a mediocre vintage produced a lean-structure & lean-complexity wine, but the label is impressing the crowd...
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7/15/2018 - gutt22 wrote: flawed
Corked. Subtly but unmistakably after decanting.
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5/11/2018 - T.E.D. wrote: 91 Points
A bit lacking the depth and finesse I was expecting. Somewhat linear and showing more fruit notes.
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4/21/2018 - Dmyoung Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wish I had let it open for 2 hours before drinking, rather than drinking within 2 hour afte opening. Glad to have drunk a storied wine, but definitely have had better, especially considering the cost.
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9/14/2017 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyable and fresh, won't be confused with a great Lafite. From Imperial.
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9/13/2017 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
quite pretty, some pencil shavings, graphite in nose.
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7/4/2017 - Jscalia Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. Soft tannins. Peppery finish. Dark cherries.
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5/28/2017 - J o e wrote: 92 Points
With some coaxing, the 1999 Lafite gives off notes of black cherries, graphite, and roasted herbs. Medium-bodied, with good refinement and balance, the wine in nonetheless a bit difficult to pin down, as it seems a bit closed at the moment. Seems to have enough raw material to eventually emerge out of its shell, but is probably better left alone for a few more years. 92+.
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4/16/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Quite young, but fine to drink today, if you enjoy a wine in the middle of the primary stage that is just starting to become secondary. The medium bodied, elegant wine is on the bright, fresh, crisp, red berry side of the style range. Here you find forest leaf, tobacco, cedar, cassis, cherry and spice notes. Softly textured, with fresh, spicy, red fruits, tobacco and herbs in the finish.
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2/11/2017 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
From magnum this had no hard edges whatsoever. There was ripe, glossy cassis fruit, some graphite and cedar and a touch of earth. Tannins were round and buried under the wine’s flesh.
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1/10/2017 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
12.5%
Chalk, graphite, cedar, leather, spice box n Turkish delight, very classy and captivating. tSo elegant on the palate, very tight but the balance is truly remarkable, the finish is linear, tannin is silky smooth, mineral is impressive. First class even though it is not in its drinking window. A success for the vintage.
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12/27/2016 - ledwards wrote: 92 Points
Very well proportioned, slightly restained. Classically balanced fruit and graphite/stone profile. A pleasure to drink but by no means a show-stopper.
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9/13/2016 - astroman Likes this wine:
SL Birthday Dinner: Very youth with intense aromas coming out of the glass. Hint of capsicum on the palate with superb length on the finish. Stunning juice.
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6/30/2016 - Rani wrote: 91 Points
Drank from magnum. Classic nose of graphite and blackcurrant laced with dried herbs. On the palate elegant but quite backwards with notes of old leather, sous bois and blackberry.
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6/13/2016 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely wine but not a blockbuster. Medium bodied, nose of Blackberry, pencil, cedar, and spice. Light on its feet with nice balance, yet still exhibits first growth concentration.
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4/2/2016 - wineshaman wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours, then poured 2 glasses at the dinner table, it is worth noting a couple of unusual factors. The ulledge was exactly how I remember when first purchased back in 2003, in fact, cork was tight, dry, and looked like it was bottled yesterday, extraction was easy using the rabbit, even more amazing was that there was near zero sediment. One last thing this bottle has not move from its very cool cellar location since 2003. That being said, this Bordeaux was as expected fabulous, showing off the best qualities that this so so vintage has to offer. Classic graphite/pencil shavings, slate, cedar, cigar box, balanced by complex flavors of plum, cherry, currants, cassis, smooth, integrated tannins awesome structure suggesting this will hold for 10 maybe 20 more years in a cool consistent evioroment. Paired with charcoal grilled rack of lamb, this was a near perfect pairing as I have ever had. One final note, this special culinary expirence was in celebration of my wife and I 34th anniversary of our marriage which is proably more amazing than I or she could ever imagined!!!!
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3/15/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Chateau Lafite Rothschild - 20 year vertical blind tasting (Fribourg): Tasted blind. Discrete nose of red fruit, with a rum element to it, lacks a bit of freshness and excitement. Enters the palate well structured and a bit tight still but then builds up nicely. Unfortunately the finish is a bit dry again. There was a slight cardboard smell on the finish hinting towards TCA. Not sure this bottle was fully representative. Group rank # 16/20. Readiness: Ready after decanting.
