From a half bottle: Sous bois, cherry, raspberry, gravel; mature but very dignified on nose Extremely elegant, and while certainly manifesting a thinning, fading, and aging, there is remarkable presence, poise, life, substance, penetration, depth, and grace; pure and expansive; truly lovely
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Top shoulder. Nice color with browning at the edges. Just a little bit of fruit left on this. Mostly smoke and lead pencil. Just a hint of sweet, dark fruit left. White and smooth. Pleasant enough.
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Charming, in an old-school, classic manner, the wine is not weighty, instead, it provides aromatic complexity with its spices, dried roses, cedar, tobacco, cigar box, and creme de cases character. Medium-bodied, refined, and reserved, this is a perfect example of a mature claret. A bit more concentration and the score would have popped higher. This was a very well-stored bottle, which showed much-better than previous examples. Drink from 2024-2030.
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Whole Lotta Lafite; 1/26/2024-1/27/2024 (Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): We were blessed with an excellent exemple of 1966 Lafite, which can often be too lean and too mean. Not this bottle. Good healthy ruby color. Fine generosity in 1966 terms. The fruit is lively enough and the balance is impressive. Held up well in the glass. Undeniably pleasant drinking even if not a superstar.
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In our quarter case of 1966 Lafite Rothschild, we saved the bottle with the best ullage for last. Thank god we did too. Stored perfectly, each of the prior two bottles were great examples of the château, but this last one showed the true elegance of the producer. The nose was highly aromatic - perhaps more than the 90 Mouton it was paired with - as notes of tobacco, chocolate and light wood rang through. It was astonishing to see the fruit still fully intact as ripe red cherries were medlied with licorice, earthiness and light leather. This was the most balanced bottle of the three we had - elegance without being overpowering.
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Perhaps the answer to my unsureness around Lafite is just the ‘66. I seemed to like it the last time and I liked it this time too. It is a bit more delicate in style. Served next to a ‘66 Latour and while I don’t think it quite had the vibrancy of that wine (that was ex-cellar, this was auction) it was still drinking quite nicely. Still well in the window unlike our last bottle. Drinks nicely.
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If there was ever proof of wine being something that is both living and breathing as well as acting as a method of telling a story of a year in history, this 1966 Château Lafite-Rothschild epitomizes it. Nearly 60 years down the line, this bottle oozed the class of the house that produces it. A nose dominated by spices and a hint of red fruit, this bottle opened up to have much of the fruit - especially red cherries - still intact over each glass, which was then accompanied by a mid-palette consisting of cedar, pepper and tobacco, and finishing with an evolved tannin structure so many years down the line. This drank like many of the bottles from the 1980s I’ve had the chance to try surprisingly enough. This bottle maintained its peak for about an hour and a half before fading, but with the excitement we possessed upon tasting it, and finding it was still very much a great wine, that’s all the time we needed to drink it and truly appreciate its brilliance and elegance. Emotionally this is a 100 point bottle of wine - it’s a piece of history not only for Bordeaux and winemaking, but also in my journey with wine. Critically though, on the day, I gave it 94 points.
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Commanderie de Bordeaux: Winter Parlement - Chateau Lafite (The Minikahda Club, Mpls): Medium bricked red color with a 12mm transition to clear. Followed a glass over 2 hours plus in a flight next to the '70. This has a strong burnt rubber note on the nose, creosote, smoke, cigar ash, dried character, with ground leaves, somewhat high toned with little fruit showing. I just think we had an off bottle here. Score reserved, gut 87pts. .
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Lighter in color, and more translucent than the others. On the nose, herbal notes, perhaps a hint of brett, too. Fruit has faded. Tart. Some spice and maybe a cinnamon note. More interesting than enjoyable. Not as good as the last bottle we had about five years ago, and that bottle was also not completely sound. This bottle was bought on release by my friends father and the provenance is good.
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It is a special occasion indeed when magic pours from of a bottle that was 56 years in the making. It is all the more meaningful when it is the arc of family and friendship across time and space that allows for the occasion.
This momentous occasion did not begin auspiciously, however. With foil cut away the cork showed thick black fungus, marinating in a drop of red wine. The cork began to slide out cleanly, perhaps greased by the wine that had completely soaked through the, until just the very end remaining in the bottle broke off. It was, however, our great fortune that allowed us to gently lift out the last piece still intact.
After a few minutes of bottle oxidation (and anxiety), we gently poured this dusty bottle to glass and were astonished to behold a perfectly intact 56 year old Bordeaux. Garnet, almost brick in color, with a watery edge but also a ruby trace at core that bore witness to its age like rings on a tree. You could even mistake it for an old Burgundy in more ways than one.
The nose was an intense perfume of lavender, cedar, mushroom, earth and leather. The palate was old and sweet, red fruit all the way: strawberry, raspberry, cherry, plum. The tannins were for all intents and purposes just gone. A swish of the tongue hinted at the grip that may have been, but it quickly yielded to silk and satin. The body was light and airy, and the acidity was pure perfection. A long finish is 15-20 seconds. What do you call it when you can still taste it 48 hours later?
These are the fleeting moments made of wine, friends, and magic. You never know when it will all line up, but it is indeed a humbling experience when it does.
23 years since my last bottle. Nose of fresh, light and dark fruits, lavender, lead pencil, saddle leather and cedar shavings. Light pinot red color on pour then orange/pink at the rim and translucent. Surprisingly rich yet light fresh red fruits alive at front, unfold and cover mid palate then expands in waves on the back end. Perfect acidic balance with nearly resolved tannins that show on the finish. One hour decant and going strong after 5 hours. Drinking beautifully now and will stay here for years. Amazing wine.
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Maybe one of the best Lafites I've had although I've yet to have the experience with this wine that would help me understand why it's so many people's favorite Bordeaux. This was that just past the peak place where the acid is more there and it's got some edges to it and yet I quite like that spot because I find it's more secondary and tertiary and with the acid quite balanced and yet there is a softness to it as well. Very nice.
