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Auction: SFW02 - An Evening of Exceptional Wines
Lot: 3

Château Lafite Rothschild vintage 1996
Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé
100/100 points Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #
122, April 1999
Lying in a private cellar in London, England
6 bottles in original wooden case
Tasting Note: “Tasted three times since bottling, the 1996
Lafite-Rothschild is unquestionably this renowned estate´s
greatest wine. As I indicated last year, only 38% of the crop
was deemed grand enough to be put into the final blend,
which is atypically high in Cabernet Sauvignon (83%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot,
and 3% Petit Verdot). This massive wine may be the
biggest, largest-scaled Lafite I have ever tasted. It will
require many years to come around, so I suspect all of us
past the age of fifty might want to give serious
consideration as to whether we should be laying away
multiple cases of this wine.
It is also the first Lafite-Rothschild to be put into a new
engraved bottle (designed to prevent fraudulent
imitations). The wine exhibits a thick-looking,
ruby/purple colour, and a knock-out nose of lead pencil,
minerals, flowers, and black currant scents. Extremely
powerful and full-bodied, with remarkable complexity for
such a young wine, this huge Lafite is oozing with extract
and richness, yet has managed to preserve its
quintessentially elegant personality. This wine is even
richer than it was prior to bottling. It should
unquestionably last for 40-50 years. Anticipated
maturity: 2012-2050. The wine of the vintage?”

Sold for
HK$55,000