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12/21/2015 - kingkanu wrote:
Decanted for 1 hr. Youthful but very drinkable. Great depth of fruit with a touch of graphite and cedarwood, classy, very classy, still far from peaking but a treat to try it now, ideally leave 5-10 more years
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12/17/2015 - soyhead wrote:
tasted blind in a sea of other wines, so I had really no idea what it was or what was coming. overall slightly stinky and somewhat flat. in a word unbalanced, and I moved on to the next...
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11/5/2015 - jusuf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very drinkable. Relatively much residual sweetness. Balsamic nose with cassis, violets, pencil wood, cedar. On the palate with berry compote and vanilla tones. Medium body.
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5/30/2015 - Gabbby wrote: 93 Points
Dark fruit, chocolate and leather on the nose. Intense, full body and long finish. This wine should improve more with age.
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4/26/2015 - phynes Likes this wine: 95 Points
Intriguing wine. In terms of the nose, flavours (mint, cedar, spice, caramel), finesse and complexity it scores 98 or 99. However, as others have noted, this is not a particularly powerful or well structured wine. I can't see it getting better than today but still suspect it will drink well for at least five and probably ten years. It reflects the many other 1999s from Bordeaux I have drank; I think this is a nice, charming vintage but overall on the light side and one that is for drinking rather than keeping.
FYI, I brought this with me and we drank it at the Alyn Williams restaurant at the Westbury in London. Normally they charge £50 corkage fee (typical for top London restaurants) but if you buy another bottle from the wine list this corkage fee is waived, which is commendable and worth noting for people like me who like to bring their own wine. The food, from the tasting menu, was outstanding and a great companion to the Lafite and the other wines we consumed that evening.
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3/23/2015 - ChristopherB Likes this wine: 94 Points
From a half-bottle - decanted one hour before drinking and consumed over the next 2 hours. Nice dark rubis/fire-red colour with a dark core. On the nose, an open and generous bouquet of cedar, tobacco, liquorice, but also fellenberg plums and black currants. A little later, I noticed a faint touch of coffee. On the palate, the attack is frank and fruity with an immediate fruity line of red currants, leading to a length composed of the secondary aromas noticed on the nose. Good length, though I suspect that it is shorter than the Haut-Brion 2001 tasted a few weeks ago, though it is somewhat finer on the palate. Has the same ethereal side I noticed in the Carruades de Lafite 1990 drunk so long ago. Less powerful than the Leoville Poyferré 2000. I’d give a slight plus to the Lafite for complexity on the nose, though the Haut-Brion 2001 was more powerful (and from a better vintage) and had a slightly better balance in the mouth. This is a good time to drink it from a half-bottle if you like wines balancing slightly dominant secondary aromas with primary aromas. Sandalwood notes.
Demie-bouteille - décanté une heure à l’avance. Belle robe rubis sombre, mais n’ayant aucune influence de pourpre - que rubis - rouge feu. Au nez, c’est ouvert avec un beau bouquet avec des arômes comme le cèdre, le tabac blond, la réglisse, mais aussi les prunes fellenberg et une touche de cassis. Plus tard, je remarque une pointe de café. En bouche, l’attaque est franche et fruitée, avec une intensité de fruit en tout début de bouche (groseilles rouges). Celle-ci donne gentillement place dans la longueur aux arômes secondaires. Bonne longueur, mais je soupçonne un petit peu plus court que le Haut-Brion 2001, si ce n’est plus fin. Un petit côté “ethereal” que j’avais perçu dans le Carruades de Lafite 1990, il y a de ça, très longtemps. Nez magique! Très belle tenue en bouche, si ce n’est que j’aurais pu l’attendre plus longtemps. Plus complexe que le Haut-Brion 2001 et des intensités aromatiques plus marquée mais un peu plus court et en bouche, n'a pas le même équilibre et la puissance du HB2001. Moins puissant que le Léoville Poyferré 2000. Je donnerais un petit plus au Lafite comparé au HB au nez et il est aussi plus mûr à ce stade. Beau vin, prêt à boire si l’on aime la combinaison d’une dominante d’arômes secondaires avec un peu de primaire dans une demie-bouteille. Sandalwood.