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Smells a little bretty, but also like aged cab franc. Slightly tart but there is also a sweet aged leather note. A fair amount of fruit remaining and while I would know the wine is older, I would underestimate its age. I thought this was more interesting than the Latour, though this bottle isn’t as sound. I’d like to sit with this for a while.
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A Splendid Pre-Holiday Celebration With the London Crew (67 Pall Mall): Good color and fill, a real treat to taste. Light-bodied and tertiary, with perfumed notes of gentle red fruit and cigar ash. The acidity was still there, and the resulting tension made the wine enjoyable in its own right, not just as some historical relic.
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Route 66 - Bordeaux Exploration (Vaucluse Townhouse): Pauillac D: First bottle was off, but we had a back-up! Back-up too though had some of that barnyard funk going although nowhere near the same level as the first bottle. It's darker and more brooding of a wine. I have often said that the 'L' first growths and I think that's still true here. To me the Mouton and Lalande overshadowed this.
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Acker April 2019 (Marea in NYC): Again very pretty and classic. Fruit much more muted. This is classic bordeaux with the library and the cigar and all of that fun stuff. It's well structured. Probably time to drink up, but very much in the enjoyable phase.
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Lafite Vertical - More Hope than Substance? (Valentino's Cucina, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): Some around the table thought this bottle was corked and after a few sips, I reluctantly agreed. This was a recent purchase with a good appearance, top shoulder level, crumbly wet cork and heavy sediment on the decant. Tawny color, like tea, faint nose which is not entirely clean. Frail on the palate, tangy finish. Some thought it was musty or moldy and although I did not pick up on that, I could see it was not a good bottle.
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At the Lafite Vertical Dinner, Amuse Bouche Hong Kong - A nice sweetness here, together with many of the characteristics of mature claret. Another strong Left Bank year where Latour surpasses Lafite though.
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Day 1 in Piedmont (Vietti, Prunotto, & Bartolo Mascarello) (Piedmont, Italy): Not a great Lafite, but a correct Lafite. Had echoes of its past self with subtle dark berries, graphite, & earth...but this was a tired wine. Basalmic and soy were present and most of us felt that this was a number of years on the downside of its arc.
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Bordeaux Birthday Oldies; 2/10/2017-2/18/2017: Fascinating wine. Pale color, no browning. Incredibly complex if faint bouquet of primrose, then tobacco ash, old leather and much more I cannot describe. It's mostly tertiary but lifted by floral notes and supremely elegant. Changes by the minute in the glass, a contemplative wine. As Jeff Leve notes, the palate does not live up to the bouquet. Nevertheless, it's sound and well balanced and not too acidic. Light in body, yet still a trace of tannins, so finishes well. Maybe better ten or twenty years ago, but then again, maybe not. Lafite evolves in mysterious ways.
This wine was ready, tertiary and reasonably complex and enjoyable to drink. However, this is a nice wine, not a great wine but drinking at or just past its apogee right now.
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Enjoyed as part of my 50th birthday celebration. Sommelier decanted while we had appetizers. Cork was in still holding up strong. Tannins are virtually gone but still some fruit left. It turned out to be a light body wine which we really enjoyed. Sommelier enjoyed as well. Nice starter wine with dinner before a 95 Opus. Still have 3 more so will see how they hold up.
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Daniel's 50th Birthday Dinner (Seasons By Olivier E., 3/F, Two Lee Gardens, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong): Slightly separated semi-transparent dusky brown-ruby colour. Nose is laser-focused, linear graphite and pencil lead - unmistakably Lafite but misssing the usual wow! Palate is wonderfully carved from a single block of graphite but is rather dilute strawberry in the remaining fruit to which there is some perfumed spice. Not much length. The nose died quite quickly and I am not sure that this was ever a masterpiece vintage for Lafite......which I'd also say for the CH. Margaux we drank as part of the 4-bottle horizontal. We all agreed that if you are celebrating your 50th with Bordeaux this year then the Ch. Gruaud Larose and the Ch. Palmer will leave you with a bigger smile on your face.....although the Dom Perignon 1966 on the night was a class apart.
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Very difficult to attach a numerical score to a wine like this... This was clearly a long and difficult period in the illustrious history of Lafite. for a vintage like 1966, the wine shown a considerable amount of green, stemmy character. Not unpleasant though perhaps polarizing...You would expect a little more generosity and complexity from this vintage. In return, I expect that the wine can hold on for several more decades with this very lean, tight structure. It worked very well with the venison. I understand that there is considerable bottle variation for this wine.
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This bottle was sacrificed in celebration of my (belated) 50th, and I couldn't have been more giddy to take its remaining life. First impression was the extraordinary condition of the cork: while in the bottle, the very top surface was clean save for a touch of mold; the sides stained but entirely firm, all the way to the nearly-black, saturated base. A traditional corkscrew could have been used without challenge.
Though slightly bricked, the red hue held firm, and the aromas were nothing short of stunning for the duration of the meal. Lively acidity, musty muskiness, traces of Cab fruit, blood, maybe some leather and spice....who the hell knows/cares. In the end, it held some of its complexity and mystery and presented regally for a short window. At about 15 minutes the wine went dumb but surged back with more air, pumping up the tannins, bringing more aromatics and stretching the finish to the 60-second mark. By minute 40 or so it seemed gone...and it was (literally).
I'm not going to score the bottle, though/and it will remain a most special moment, knowing we both made it to this point with relative grace.
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Light in weight and color, with serious bricking, the wine requires drinking. What you should find is a pleasant, elegant, spicy, red cherry charmer that is nice enough, but it's well below First Growth quality. Drink up as there is no future here.
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One of the more memorable and unique wine experiences I have had. Drank for my 50th birthday. Fruit is leaving the building but there's still wonderful secondaries of black tea, eucalyptus , cedar, etc. The nose has wonderful cedar and pine notes. Very balanced and delicate at this point.... I guess this is exactly what a 50 year old Bordeaux should be.
Showing rather admirably for a 50 year old wine. At its best with about 5 minutes in the decanter - just enough time to shake off some of the bottle funk before unraveling. Svelte profile; full of cedar, cigar, wisps of redcurrant, mineral, and leather. Certainly fine boned; extremely drinkable. In fact, the bottle disappeared quickly! However, it was for the best as it showed best early on. Excellent with the suckling pig. High shoulder, decanted for sediment. I would have loved to drink this about 15-20 years ago when I expect it was quite a bit better.
