Beschreibung:

Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1982
1 impériale per lot
AN EVENING SALE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM A SUPERLATIVE MODERN CELLAR March 14, 2008 6PM Dear Client This evening's sale presents a roll call of the best of best from the past 25 years of winemaking in Bordeaux's greatest vineyards. All five Premiers Crus Classsés as well as the right bank stars of Pétrus, Le Pin and Cheval Blanc feature in this wonderful selection presented almost entirely in original wooden cases. The highlights presented here were removed from an impeccably maintained temperature and humidity controlled cellar maintaining 57 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 relative humidity noted during three separate visits to this collection. The organisation of the cellar was flawless and the sources used were equally impressive. All wines were purchased soon after commercial release from a range of highly-reputable wine retailers, brokers and importers. Individual highlights include 13 vintages of Pétrus in original cases, grands formats from Yquem, Dominus and all the first growths. What distinguishes this collection however is the depth on offer. Consider the opportunity to acquire five cases of the magnificent Château Haut Brion 1989; both 1989 and 1990 Le Pin, or both 1989 and 1990 Pétrus in bottles and magnums, all of which are in their original wooden cases. Large formats are plentiful including the decadence of Yquem in magnums, double-magnums and impiriales. This promises to be an exciting year for fine wine connoisseurs and collectors, we look forward to presenting the very best of the best throughout 2008. Best Wishes Richard Brierley Pauillac If Bordeaux were a crown, Pauillac would be the crown jewel. Most famously, three of the five first growths (Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Latour) reside in this commune, but the sheer number of classic châteaux is staggering. Châteaux Pichon Lalande, Pichon Baron, and Lynch Bages, just to name a few. All of these wines share a Bordeaux typicity which, if one had to generalize, would include subtlety, vigor, cedar, and an understated fruitiness. The gravel mounds (from which Lafite, for example, gets its name) are numerous and elevated in Pauillac. Here, Cabernet Sauvignon is king. The wines of the left bank have long had a reputation as wines that need decades of bottle age to approach drinkability. This reputation is thanks, in part, to the tannins in the Cabernet Sauvignon, vinified intentionally to create vin de garde with enormous backbone and complexity. Château Lafite-Rothschild What can be said about Lafite-Rothschild that hasn't already been said? A wine of inimitable class and elegance that inevitably lives up to its first growth classification, Maréchal de Richelieu brought Lafite to the court of Louis XV and referred to it's taste as comparable to "the ambrosia of the Gods of Olympus." What is often noted about older Lafite is its delicacy. When compared to wines from Château Mouton Rothschild, for example, the Lafite comes across softer and more delicate, with a lighter color and more floral bouquet. In Vintage Wine, Michael Broadbent commented of the five star 1982 vintage, "One thing is certain, it is not a delicate wallflower." This offering, of modern Lafite back to 1982, presents an opportunity to sample Lafite at its finest. Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1982 Pauillac, 1er cru classé Lot 1 level: bottom neck. Lots 2-4 levels: into neck Lots 2-4 in original wooden cases Parcel: lots 2-4 "The 1982 Lafite possesses a dark, dense ruby/purple color with only a subtle lightening at the rim. Spectacular aromatics offer jammy cherry and black fruits intertwined with lead pencil, mineral, and smoky wood scents. Powerful for a Lafite, this wine unfolds to reveal extraordinary richness, purity, and overall symmetry in addition to stunning flavor depth and persistence. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Plenty of tannin remains, and the wine displays a vibrancy and youthfulness that belie its 18 years of age. Th