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3/1/2015 - Purple Tooth wrote: 96 Points
I would have not expected such a beautiful wine from the 99 vintage. Drinking beautifully with lots of graphite, pencil lead, cedar, perfectly picked vibrant semi sweet red fruit and a long, crisp, fresh and throbbing finish. I would happily drink 5 of these instead of one 82' any day! A must try..
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2/7/2015 - v Taste Likes this wine: 91 Points
Magnum decanted from 4pm
A lovely dinner enjoyed with great friends, hence just a one forth of glass portion till the end.
7:50pm pour to glass.
aroma: dark plum, pepper, mineral & sweet spice
palate: structured, intense ripe fruit, violet & liquorice, hint of mint
8:30pm
aroma: fragrant & elegant, sandalwood
palate: succulent, very elegant acidity balance with jammy fruit, liquorice
finish: medium, fine fruit
9:20pm
palate: still succulent, though less fruity & jammy
Drank up with good satisfaction.
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1/23/2015 - Christine Havens Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 1999 Lafite Rothschild, is a ruby-hued beauty with a translucent rim—this bottle was incredibly fresh and vibrant on opening. Initially, seemingly more red fruit-driven, the nose evolved into a darker expression with time in the glass. Nuanced aromas of loamy earth, rose petal, black currant, and pencil shavings led into a wine that, while restrained and elegant, boasted ample sweetness at its core. Ultra-fine, polished tannins gave way to a medium-plus finish that culminated in bay leaf, cigar box, and spice.
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12/10/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still quite structured out of magnum but with 2 hours of decanting, it showed very well. Very balanced and elegant with a solid middle palate and gorgeous flavors of ripe cassis and graphite. The finish is finely complex with mineral and dark spice notes. This is really refined claret in mid-age that could still have further upside. 94+
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10/6/2014 - otto60 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted, then drank over 3 h
Bought on subscription, held in a quite good cellar since acquisition. Original violet paper.
Very very elegant, typical Lafite nose from start.
Typical weight-depletet palate, good mid palate from start.
The only developement is an aromatical one with growing secondary notes over 2h.
Very harmonious, only drawback is a minimal predominance of acid short after mid-palate.
Medium length.
Very good even for Lafite.
Too expensive now, good p/Q ratio considering price of subscription.
Quality sign : drank up faster than noticable. Delicious wine of max breed and elegance...reputation well deserved
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8/6/2014 - petitblanc wrote: 91 Points
Generally consistent, a bit more youthful, volatile, and tartly acidic, really needing food to show well at this point.
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7/5/2014 - phil the agony wrote: 94 Points
Un vin tout en finesse qui ne parait aucunement âgé.Tout Jeune pour un 99..À peine tuilé...mais vraiment à peine. Tannins bien fondus, aucune rugosité,à 12.5% d'alcool, c'est vraiment soyeux....il lui manque seulement un peu plus de longueur et il serait vraiment top !
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4/13/2014 - Alex H wrote: 93 Points
What beautiful florals with sweet roses and sweet meats intermixed with eat and roasted notes. Coffee roast and deep brooding black cherry fruits. Such a seductive luscious wine. If ever a lafite to prove its price point this will be it.
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3/1/2014 - Tavastgatan wrote: 94 Points
Spectacular and quite special nose. This is the most elegant Pauillac you will ever find. Period.
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9/4/2013 - petitblanc wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous bottles, perhaps a bit hotter. Still a very light and elegant style, showing a fine sense of place and subtle power. Best shortly after opening. This has the structure for aging, but the light style suggests relatively early drinking and I don't know that the balance will ever be better than it is right now.
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9/3/2013 - pjaines Likes this wine:
Pretty much mute at the moment and really just needs more time, although there are impressive ingredients here. Thus far I can't remember being anything other than underwhelmed by the 1999 vintage overall - this was good, but just seems a bit flat and lacks the sparkle and shine of a wine of this stature.
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8/16/2013 - kwaky wrote: 93 Points
Burgundy v Bordeaux - Cellartracker (La Trompette, W4): Dark red in the glasss, not much bricking; good nose of fruit and soft tannins, a hint of acidity and good integration of fruit. Just not up to the mark compared to the rest of the flight.
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7/6/2013 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
Similar to the previous bottle, very elegant. This bottle was a bit more advanced, and while it evolved in the glass and showed superb complexity, I liked it best immediately after opening. Drink now or hold.