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BYO Dinner (Tocqueville): Good nose but surprisingly soft fruit, more ripe strawberry and raspberry than darker fruits. Beautiful damp soily notes, damp leathers. Still made for good drinking tonight but perhaps a touch milky / cloudy. Sort of surprised to see a Lafite somewhat defeated and this tired. Soft roses. Actually a bit better after two+ hours, quite rustic.
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Just love to think about what have happened since these grapes were picked and made into juice and to when I opened this bottle tonight. A really special bottle. No man had set foot on the moon yet and this bottle was resting, waiting for this day. Fill just about the top shoulder of bottle. Did not decanter. Pulled the cork, tiny bit of farmyard but that blew off. It sat for 30 minutes. Then - Nose just fantastic, first notes would be a bit minty, medicinal, herbal, marzipan, cheery, maraschino cherry, blueberry, cedar, pine, leather and fruit. Nice old fruit, sweet, but not like prune. Pouring it, red, tiny orange, a bit cloudy but hey...it is 50 years old ! Not to much sediment. Drinking it. Earthy, dried mushrooms, red fruits, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, a bit sour cherry, silky smooth. Complex but of course not bold, subtle well integrated notes. Each pour was identical but wine deteriorated in the glass. If you have these bottles - don't wait. Invite me over and I'll help you finish them. Based on this bottle don't decanter.
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Dinner with the Best of Krug, with Olivier Krug (Northbrook, IL): Mature black fruit with lots of cigar box and cooked mushroom hints. We didn't have time to give this much air or time so have no insight into how it would evolve with more time in glass. Moderate length or power, but almost perfect balance. Very nice of Ken to open to honor Olivier Krug being a "1966."
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on open a bit thin but after 10 minutes wow.still has some tobacco and leather along with a minty flavor.still drinking fairly well with no sediment.you could see the sediment in the glass floating.great bottle of wine .
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Domaine Wine Storage Holiday Party (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): From magnum. Lots of vegetal notes on the nose and palate. Thought to myself, "wow, this tastes just like Chinon". While I was happy as a clam enjoying this overpriced Chinon, others that have had this before were horrified by its decay.
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Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Blind tasting, brought by Ken and "opened" using his new-fangled Coravin wine dispensing toy. Earthy aromas with hints of firm black fruit, lots of great texture on palate. This stated very earthy, picked up some weight and more dimension with more air. What a great fluke that Ken brought this wonderful wine the same day I brought Haut Brion 1966.
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Although the cork broke while opening, this was a wine that truly stood the test of time. Garnet color. Decanted. After about 15 minutes it opened up with an aroma of cedar. Sweet cedar taste. Not much time left for this great wine.
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Unfortunately, after storing this wine for 40 years, when I opened it, I found the cork deteriorated and the wine ruined. I had two other bottles consumed over 15 years ago and they lasted OK.
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What a great wine. After 46 years in the bottle you are never sure what to expect. The bottle had been properly cellared and after it was decanted the flavor was very nice. Had hints of leather and the overall taste was very nice. Still could pick up some of the fruit flavors of the grapes. I only wish I had a couple more bottles.
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Still drinking well at 46 years. Light in color, and light bodied but full of flavor. Turning a bit brown, but no Maderization in the taste. This bottle had a high shoulder fill. A delightfully underspoken Lafite.
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ERI November Auction and Tasting (Union League Club of Chicago): This might have been the dissapointment of the day for me. I don't think this was showing well at all. I had a hard time coaxking anything but a bit of stweed fruit out of this. Maybe some coffee. Not exciting at all. Not sure about the bottle, so no rating.
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The wine was light in color and in body. But the aromatics were complex. The aromatics were the best part of the experience. Spice, cherry pipe tobacco, cedar, cassis, herbs and minerals led into a soft, light, elegant strawberry, cherry tinted finish. This was better 10-15 years ago. The fruit is slowly fading.
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Medium red in color. Clearly showing its age. Nose of mushrooms, and smokiness.. acidity is there, but a lot of the fruit has faded. Enjoyable for the experience.
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My first Lafite. Nose - mushroomy, truffle, per cindy leather mouth - still very alive. most savory but on the finish a touch of sweet comes through. flavors i get include light cherry, cranberry, and ice tea. Light fruit and still tannins on the finish providing balance for this 44 year old bottle of wine.
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Slow ox'ed for three hours and decanted for another full hour before tasting. Not a Lafite that would be issued in the modern era. The '66 is light in body and filled with sous bois aromas of tobacco, mushrooms and ash. The things that make the wine First Growth are its sweet cassis mid-palate and its long gravelly tobacco and lead pencil finish...and the fact that it's still drinking pretty well at forty-three years of age...and the fact that it got better and better over the course of the evening.
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Deep red color with a barnyard nose. This was opened but not decanted for 2 hours. Very nicely balanced with flavors of cherry and currant. A bit of mushroom and smoke once the wine had some time in the glass.
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Decant 30 minutes. Dark red / browning on the edges. Fine sediments through out. Tried to filter but can't get rid all of it. Nose of cherries, leather, mushroom, and some funk. Notes of fruit on the palate with lots of elegance and finesse. Smooth and medium finish.
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A lovely bottle, which had obviously been perfectly stored for almost 40 years. The fill was still into the neck. The nose possessed a mildew-like funkiness that was dominant, but plenty of fruity aromatics remain. Cherry notes were evident on the palate, but the wine’s brightness in the mouth was its most evident and charming characteristic. It was like kissing an 80-year-old woman on the cheek—soft and silky, but still old and wrinkled.
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Past its prime as expected. Not stored well by original owner (it was a gift to me and they told me they left it in the kitchen for a long long time). Still was ok to drink but nothing memorable. Impressive that it lasted this long though without going bad in a vintage that no one would claim to be great.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Vieux Telegraphe (Dave's House): From half bottle. Classic Pauillac on the nose and palate -- pencil lead, cedar, and dark fruit. Medium-weight. The palate picks up some rainwater/iron faucet and vitamin pill minerality to go with the high-toned dark fruit. Elegant and really well-balanced.
