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  • Country ranking ?

    1 340
  • Producer ranking ?

    72
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    Now-2025
  • Food Pairing

    Lamb with aubergines

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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 Franc. Lafite matures slightly earlier than other Premier Cru wines in the region on account of the generous amounts of Merlot used, and it is this that also makes the wine more delicate and subtle than those wines which are completely dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Lafite has a soul, a beautiful, generous, kindly soul. Lafite turns bare earth into heaven. Lafite is harmony, a harmony between man and nature, because without our magnificent winegrowers, nothing would be accomplished.”
Baron Eric de Rothschild 


Of the five Premier Cru wines in the region, Château Lafite to my mind has managed to produce the year’s best wine in many of the top years in 1900th centrury. The times I have spent in the company of a 1934, 1953, 1959, 1982 and 1986 have been unforgettable. And it was then that I always remembered how many wine critics fondly describe Lafite as ‘the perfection of elegance’.

Vineyard soil: fine gravel mixed with aeolien sands on a bedrock of tertiary limestone
Production area: 103 ha
Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%)
Average age of vines: 30 years
Harvest method: hand picked
Winemaking: the vinification is nowadays done with all the sophisticated instruments which modern oenology has created. Fermentation takes place in large oak vats in which the musts remain for 18 to 25 days.
Ageing: the wines are aged entirely in new barrels for 18 to 24 months. During this time,the wine is racked 7 times and is fined with the whites of 6 eggs per barrel. Only certain vats are selected to make the Grand Vin, Lafite. The others are used to make the second wine of Lafite, the “Carruades de Lafite”.

 

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Vintage 1966

1966 was an exceptional year in Bordeaux for very classic and delicate wines. However, the year started off as anything but promising. The main rainfall that began in late June continued into July, but the hot start to August dried out the soil and the weather gradually improved towards autumn, until it is almost perfect for harvest.

These wines share a truly classic, graceful and high quality character so typical of Bordeaux wines, making them elegant and balanced. Today, many of them are still good. If carefully stored, many of the best wines can still mature, but the following rule of thumb should be observed: drink them or sell them immediately. In our opinion, this is one of the finest vintages you can buy today. Almost all AOC wines are still in excellent condition, and the best examples, such as Palmer, Latour, Haut-Brion, Lafleur and Pétrus, are excellent. There is a wide selection of well-priced first, second and third growth wines on the market. For example, Cos d’Estournel, Calon-Ségur and Lynch-Bages offer exceptional value for money. As a general rule, decanting for one hour is sufficient.

The price development of this vintage no longer shows any significant upward movement – the price increase over the last ten years has been around 55%. Rising prices will continue as the best wines mature, perhaps until 2020, when any surviving wines should be removed from the cellar and sold or drunk immediately.

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

The 1966 Lafite-Rothschild is a wine that I have tasted twice before and it remains one of my favorite vintages from the period, even though as the Four Seasons First Growth dinner illustrated, not every bottle hits the spot. This bottle in Hong Kong ranks amongst the best that I have ever encountered. I notice quite wide bricking on the rim but it is clear in color. The bouquet is gentle, clean and pure, almost Burgundy-like in style: a divine perfume that might lack the horsepower of the 1966 Latour, yet is classically styled and disarmingly detailed. The palate is medium-bodied, with a satisfying weight in the mouth. Self-aware that it does not have to exert too much to satisfy, the 1966 delivers an entrancing piquancy toward the finish. It benefits from aeration, gaining weight and density and after a couple of hours in the glass, it is overflowing with vigor and tension, whilst upholding its classical personality. It is just a beguiling old school Pauillac, no more, no less. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild dinner at Amuse Bouche in Hong Kong.

  • 94p

Clive Coates: "Very good vigorous full colour. Much more vigorous that the 1970. Much richer and more stylish too. Very elegant fruit on the nose. On the palate this also shows a little age, like the 1967 and 1970. But it is the richest, ripest and plumpest of the three. Good concentrated fruit. Fatter than the 1970. Much more elegance. Long but not that intense or concentrated. Very good indeed, but not a great 1966.

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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

No Potential

Fake factory

None

Glass time

1h
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