x
  • Country ranking ?

    597
  • Producer ranking ?

    25
  • Decanting time

    45min
  • When to drink

    now
  • Food Pairing

    None

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1870 Chateau Lafite Rothschild: 

5* Michael Broadbent
Ch Lafite One of the all time greats and, at its best, a powerhouse, massively endowed with every conceivable component. In fact, such a powerful and tannic wine that it was virtually undrinkable for half a century. Nevertheless, bottlings varied, and, as always, provenance plays a part. I have had the opportunity to taste, and drink the 1870 Lafite on sixteen occasions starting, howeve...

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The Story

The Château Lafite estate run by the Rothschilds is, with its 100 hectares of cultivated land, the largest of the main Pauillac vineyards.

It is located in the highest part of the area and the view from its château, with its conical towers that appear on the label, takes in the banks of the River Gironde, which flows nearby. The wines are a blend of four different varieties of grape – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Cabernet F...

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Wine Information

1870 Château Lafite-Rothschild 100 points / This wine was out of this world – an immortal wine as I then said. My friend had acquired the 1870 Lafite in 1979 at auction for about nine hundred pounds. It was one of 41 famous bottles that had laid untouched in the cellars of Glamis Castle for nearly a decade. The wine had in its time been bottled in Scotland by Coningham and had come to public sale for the first time at Cristie´s auction on June...

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2020 2016 2015 2012 2011 2010 2005 2000 1995
19 680€ +35.7% 14 500€ -13.9% 16 850€ +27.7% 13 200€ +26.3% 10 455€ -18.0% 12 754€ +16.3% 10 965€ +39.8% 7 845€ +72.0% 4 560€ +30.7% 3 490€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Full, Brick red and Healthy

ending

Medium, Flavorful and Gentle

flavors

Blackberry, Coffee, Earthy, Truffles, Blackcurrant and Mint

nose

Mature, Ripe, Pure and Refined

recommend

Yes

taste

Low in Acidity, Warming, Medium tannin, Perfectly balanced, Balanced, Concentrated, Mature, Medium-bodied, Round, Elegant, Harmonious, Sweet and Silky tannins

Verdict

Intelligent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

Bottle with normal size and filled to mid-shoulder. Looking mature, brick red and healthy. Mature, wide, opulent, ripe and tempting on the nose. The taste is round, elegant, balanced, good texture and multi-dimensional. Medium, gentle, lingering and flavorful. Well made, intelligent and sophisticated. Decanted 15min and recommend drinking now. Costs about 5k€ + per bottle.
  • 96p
The 1870 Lafite Rotschild that followed was a bit anti-climactic to me, although five out of eight tasters preferred it. It had more obvious Cabernet in the nose. There was asphalt and meat, and despite the fact that it was richer than the 1865, it was a bit sweet for me. It got simpler in the glass, and I found it softer than I expected or wanted (93).
  • 93p

The 1870 Lafite-Rothschild is a magical wine, without question one of the finest Clarets that I have ever tasted. It has a deep colour that you would ascribe to a wine just two or three decades old. The bouquet not so much seduces the senses, but almost overwhelms them with intense scents of cedar, coniferous forest, vestiges of black fruit and juniper berries. The 1870 actually grows in stature with aeration. The palate is perfect, absolutely perfect in every single way. It is intense just like the 1953 Lafite-Rothschild, utterly harmonious with pitch-perfect acidity that lends this so much tension – remarkable after so many decades. This is a regal Lafite-Rothschild with layers of flavor: black and red fruit intermingling with a plethora of secondary notes of brown spices, molasses and a touch of tobacco on the long finish that never seems to stop. As I wrote before, it immediately puts every Claret you have ever drunk in the shade – a monumental wine that will rank as one of the finest I have encountered to the end of my days.

  • 100p
Dark, brick red colour. Intense, spicy nose with herbaceous notes, hints of mint, black fruits, and smoke. Intense, medium-bodied palate shows perfumed flavours, good tannic structure and vivid acidity. Earthy and gently spicy finish with dry moderate length. Amazingly energetic wine for its age!
  • 94p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

30min

Inside Information

Wine Advocate #103
Feb 1996
Robert M. Parker, Jr. 96 Drink: N/A $14975-$17010
Except for the 1966 and 1870 vintages of Lafite-Rothschild, these wines were poured on virgin territory on my palate. The other great classics from the last century were remarkable wines, all with original corks, and in extraordinary condition. Their age was authenticated by Michael Broadbent, who is the only person in the world to have the good fortune to have tasted these wines on several occasions. After two disappointing tastings of the immortal 1870 Lafite-Rothschild, the Rodenstock tasting finally provided me a provocative, compelling, profound bottle of this legendary wine. The color is a healthy dark garnet, and the huge nose of freshly sliced celery, mint, cedar, and cassis unfolded quickly, but held in the glass during the 30-40 minutes it remained there before it became just a mere component of my bodily fluids. The wine exhibited sweet fruit, surprising glycerin and opulence for a Lafite, and a sweet, jammy, powerful finish. It is an extraordinary wine! 

The notes for this wine are taken from the description of Series V - Flight A of the 1995 tasting conducted in Munich by Helga and Hardy Rodenstock. Many years after the tasting from which this note derives allegations were made concerning the authenticity of old and rare bottles of wine sold by Hardy Rodenstock to collectors around the world. The matter has been the subject of numerous articles, litigation and at least one book. Mr. Parker believes that the wines served to him at this tasting were authentic so this note and the others from that specific tasting continue to be posted on eRobertParker.com.
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