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Chronicle: Dark opaque brown/prune color; real prune juice nose/flavor! then tocacco, leaves, sweet cigar leaf, good all around although I had the last 2 oz of a sediment filled mag!
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Out of a half bottle. Actually quite good, if a bit unremarkable. Followed the 61 HB, so suffered somewhat by comparison. I would drink with pleasure anytime.
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got it as a present, gonna open it tomorrow!!!! awesome.... i´ll let you know if I find the truffels and I hope a mag will hold the fruit a little longer. later
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The color was a light ruby with rust tinted edges. The nose offered cedar, mushrooms, leather, forests and eucalyptus scents. Full bodied and fully mature, the chocolate covered, cherry and blackberry tasting fruit, displayed that displayed the patina of age was only marred by the short finish and the fact that wine faded in the glass after 20 minutes.
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Seattle Tasting Group 'End of Year Dinner' (Sammamish, WA, USA): This had everything you could look for on the nose of a great wine. Very complex, sweet and floral with truffle (and this was just before truffle risotto was served) and mushroom. The palate was a bit of a letdown with slight sweetness and earthiness, but the fruit was long gone. From the color I guessed 1970 Bordeaux and came within four years. (Group average 94.11)
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Poorly stored bottle, opened at the Symphony of the Americas Benefit Dinner. Elegant bouquet. Intriguingly complex floral bouquet. Off to a good start. A touch of volatile acidity, perhaps but still fine. But completely shot on the palate. Totally dried out. Almost no fruit. Browning. Poor.
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Regional Wine and Sprit Rare Wine Tasting: showing its age - quite light - rust with brown hints at the edge. On the nose - classic cedar bix - smokey oak, some fruit, pencil shavings and a bit of herbaciousness. Light bodied in the mouth - elegant long finish - good mid palate - very harmonious but in the end nothing special.
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Tasted a second time in two days, during the Singer & Foy tasting of '66 Bordeaux weekend. This time, sweet perfume seems better, more complex, ethereal today. On the palate, seems rich and elegant, light and concentrated, at the same time. It is stunning. 5-13-18-9: 95/100.
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With MPL and BLR at S&F survey of '66 Bordeaux. Fine mature color, but lighter than most. Fine nose. Is it mint I smell? I like it! On the palate, fine yet rich flavor. Excellent wine overall. Wow! 5-12-17-8: 92/100.
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I bought a case of this at Marty's around 1974 ($16.99 a bottle, I believe). I drank through much or all of it (may have sold a few). As I recall it was a fine wine of medium intensity. Very nice but not fabulous in the 70s and 80s. Now the 1970 Latour at $20 was a different story.
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4/3/2024 - wineappreciation wrote: 95 Points
From a half bottle: Sous bois, cherry, raspberry, gravel; mature but very dignified on nose
Extremely elegant, and while certainly manifesting a thinning, fading, and aging, there is remarkable presence, poise, life, substance, penetration, depth, and grace; pure and expansive; truly lovely
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3/29/2024 - johnh1001 wrote: 88 Points
Top shoulder. Nice color with browning at the edges. Just a little bit of fruit left on this. Mostly smoke and lead pencil. Just a hint of sweet, dark fruit left. White and smooth. Pleasant enough.
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2/4/2024 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Charming, in an old-school, classic manner, the wine is not weighty, instead, it provides aromatic complexity with its spices, dried roses, cedar, tobacco, cigar box, and creme de cases character. Medium-bodied, refined, and reserved, this is a perfect example of a mature claret. A bit more concentration and the score would have popped higher. This was a very well-stored bottle, which showed much-better than previous examples. Drink from 2024-2030.
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1/27/2024 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Whole Lotta Lafite; 1/26/2024-1/27/2024 (Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): We were blessed with an excellent exemple of 1966 Lafite, which can often be too lean and too mean. Not this bottle. Good healthy ruby color. Fine generosity in 1966 terms. The fruit is lively enough and the balance is impressive. Held up well in the glass. Undeniably pleasant drinking even if not a superstar.
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10/6/2023 - Shivr26 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork 10/10. Did not decant. She's still got it. Hardly any acidity. Just an amazing bottle.
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7/18/2023 - ankitmehra Likes this wine: 96 Points
In our quarter case of 1966 Lafite Rothschild, we saved the bottle with the best ullage for last. Thank god we did too. Stored perfectly, each of the prior two bottles were great examples of the château, but this last one showed the true elegance of the producer. The nose was highly aromatic - perhaps more than the 90 Mouton it was paired with - as notes of tobacco, chocolate and light wood rang through. It was astonishing to see the fruit still fully intact as ripe red cherries were medlied with licorice, earthiness and light leather. This was the most balanced bottle of the three we had - elegance without being overpowering.
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6/22/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Perhaps the answer to my unsureness around Lafite is just the ‘66. I seemed to like it the last time and I liked it this time too. It is a bit more delicate in style. Served next to a ‘66 Latour and while I don’t think it quite had the vibrancy of that wine (that was ex-cellar, this was auction) it was still drinking quite nicely. Still well in the window unlike our last bottle. Drinks nicely.
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5/6/2023 - ankitmehra Likes this wine: 94 Points
If there was ever proof of wine being something that is both living and breathing as well as acting as a method of telling a story of a year in history, this 1966 Château Lafite-Rothschild epitomizes it. Nearly 60 years down the line, this bottle oozed the class of the house that produces it. A nose dominated by spices and a hint of red fruit, this bottle opened up to have much of the fruit - especially red cherries - still intact over each glass, which was then accompanied by a mid-palette consisting of cedar, pepper and tobacco, and finishing with an evolved tannin structure so many years down the line. This drank like many of the bottles from the 1980s I’ve had the chance to try surprisingly enough. This bottle maintained its peak for about an hour and a half before fading, but with the excitement we possessed upon tasting it, and finding it was still very much a great wine, that’s all the time we needed to drink it and truly appreciate its brilliance and elegance. Emotionally this is a 100 point bottle of wine - it’s a piece of history not only for Bordeaux and winemaking, but also in my journey with wine. Critically though, on the day, I gave it 94 points.