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6/22/2013 - Gporto wrote: 95 Points
I was saving this for a special occasion and opened it last night. With no decanting, this wine was simply wonderful. It was elegant with no tannin at all. It's hard to imagine any more time could improve it.
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5/7/2013 - petitblanc wrote: 94 Points
Linear and fairly simple for the moment, showing a very traditional and mostly primary Lafite profile including minty fruit, lead pencil and earth. This is quite light and elegant, perhaps showing the rain of the vintage, but the structure and quality are there, with perfect balance and lingering fine tannins. I would have no problem enjoying this now, or holding it another 10 years. From half bottle.
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2/2/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Great Wine Dinner with Friends and Wagyu (Western Chicago IL Suburbs): How often do you have a flight of 4 bottles of Bordeaux and nobody even talks about the Lafite Rothschild in the flight? Wonderful black fruit with some background cigar box, this was charming and close to entering its peak drinking window.
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11/3/2012 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Occasional dinner group; TOP Bordeaux 1999 (@ Two Michelin * Restaurant Boreas in Heeze, Netherlands.): The bouquet is a feast! Luxurious and complex with lead pencil plus the shavings, cedar, cassis and tobacco. On the palate the same impressions, black forest fruits, chocolate, good acidity and tannin. Already presenting itself beautifully and there is probably of power for another decade of cellaring.
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11/3/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 1999 overview (Restaurant Boreas, Heeze): Decadent and elegant in its perfume, this has a feminine and extremely seductive presentation. Vivid and full of fruit like black cherries and cassis. Tannic structure is still a bit present and needs a little more time to integrate. Spicy, touch of black pepper and cinnamon, generous and supple, sensitive dosage of oak. A young but stylish adolescent. Marvelous! 18.5-19/20
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8/18/2012 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
à Sacacomie
Un nez de mine de crayon, de cassis, légèrement fumé. De corps léger, la bouche a la finesse et l'élégance, le raffinement de Lafite. Il n'a pas la longueur des meilleurs millésimes, mais c'est un Prince d'une classe exceptionnelle. 92-93 pts
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5/30/2012 - moben wrote: 91 Points
Blind tasting 7/16th behind several Cali cabs and non-first growth Bordeauxs. Still tight after 5 hour decant. Will wait 5+ years before re-tasting.
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4/8/2012 - C40rider wrote: 91 Points
Could age more still tannin finish. Nice full body with fruit and cinnamon.
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2/20/2012 - fagerland wrote: 90 Points
20.02.2012: Drinking 1999 Château Lafite Rothschild. Beutiful, harmonic, tons of classical Bordeaux tastes. Still rough and will develop. 20 years to young. Keep. To early to say what score it will have when mature, but looks promising
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4/30/2011 - pjaines wrote:
Cambridge University / CellarTracker Dinner (Pembroke College, Cambridge): So so so young - in fact this was pretty much coiled up and gave little away. The tannins and structure are still quite prominent at the moment but what fruit does come out in precise and focused. Very good, but needs to sit in the cellar for 15 years.
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8/10/2010 - clementwolf wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind. Very sweet nose of cassis, blackcurrents and green pepper. Silky smooth on the palate with hints of lead pencil, berries and minerals. Texture is think for a Lafite but has quite a long finish (30s+). Would recommend at least 3 hours decanting and can last for at least another 20 years.
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5/30/2010 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Deep, dark ruby color. Lovely nose of graphite, spicy dark rasberries and sweet Lafite earth. Decanted for 5 hours and it needed every bit of it to fully open. Quite thickly textured with intense dark berry fruit and a wonderful minerality on the finish. Medium-to-full bodied with excellent richness and smooth, lead-pencil infused tannins. A terroir-driven Lafite that clearly needs more time but just lacks some of the the class and breed of the '96 and '90 tasted recently. Still, this is a friendly Lafite that I think will continue to surprise on the upside. 94+
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11/1/2009 - Grinner wrote: 95 Points
13th Annual Lyon 10 year Retrospective (Eugene, Oregon): Classic nose of pencil, cigar box, currants, and dark berries. Some wet stone and earth along for the ride with the black fruit palate. Great length! WOTN for most.
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9/19/2009 - wahoff wrote: 90 Points
10-year wedding anniversary (At home in Kraainem, Belgium): Dark color, no signs of evolution. Discrete nose. Seems closed in the mouth as well - refined mesh of tannins but little fruit. Excellent but disappointing given the pedigree of this wine. Hopefully still too young - this was only decanted 1 hour.
