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Lafite-Rothschild 1961

Château Lafite-Rothschild, Bordeaux, France

Château Lafite-Rothschild
Bordeaux France
  • 96
    Points
  • The 900 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 19 Pros of
    20 recommend
    this wine
1059 96
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    781

  • Producer ranking ?

    29

  • Decanting time

    3h

  • When to drink

    now to 2040

  • Food Pairing

    Beef Goulash and Wide Egg Noodles

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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John Salvi MW
Colour:  To me rather surprisingly light.  Not old or brown but just not as deep as I expected.

Nose:  This is a wine which starts slowly on both the nose and palate.  On the nose it then gradually opens up and reveals more and more and becomes more and more generous.  Finally it is remarkably intense, with fruit, freshness and spice.

Palate:  As for the nose one thinks “is this not light”?  But NO!  Roll it around on the ...

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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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Vintage 1961

1961 - the greatest Bordeaux vintage ever?

I’m writing this during the en primeur campaign and notice that the Bordelais château-owners and négociants have been unusually quiet this year. I have followed this part of the market from a distance for close to 30 years now and have been told about a large number of “vintages of the century”. After the wines have been bottled and sold or the other way round, as the case is in Bordeaux, these cla...

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2021 2019 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2005 2000
1 430€ +31.8% 1 085€ -5.7% 1 150€ +2.7% 1 120€ -4.3% 1 170€ +26.9% 922€ +9.4% 843€ -9.7% 934€ -5.4% 987€ -26.5% 1 342€ -7.6% 1 452€ +186.4% 507€ +46.5% 346€

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, Cherry Red and Bright

ending

Medium and Gentle

flavors

Bread, Plum, Voluptuous, Cigar-box, Leather and Tobacco

nose

Intense, Refined, Opulent and Seductive

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Low tannin, Balanced, Good texture, Medium-bodied, Elegant, Dry and Silky tannins

Verdict

Fine

Written Notes

Fine looking magnum. Excellent by the neck level. Decanted 45 minutes. Deep dark brick red colour. The nose is expressive and stylish, but not nearly as intense and seductive as the 1959. Fine degree of fruitiness left, dark berries, roasted aromas and spiciness. Well balanced, but not as complex and multi-layered as one might expected from this great vintage´s Firsth Growth. Fairly good combination of elegance and power. Harmonious, firm yet refreshing. Softened fully ripe tannins. At peak today but will keep there for another decade.

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  • 94p

I think there were about ten of us, so Lady Agah brought a double magnum of 1961 Lafite Rothschild. Niiiiice. And so was this bottle, which was about as good as this wine ever gets. There was honeyed fruit and nice supporting carob and cedar aromas. There was a delicate spice to its sweet, enticing nose. A big debate ensued about the overall quality of the wine; there was no question this was in ‘excellent’ territory, 93-94 points for those of you keeping score. Dapper Dave admired its ‘velvety animal texture.’ It was soft, easy and creamy, just beautiful. Every refresher invigorated the wine again. I was kind of torn between 93 and 94 points, vacillating back and forth. Bottles will likely score lower, but I could still go back to it at the end of the night after all the great wine that ensued…and still enjoy. Drink up, as not all bottles are created like double magnums, and this isn’t one of the legendary wines from this legendary vintage (93D).

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  • 93p
The first time I’ve seen this wine and it lived up to expectations. No doubt, bottles vary considerably but this one was in great shape. There was a small ullage but it appeared to provide no adverse influence on the wine. The colour was certainly mature – deep reds/browns. The nose was gentle spices but beef stock and mushroom notes prevailed. There was also some of that classic mature Bordeaux dry hay character. Wonderfully complex. The finish is amazingly long, better than one could imagine. Magnificent stuff. Still wonderfully alive for a wine that has more than half a century under its belt. The last bottle of a case a friend has had for many, many years in ideal storage so no concerns re condition or fakes. It is easy to think that the reputation of the wine and the vintage influence the score but I’d like to think that they did not play a role. Just a wonderful mature, complex Bordeaux.
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  • 98p

The 1961 Lafite-Rothschild is a wine that has always left me wanting more and a disappointment when compared to Latour and Haut-Brion (though Château Margaux was also below-par). Emile Peynaud recorded that it took a ton of ice to cool the vats that year. Baron Eric de Rothschild pointed out that the wine was bottled over a three month duration. This might well be the best example of the 1961 that I have encountered, but it is still a few paces behind full potential. The nose feels stuck in second gear for a while: blackberry, gravel, a touch of bay leaf and graphite, but there is an absence of both fruit and cohesion. The palate is medium-bodied, with light tannins considering the vintage, balanced but lacking substance. And it does not really have the power and grip on the finish to leave you convinced. There is a certain class about this 1961 but it lags behind the 1959 and for that matter, pristine bottles of the 1962 and 1966. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate.

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  • 91p

Ruby with brick rim. Figs, scented, violets, liquorice, dates, some blueberries, leather, minty touch, elegant and refines, highly seductive nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, stunning texture, little bit light on its feet, detailed, superb balance, long. 95

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  • 95p
Similar to the 1953 vary varied. It is the weakest of the premier crus in 1961 and nowhere near the 1959 in quality. Good bottles can be very charming and nice, but quite disappointing for the vintage.
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  • 90p
D 5 h / G 2 h Little hazy, moderately intense brick red colour. The elegant nose is less expressive but has many layers in it making it fascinating and seductive – warm, vegetal, leafy, and floral. The palate reveals vivid acidity together with round tannins and less of a body weight. At the same time very polished and lean in style with lingering finish with elegant black currant and cedar notes. A classy wine although not a great charmer. This reserved wine benefits for at least 5 hour decanting to expose itself completely. Keep well another 15-17 years.
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  • 93p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Extraordinary

Value For Money

Satisfactory

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

1h

Inside Information

Wine Advocate #90
Dec 1993		 Robert M. Parker, Jr. 91 Drink: N/A $1199-$2509
(Magnum)

After a dozen or more disappointing examples of this wine in a regular format (750 ml), I finally bestowed an outstanding rating on this renowned wine. This magnum possessed surprisingly deep color for Lafite, a sweet, caramel, cedary, lead pencil-scented nose, rich, medium-bodied, spicy flavors with noticeable tannin, high acidity, and a long finish. Other examples of the 1961 Lafite have displayed a light color with considerable orange/rush, attenuated, thin flavors, and excessive acidity. There has been speculation that the 1961 Lafite was bottled over an extraordinarily long time, and that the earlier-bottled examples possess more fruit than those bottled later. Who can say?
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