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12/16/2022 - rocknroller wrote:
Commanderie de Bordeaux: Winter Parlement - Chateau Lafite (The Minikahda Club, Mpls): Medium bricked red color with a 12mm transition to clear. Followed a glass over 2 hours plus in a flight next to the '70. This has a strong burnt rubber note on the nose, creosote, smoke, cigar ash, dried character, with ground leaves, somewhat high toned with little fruit showing. I just think we had an off bottle here. Score reserved, gut 87pts. .
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11/12/2022 - Outplaying wrote:
Lighter in color, and more translucent than the others. On the nose, herbal notes, perhaps a hint of brett, too. Fruit has faded. Tart. Some spice and maybe a cinnamon note. More interesting than enjoyable. Not as good as the last bottle we had about five years ago, and that bottle was also not completely sound. This bottle was bought on release by my friends father and the provenance is good.
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10/21/2022 - apg23 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Incredible. Tart cherry, wonderful texture. How can it be this good 56 years later??
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7/12/2022 - El_Dougo Likes this wine: 94 Points
It is a special occasion indeed when magic pours from of a bottle that was 56 years in the making. It is all the more meaningful when it is the arc of family and friendship across time and space that allows for the occasion.
This momentous occasion did not begin auspiciously, however. With foil cut away the cork showed thick black fungus, marinating in a drop of red wine. The cork began to slide out cleanly, perhaps greased by the wine that had completely soaked through the, until just the very end remaining in the bottle broke off. It was, however, our great fortune that allowed us to gently lift out the last piece still intact.
After a few minutes of bottle oxidation (and anxiety), we gently poured this dusty bottle to glass and were astonished to behold a perfectly intact 56 year old Bordeaux. Garnet, almost brick in color, with a watery edge but also a ruby trace at core that bore witness to its age like rings on a tree. You could even mistake it for an old Burgundy in more ways than one.
The nose was an intense perfume of lavender, cedar, mushroom, earth and leather. The palate was old and sweet, red fruit all the way: strawberry, raspberry, cherry, plum. The tannins were for all intents and purposes just gone. A swish of the tongue hinted at the grip that may have been, but it quickly yielded to silk and satin. The body was light and airy, and the acidity was pure perfection. A long finish is 15-20 seconds. What do you call it when you can still taste it 48 hours later?
These are the fleeting moments made of wine, friends, and magic. You never know when it will all line up, but it is indeed a humbling experience when it does.
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6/30/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Birthday Dinner Featuring Bonneau du Martray and the Very Best of Chambolle-Musigny (The Bristol - Chicago IL): Served double blind, I thought this was just a bad wine, but then everybody else pointed out that it was just a bad Bordeaux. In fact, Ken found this in his cellar clean-up, being a bottle he initially Coravin'ed NINE years ago. Basically dead and completely uninteresting.
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5/21/2022 - punter wrote: 93 Points
23 years since my last bottle. Nose of fresh, light and dark fruits, lavender, lead pencil, saddle leather and cedar shavings. Light pinot red color on pour then orange/pink at the rim and translucent. Surprisingly rich yet light fresh red fruits alive at front, unfold and cover mid palate then expands in waves on the back end. Perfect acidic balance with nearly resolved tannins that show on the finish. One hour decant and going strong after 5 hours. Drinking beautifully now and will stay here for years. Amazing wine.
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4/1/2022 - Vmanta wrote: 91 Points
Touch of robitussin and mentho with delicate black fruit. A bit over the hill but still a beautiful wine.
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12/5/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Maybe one of the best Lafites I've had although I've yet to have the experience with this wine that would help me understand why it's so many people's favorite Bordeaux. This was that just past the peak place where the acid is more there and it's got some edges to it and yet I quite like that spot because I find it's more secondary and tertiary and with the acid quite balanced and yet there is a softness to it as well. Very nice.
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6/23/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
All savory and seriously complex. Light and tenous, maybe recorded. Delicious.
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10/24/2020 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lean wine. Very elegant. Classic tertiary Bordeaux with mineral, wet forest floor, earth and hints of black and red fruit. Very nice wine.
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12/21/2019 - Outplaying wrote:
Smells a little bretty, but also like aged cab franc. Slightly tart but there is also a sweet aged leather note. A fair amount of fruit remaining and while I would know the wine is older, I would underestimate its age. I thought this was more interesting than the Latour, though this bottle isn’t as sound. I’d like to sit with this for a while.
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12/13/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 91 Points
A Splendid Pre-Holiday Celebration With the London Crew (67 Pall Mall): Good color and fill, a real treat to taste. Light-bodied and tertiary, with perfumed notes of gentle red fruit and cigar ash. The acidity was still there, and the resulting tension made the wine enjoyable in its own right, not just as some historical relic.
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5/29/2019 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Route 66 - Bordeaux Exploration (Vaucluse Townhouse): Pauillac D: First bottle was off, but we had a back-up! Back-up too though had some of that barnyard funk going although nowhere near the same level as the first bottle. It's darker and more brooding of a wine. I have often said that the 'L' first growths and I think that's still true here. To me the Mouton and Lalande overshadowed this.
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5/11/2019 - wine&roses wrote:
Spectral, but a noble specter.
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4/6/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker April 2019 (Marea in NYC): Again very pretty and classic. Fruit much more muted. This is classic bordeaux with the library and the cigar and all of that fun stuff. It's well structured. Probably time to drink up, but very much in the enjoyable phase.
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4/6/2019 - hprphf wrote: 90 Points
Acker April Auction 2019 (sad day) (Marea): Aged quite well, with vintage freshness still. 90
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12/1/2018 - Sean Tay wrote:
It smells like forest floor, mushroom, toast, sandalwood, black pepper and cinnamon.
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7/28/2018 - MC2 Wines wrote: flawed
First visit to Cafe Matisse (Friends House + Cafe Matisse): Corked unfortunately. We tried to air it out, but that wet cardboard just got more pronounced.