Robe sombre, pas de traces d'évolution. Nez discret. apparaît fermé en bouche également - une trame affinée de tannins mais peu de fruit. Excellent mais décevant au regard du pedigree de ce vin. En espérant que c'est n'est qu'un vice de jeunesse - peut-être aurions-nous dû le passer plus d'1 heure en carafe?
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8/29/2009 - T-Mac wrote:
A friend opened this the other night for a small group of friends and family. This was one of those times were you can tell that everyone at the table knows something isn't right but is afraid to say anything because "it's a Lafite." Anyway, half the people asked me afterwards what was wrong with the bottle. Brett...mother#$*ing brett. Damn the luck.
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6/19/2009 - gsquireh wrote: 95 Points
Classic Lafite with strong blackberry fruit, lead pencil, cedar,spice, earth, tobacco, spice and a note of vanilla. Beautifully built and balanced, a great lingering finish, but could use more time. Do not drink until 2013.
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6/12/2009 - NVWINE79 wrote: 91 Points
Classic bordeaux aromas, cassis, pencil lead, leather, firm but velvety tannins. A bit young but nice with a few hours of decanting. Should cellar well for 10+ years.
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5/9/2009 - ews3 wrote: 97 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour 2009 (Borgata -- Atlantic City, NJ): My WOTN. Black currant, cherry, plum, tobacco, leather, tar, earth -- but what made this was these really nice mint notes dancing on top of all the fruit and secondary notes. long, long finish.
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4/30/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: flawed
liked nose at first, but faded quickly
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4/30/2009 - jivey wrote: flawed
Offline Backstreet -
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4/30/2009 - jeff nowak wrote:
dave's bordeaux blowout (backstreet wine salon): lots of discussion about whether or not this was corked; not readily apparent to me. seemed to follow the vintage theme of being transitional.
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4/30/2009 - Alex G. wrote:
Some thought it was corked, if so it was only mildly so. In any case, the wine was at the bottom of the pack tonight.
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4/30/2009 - mattiasjansson wrote: flawed
Backstreet - Bordeaux (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix, AZ): Corked
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4/29/2009 - NittanyLion wrote:
Taken to Flannery Fest II -- needs more time or long decant to show its stuff
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3/14/2009 - mmyette wrote: 96 Points
What can I say about this wine? It is clearly the wine of the vintage for 99. Popped and poured after the 47 Cheval Blanc (sorry, not that good...). This wine is in its drinking window, with a nose of crushed granite, led pencil, and soft, ripe blackberry and cassis. Mouthfeel is full bodied, with velvety tannins, and good balance. Pulveriazed granite, red and black fruit, hints of plum, and roasted game. Finish was long, and caressing, with blackberry and hints of vanilla taking over. Really loved it.
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12/31/2008 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
This is not a memorable vintage for Lafite. Can't hold a candle to the 82 we had on Saturday, January 10th. I have had the misfortune to have poor experience w Lafite: 1961 drunk prematurely in 1970 w a client, Gerry Office, in NYC; 1978 at Azul w Richard Spring perhaps 5 years ago, barnyard was excessive; and the 99 which is unexceptional.
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11/15/2008 - loverboy wrote: 92 Points
Tasted blind, clearly pauillac nose with leather, tobacco leave, pencil lead, red berries, earth. No " lafite elegance" with this bottle. Big wine with huge finish.
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5/3/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 88 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Earth and barnyard. First overall experience with first growths and I guess I just dont get it. Now i understand these are not top vintages and are still quite young but I expected more. Red fruits poke through with more leather and a long finish. Good but not for me.
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10/6/2007 - dream wrote: 95 Points
Drunk out of half bottles at Veritas. Absolutely a stunning wine to drink and while its from an "off-vintage" that's drinking well young, the weight, depth and intensity resemble a top year. Clearly Lafite with its gorgeous lead pencil nose and classic dark cassis, black mineral and graphite flavors. It is fairly full-bodied and concentrated with a great, sleek texture and nearly perfect balance making it rich but oh so light on its feet. Goes down smooth and pure and obviously gets better and better with air. I can still taste the pure, refined, graphite black thing going on the next day and its making me long for another bottle. Drink now or in ten years.