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2/23/2018 - sdr wrote: flawed
Château Lafite - the Rematch (Cafe Maxx, Pompano Beach, Florida): At first, just lean but then it became apparent it was lightly corked (again).
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12/16/2017 - sdr Does not like this wine: flawed
Lafite Vertical - More Hope than Substance? (Valentino's Cucina, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): Some around the table thought this bottle was corked and after a few sips, I reluctantly agreed. This was a recent purchase with a good appearance, top shoulder level, crumbly wet cork and heavy sediment on the decant. Tawny color, like tea, faint nose which is not entirely clean. Frail on the palate, tangy finish. Some thought it was musty or moldy and although I did not pick up on that, I could see it was not a good bottle.
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10/6/2017 - KoalaHK wrote:
At the Lafite Vertical Dinner, Amuse Bouche Hong Kong - A nice sweetness here, together with many of the characteristics of mature claret. Another strong Left Bank year where Latour surpasses Lafite though.
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10/6/2017 - fcxj wrote: 86 Points
NM Lafite. Cedar box aromatics and savory palate. Finishes short.
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5/22/2017 - tooch wrote: 86 Points
Day 1 in Piedmont (Vietti, Prunotto, & Bartolo Mascarello) (Piedmont, Italy): Not a great Lafite, but a correct Lafite. Had echoes of its past self with subtle dark berries, graphite, & earth...but this was a tired wine. Basalmic and soy were present and most of us felt that this was a number of years on the downside of its arc.
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2/11/2017 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bordeaux Birthday Oldies; 2/10/2017-2/18/2017: Fascinating wine. Pale color, no browning. Incredibly complex if faint bouquet of primrose, then tobacco ash, old leather and much more I cannot describe. It's mostly tertiary but lifted by floral notes and supremely elegant. Changes by the minute in the glass, a contemplative wine. As Jeff Leve notes, the palate does not live up to the bouquet. Nevertheless, it's sound and well balanced and not too acidic. Light in body, yet still a trace of tannins, so finishes well. Maybe better ten or twenty years ago, but then again, maybe not. Lafite evolves in mysterious ways.
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2/10/2017 - ricknat1 wrote: 90 Points
This wine was ready, tertiary and reasonably complex and enjoyable to drink. However, this is a nice wine, not a great wine but drinking at or just past its apogee right now.
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12/25/2016 - camachodavalos wrote: flawed
Too late to drink. I'm going to enjoy grate salads with Lafite Vinegar.
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11/25/2016 - lovemycab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Enjoyed as part of my 50th birthday celebration. Sommelier decanted while we had appetizers. Cork was in still holding up strong. Tannins are virtually gone but still some fruit left. It turned out to be a light body wine which we really enjoyed. Sommelier enjoyed as well. Nice starter wine with dinner before a 95 Opus. Still have 3 more so will see how they hold up.
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11/12/2016 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 88 Points
Daniel's 50th Birthday Dinner (Seasons By Olivier E., 3/F, Two Lee Gardens, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong): Slightly separated semi-transparent dusky brown-ruby colour. Nose is laser-focused, linear graphite and pencil lead - unmistakably Lafite but misssing the usual wow! Palate is wonderfully carved from a single block of graphite but is rather dilute strawberry in the remaining fruit to which there is some perfumed spice. Not much length. The nose died quite quickly and I am not sure that this was ever a masterpiece vintage for Lafite......which I'd also say for the CH. Margaux we drank as part of the 4-bottle horizontal. We all agreed that if you are celebrating your 50th with Bordeaux this year then the Ch. Gruaud Larose and the Ch. Palmer will leave you with a bigger smile on your face.....although the Dom Perignon 1966 on the night was a class apart.
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10/30/2016 - vagrantone wrote: 88 Points
Very difficult to attach a numerical score to a wine like this...
This was clearly a long and difficult period in the illustrious history of Lafite. for a vintage like 1966, the wine shown a considerable amount of green, stemmy character. Not unpleasant though perhaps polarizing...You would expect a little more generosity and complexity from this vintage. In return, I expect that the wine can hold on for several more decades with this very lean, tight structure. It worked very well with the venison.
I understand that there is considerable bottle variation for this wine.
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9/25/2016 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:
This bottle was sacrificed in celebration of my (belated) 50th, and I couldn't have been more giddy to take its remaining life. First impression was the extraordinary condition of the cork: while in the bottle, the very top surface was clean save for a touch of mold; the sides stained but entirely firm, all the way to the nearly-black, saturated base. A traditional corkscrew could have been used without challenge.
Though slightly bricked, the red hue held firm, and the aromas were nothing short of stunning for the duration of the meal. Lively acidity, musty muskiness, traces of Cab fruit, blood, maybe some leather and spice....who the hell knows/cares. In the end, it held some of its complexity and mystery and presented regally for a short window. At about 15 minutes the wine went dumb but surged back with more air, pumping up the tannins, bringing more aromatics and stretching the finish to the 60-second mark. By minute 40 or so it seemed gone...and it was (literally).
I'm not going to score the bottle, though/and it will remain a most special moment, knowing we both made it to this point with relative grace.
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7/28/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 85 Points
Light in weight and color, with serious bricking, the wine requires drinking. What you should find is a pleasant, elegant, spicy, red cherry charmer that is nice enough, but it's well below First Growth quality. Drink up as there is no future here.
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7/12/2016 - ovenmitt wrote: 97 Points
One of the more memorable and unique wine experiences I have had. Drank for my 50th birthday. Fruit is leaving the building but there's still wonderful secondaries of black tea, eucalyptus , cedar, etc. The nose has wonderful cedar and pine notes. Very balanced and delicate at this point.... I guess this is exactly what a 50 year old Bordeaux should be.
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6/21/2016 - englishman's claret wrote: 91 Points
Showing rather admirably for a 50 year old wine. At its best with about 5 minutes in the decanter - just enough time to shake off some of the bottle funk before unraveling. Svelte profile; full of cedar, cigar, wisps of redcurrant, mineral, and leather. Certainly fine boned; extremely drinkable. In fact, the bottle disappeared quickly! However, it was for the best as it showed best early on. Excellent with the suckling pig. High shoulder, decanted for sediment. I would have loved to drink this about 15-20 years ago when I expect it was quite a bit better.