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9/12/2007 - cgrimes wrote: 95 Points
Skinner Fine Wine Auction Reception (Boston, MA): Skinner auction reception. Deep garnet with no evidence of bricking yet. Beautiful nose of pencil shavings and cassis. Palate of cassis, cedar, wet stone, some earth with a good (but not overpowering) backbone of velvety tannins. This was just wonderful and seems to be at the beginning of its prime time. Both Ben and I agreed that this was the WOTN.
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8/17/2007 - wpd wrote: 92 Points
Very foward
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8/11/2007 - hcampana wrote: 91 Points
Had at Feldman's with Rick Ramos.
What a gorgeous nose this wine has! Elegant, clearly set in Pauillac with ample nobility, minerals, pencil shavings and a whole lot of class. Quintessentially elegant and classy. In the mouth, though, this wine dissapoints. It lacks fruit and is a bit austere and tannic. 94 for the nose, 87 points for the palate.
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3/31/2007 - jcgarcia wrote: 92 Points
Drank at Le Coq Au Vin in Orlando with Angus, Michael and Daniel. Nice match with the onion soup and then the duck confit. Medium bodied. Not much on the nose. Complex and elegant. Not much fruit.
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3/10/2007 - Barbara B wrote: 89 Points
Bibenda Day 2007 (AIS, Parco dei Principi, Rome): Nose offers nothing much but a little balsamic/herbal character, with some currants and other typical Cab Sauv fruits in the background. Palate of excellent tannins, med high, yet smooth and rich; roasted/toasted notes. Reasonable complexity, length and structure. First bottle was badly corked; second bottle was deemed untainted...
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2/9/2007 - psmith wrote:
A great assortment from a generous friend (Columbus, OH): Very lafite. Classy tobacco-scented nose, graphite and earth. Very young, medium bodied, but showing lots of potential.
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12/18/2006 - johnphinney8 wrote: 93 Points
Impressive nose of cedar and pencil shavings. Is not quite showing all its fruit yet, but is certainly opening up as it sits in the glass. The finish is perhaps the best part...it is subtle and fine and perfectly structured. Score reflects its current. closed state.
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11/20/2006 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
Long, silky, and complex, with graphite, slate, lead pencil, berries, and black currant, swirling into a consistent, long finish, with silky tannins, and wonderful persistence. A beautiful bottle of wine.
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8/28/2006 - JBBridge wrote: 93 Points
Nephew ATBridge, my wife and my mom consumed this bottle with filets at a very nice restaurant. We double decanted about three hours before consuming. Unfortunately, the stemware at the restaurant was rather small. Still, this was a great, young (in a good sense), classic Bordeaux. The nose (what we got of it) and initial taste were pronounced pencil lead and cedar. In the mid-palate, cassis, oak, some tobacco and a sweet, toasty coconut also came through. We missed the mint and flowers other have mentioned. Nice, long, fruit-dominated finish. Tannins were there, but just in the background. One surprise was that the wine gained in richness but otherwise did not evolve significantly over the two hours we drank it, which was probably because of the small wineglasses. We did not think the wine was closed down at this point. We have four bottles left, so we are looking forward to return visits over the next couple of decades.
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6/10/2006 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux Dinner, featuring a horizontal tasting of the '99 First Growths (Our home): Opened and tasted, allowed to breathe for 5 hours, then poured into individual glasses about 2 hours before tasting. Notes of pencil lead, cassis and cedar - which took a lot of coaxing. Long finish, dominated by ripe red cherries. This had shut down tight since it was opened, so significant decanting is recommended if drinking now. 93+.
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4/25/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Lafite Rothschild vertical (DB Bistro Moderne, NYC): Rich soy, smooth, sweet. Very nice typical 99 profile. A bit simple.
A-
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2/18/2006 - Stephan O wrote: 95 Points
A regal claret even though it's just a baby; it's surprisingly approachable despite its youth, assuming that you decant for an hour or two. I don't detect much of the signature cedar or lead pencil -- nor do I find the unresolved oak that others have detected -- but I do find a barrel of spice, blackcurrant, mint, earth, and leather, all wrapped up in a tight-knit, refined package. It's restrained but concentrated on the palate, with powerful tannins that will need several years to fully integrate (though they're not at all off-putting at this stage). It's got finesse to spare and may be worth another point a decade from now.