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5/6/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 91 Points
BYO Dinner (Tocqueville): Good nose but surprisingly soft fruit, more ripe strawberry and raspberry than darker fruits. Beautiful damp soily notes, damp leathers. Still made for good drinking tonight but perhaps a touch milky / cloudy. Sort of surprised to see a Lafite somewhat defeated and this tired. Soft roses. Actually a bit better after two+ hours, quite rustic.
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2/25/2016 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just love to think about what have happened since these grapes were picked and made into juice and to when I opened this bottle tonight. A really special bottle. No man had set foot on the moon yet and this bottle was resting, waiting for this day. Fill just about the top shoulder of bottle. Did not decanter. Pulled the cork, tiny bit of farmyard but that blew off. It sat for 30 minutes. Then - Nose just fantastic, first notes would be a bit minty, medicinal, herbal, marzipan, cheery, maraschino cherry, blueberry, cedar, pine, leather and fruit. Nice old fruit, sweet, but not like prune. Pouring it, red, tiny orange, a bit cloudy but hey...it is 50 years old ! Not to much sediment. Drinking it. Earthy, dried mushrooms, red fruits, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, a bit sour cherry, silky smooth. Complex but of course not bold, subtle well integrated notes. Each pour was identical but wine deteriorated in the glass. If you have these bottles - don't wait. Invite me over and I'll help you finish them. Based on this bottle don't decanter.
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12/11/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sampled at The Sampler. Immaculate condition. Bright, alive in the glass. Cedar, earthy and a medley of spices. A treat to sample.
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5/18/2015 - mhorowitz wrote:
Was fantastic. Still life left.
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11/4/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with the Best of Krug, with Olivier Krug (Northbrook, IL): Mature black fruit with lots of cigar box and cooked mushroom hints. We didn't have time to give this much air or time so have no insight into how it would evolve with more time in glass. Moderate length or power, but almost perfect balance. Very nice of Ken to open to honor Olivier Krug being a "1966."
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8/5/2014 - AtoZ wrote: 78 Points
From magnum. Not right. Cloudy and thin. I get mushroom and a bit of spice. Only interesting bc of what it is.
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3/23/2014 - AEROSMITH wrote: 90 Points
on open a bit thin but after 10 minutes wow.still has some tobacco and leather along with a minty flavor.still drinking fairly well with no sediment.you could see the sediment in the glass floating.great bottle of wine .
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12/13/2013 - tooch wrote:
Domaine Wine Storage Holiday Party (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): From magnum. Lots of vegetal notes on the nose and palate. Thought to myself, "wow, this tastes just like Chinon". While I was happy as a clam enjoying this overpriced Chinon, others that have had this before were horrified by its decay.
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8/31/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Blind tasting, brought by Ken and "opened" using his new-fangled Coravin wine dispensing toy. Earthy aromas with hints of firm black fruit, lots of great texture on palate. This stated very earthy, picked up some weight and more dimension with more air. What a great fluke that Ken brought this wonderful wine the same day I brought Haut Brion 1966.
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8/31/2013 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
At Knightsbridge: Coravin:Good showing for this wine today. Classic fully mature Bordeaux with nice spiced earthy aromas and lots of palate weight.
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7/10/2013 - ljl wrote: 93 Points
Although the cork broke while opening, this was a wine that truly stood the test of time. Garnet color. Decanted. After about 15 minutes it opened up with an aroma of cedar. Sweet cedar taste. Not much time left for this great wine.
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6/9/2013 - bbuono wrote: flawed
Unfortunately, after storing this wine for 40 years, when I opened it, I found the cork deteriorated and the wine ruined. I had two other bottles consumed over 15 years ago and they lasted OK.
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5/1/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 91 Points
complex mix of aroma: leather, smoke, tea leaves... but clearly past its prime on the palate. a little tired and lacking in fruit.
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1/27/2013 - Jhcwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose: not much. Palette: Meat, glue, tea, no fruit. 90 at best. Over the hill.
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1/10/2013 - sharky614 Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a great wine. After 46 years in the bottle you are never sure what to expect. The bottle had been properly cellared and after it was decanted the flavor was very nice. Had hints of leather and the overall taste was very nice. Still could pick up some of the fruit flavors of the grapes. I only wish I had a couple more bottles.
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9/30/2012 - EHF wrote: 89 Points
Not as good as other bottles I've had from the same lot. Some cork seepage.
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8/1/2012 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still drinking well at 46 years. Light in color, and light bodied but full of flavor. Turning a bit brown, but no Maderization in the taste. This bottle had a high shoulder fill. A delightfully underspoken Lafite.
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7/3/2012 - KJM wrote:
Was over the hill unfortunately. Could have been poorly stored prior to purchase thirteen years ago
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12/29/2010 - jeanclaude wrote:
This bottle was gone, nothing left but a light light color and vegital notes
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11/7/2010 - razmaspaz wrote:
ERI November Auction and Tasting (Union League Club of Chicago): This might have been the dissapointment of the day for me. I don't think this was showing well at all. I had a hard time coaxking anything but a bit of stweed fruit out of this. Maybe some coffee. Not exciting at all. Not sure about the bottle, so no rating.
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7/29/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 86 Points
The wine was light in color and in body. But the aromatics were complex. The aromatics were the best part of the experience. Spice, cherry pipe tobacco, cedar, cassis, herbs and minerals led into a soft, light, elegant strawberry, cherry tinted finish. This was better 10-15 years ago. The fruit is slowly fading.
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7/18/2010 - mye wrote: 91 Points
Medium red in color. Clearly showing its age.
Nose of mushrooms, and smokiness.. acidity is there, but a lot of the fruit has faded. Enjoyable for the experience.
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4/17/2010 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
My first Lafite. Nose - mushroomy, truffle, per cindy leather
mouth - still very alive. most savory but on the finish a touch of sweet comes through. flavors i get include light cherry, cranberry, and ice tea. Light fruit and still tannins on the finish providing balance for this 44 year old bottle of wine.
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1/10/2010 - j45 wrote: 90 Points
Slow ox'ed for three hours and decanted for another full hour before tasting. Not a Lafite that would be issued in the modern era. The '66 is light in body and filled with sous bois aromas of tobacco, mushrooms and ash. The things that make the wine First Growth are its sweet cassis mid-palate and its long gravelly tobacco and lead pencil finish...and the fact that it's still drinking pretty well at forty-three years of age...and the fact that it got better and better over the course of the evening.
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12/29/2009 - kmforster wrote:
Much softer and more faded than expected. Nowhere near as powerful as the 1966 Latour. Pleasant but nothing really special.
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11/19/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
The Fine Wine Experience Classic Claret II (Restaurant The Square **, London): Light, a bit grassy. stylish and elegant, a bit haughty, lacks some complexity. Certainly not a great Lafite, but a very pleasant drink.
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11/11/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 93 Points
Deep red color with a barnyard nose. This was opened but not decanted for 2 hours. Very nicely balanced with flavors of cherry and currant. A bit of mushroom and smoke once the wine had some time in the glass.
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11/7/2009 - mye wrote: 91 Points
Decant 30 minutes. Dark red / browning on the edges. Fine sediments through out. Tried to filter but can't get rid all of it. Nose of cherries, leather, mushroom, and some funk. Notes of fruit on the palate with lots of elegance and finesse. Smooth and medium finish.
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4/7/2008 - D. Fulton wrote: 88 Points
A lovely bottle, which had obviously been perfectly stored for almost 40 years. The fill was still into the neck. The nose possessed a mildew-like funkiness that was dominant, but plenty of fruity aromatics remain. Cherry notes were evident on the palate, but the wine’s brightness in the mouth was its most evident and charming characteristic. It was like kissing an 80-year-old woman on the cheek—soft and silky, but still old and wrinkled.
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4/2/2008 - pdrago wrote:
Past its prime as expected. Not stored well by original owner (it was a gift to me and they told me they left it in the kitchen for a long long time). Still was ok to drink but nothing memorable. Impressive that it lasted this long though without going bad in a vintage that no one would claim to be great.
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3/11/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Vieux Telegraph at Chez Moi: No notes taken. Classic Lafite. I'm amazed how well this showed from half-bottle.
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3/11/2008 - Siggy wrote: 93 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Vieux Telegraphe (Dave's House): From half bottle. Classic Pauillac on the nose and palate -- pencil lead, cedar, and dark fruit. Medium-weight. The palate picks up some rainwater/iron faucet and vitamin pill minerality to go with the high-toned dark fruit. Elegant and really well-balanced.
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2/6/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: flawed
oxidized
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2/6/2008 - jivey wrote: flawed
Past, dead, cooked heat damaged. Bummer!
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2/6/2008 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
eRobert Parker Offline - Mature French (mostly Bordeaux) (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Cooked. Undrinkable.
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2/6/2008 - mattiasjansson wrote: flawed
Backstreet - Bordeaux and France (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Oxidized/cooked
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10/16/2007 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Chronicle: Dark opaque brown/prune color; real prune juice nose/flavor! then tocacco, leaves, sweet cigar leaf, good all around although I had the last 2 oz of a sediment filled mag!
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10/6/2007 - BradE wrote:
Out of a half bottle. Actually quite good, if a bit unremarkable. Followed the 61 HB, so suffered somewhat by comparison. I would drink with pleasure anytime.
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12/1/2005 - Ben wrote:
got it as a present, gonna open it tomorrow!!!! awesome.... i´ll let you know if I find the truffels and I hope a mag will hold the fruit a little longer. later
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7/10/2004 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
The color was a light ruby with rust tinted edges. The nose offered cedar, mushrooms, leather, forests and eucalyptus scents. Full bodied and fully mature, the chocolate covered, cherry and blackberry tasting fruit, displayed that displayed the patina of age was only marred by the short finish and the fact that wine faded in the glass after 20 minutes.
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12/12/2003 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Seattle Tasting Group 'End of Year Dinner' (Sammamish, WA, USA): This had everything you could look for on the nose of a great wine. Very complex, sweet and floral with truffle (and this was just before truffle risotto was served) and mushroom. The palate was a bit of a letdown with slight sweetness and earthiness, but the fruit was long gone. From the color I guessed 1970 Bordeaux and came within four years. (Group average 94.11)
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10/1/1996 - sdr Does not like this wine: 71 Points
Poorly stored bottle, opened at the Symphony of the Americas Benefit Dinner. Elegant bouquet. Intriguingly complex floral bouquet. Off to a good start. A touch of volatile acidity, perhaps but still fine. But completely shot on the palate. Totally dried out. Almost no fruit. Browning. Poor.
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12/5/1990 - Marc wrote: 86 Points
Regional Wine and Sprit Rare Wine Tasting: showing its age - quite light - rust with brown hints at the edge. On the nose - classic cedar bix - smokey oak, some fruit, pencil shavings and a bit of herbaciousness. Light bodied in the mouth - elegant long finish - good mid palate - very harmonious but in the end nothing special.
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12/30/1989 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted a second time in two days, during the Singer & Foy tasting of '66 Bordeaux weekend. This time, sweet perfume seems better, more complex, ethereal today. On the palate, seems rich and elegant, light and concentrated, at the same time. It is stunning. 5-13-18-9: 95/100.
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12/29/1989 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 92 Points
With MPL and BLR at S&F survey of '66 Bordeaux. Fine mature color, but lighter than most. Fine nose. Is it mint I smell? I like it! On the palate, fine yet rich flavor. Excellent wine overall. Wow! 5-12-17-8: 92/100.
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1/1/1989 - bacchus wrote: 92 Points
great bottle.
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1/1/1980 - Bernard B Likes this wine:
I bought a case of this at Marty's around 1974 ($16.99 a bottle, I believe). I drank through much or all of it (may have sold a few). As I recall it was a fine wine of medium intensity. Very nice but not fabulous in the 70s and 80s. Now the 1970 Latour at $20 was a different story.
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