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2/10/2006 - dbkitc wrote:
A baby 96 -a bit less of everything, but delicious. (17)
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1/16/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
This was an interesting wine. I recently tasted the ’98 Lafite, and the ‘99 is very similar. The nose and taste would have linked them in a blind tasting. Both are very young, tannic, and structured. The ’99 was much more compact aromatically and in the taste. The recent ’98 showed better, but not significantly better. I sense that there is a lot of power hidden behind the tannic structure, and that it will unpack with time
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1/16/2006 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Great Wines at Brad's House (Minneapolis): Same bottle as Siggy's TN... (Thanks, Dave!). It was interesting to try a youger wine of similar pedigree next to the '82 Latour, '90 Leoville Las Cases and '61 Lynch-Bages (see TNs). However, the '99 Lafite seemed to suffer due to the extra dimensions the other, more mature wines offered. That said, the '99 did improve with air exposure (decanted and consumed over a few hours). This wine is in its first phase of life, with tannins yet to resolve - as well as some obvious new oak that will no doubt become more integrated over time. Deep notes of cassis and asphalt. I think that this showed us only a fraction of what will come in time, and it could end up benifitting tremendously from consumption during peak maturity - as was the case with the '83 Mouton last night (see TN).
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1/16/2006 - Siggy wrote: 93 Points
Follow Up Dinner of (Mostly) Bordeaux (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Infanticide, but a promising glimpse into what this wine will ultimately become. Plum, cassis, and blackberry fruit, with a slight hint of caramel. Huge tannins; medium to full body; lots of oak that will undoubtedly integrate with more time. Long finish. Needs at least 5 years. 93+ points.
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12/1/2005 - Harley1199 Likes this wine: 96 Points
With Vicente in the restaurant "El Amparo" of Madrid, celebrating to leave a work after 16 years on the same business. Without any doubt, one of my better ten top wines ever. A symphony of fruit-bearing smells, of caramels of violet, of smoothness accompanied by creamy tannins, of silk in the throat and of a very good price for a restaurant of such category. A deceitful vintage.
Con Vicente en el restaurante El Amparo de Madrid, celebrando el dejar un trabajo después de 16 años para la misma empresa. Sin duda, uno de los mejores diez vinos de mi vida. Una sinfonía de olores frutales, de caramelos de violeta, de suavidad acompañada de taninos cremosos, de seda en la garganta y de un muy buen precio para la categoría del restaurante. Una añada engañosa.
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9/10/2005 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux tasting at Binny's (Schaumburg Binny's): Deep dirty garnet color. The bouquet is full of floral notes, cassis, faint roasted game and cedar notes. Very elegant and balanced on the palate. Tight, some red fruit and cherry flavors. Very long finish.
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5/14/2005 - futronic wrote: 86 Points
Dark ruby/black colour. Aromas of cream, pencil shavings, tobacco. Medium-full bodied, still a bit biting. Again, restrained on the palate; austere, with a bit of sour cherry. Short finish, 15-20s.
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5/10/2005 - Wusman wrote: 96 Points
1999 First Growth Bordeaux Tasting (Seattle, WA): The bottle characterized by an eclipse. This was a fabulous wine that was a real treat to taste. Deep ruby without any hint of the brick that was seen on the Mouton. Nose of "lead pencil" - I honestly got it - with cedar dominating. Again, similar to the Latour, this wine seems like it needed a little coaxing to open up. The nose lovely albeit closed. The palate is full of subtle dark plumb, powerful blackfruits, and earth. The flavors nicely tied together with a powerful mouthfeel. Firm, yet sweet tannin on the finish that lingered a good while. Overall, my WOTN. I think this wine is about a 94 currently, but will likely improve to 96 with a little more age.
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6/21/2004 - jeff nowak wrote: flawed
corked
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10/2/2003 - R2-D2 wrote: 95 Points
Drinking wonderfully right now, no need to delay your gratification. Concerns about the light color in the wine keep it from being outstanding.
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11/8/2002 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Red Carpet: Less dark than Monbousquet; subtle nose, closing down? less stemmy, was not impressed; or maybe just saturated
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7/26/2002 - peternelson wrote: 95 Points
Red Carpet: Black coffee-like color; some coffee in nose, dark & brooding, closed in; subdued cassis, smoke; smooth, rich & silky full-bodied; glycerin, fat in the mouth, nice integrated t’s, maybe drink in 2006?
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