12 bottles per lot
Details
Offered in original wooden case
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1996
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
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 color, 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? 100 points. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #122, April 1999
12 bottles per lot
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1996
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
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 color, 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? 100 points. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #122, April 1999
12 bottles per lot
Special notice
(Wine sales only). Christie's charges a Buyer's premium calculated at 17.850% of the hammer price for each lot with a value up to €150,000. If the hammer price of a lot exceeds €150,000 then the premium for the lot is calculated at 17.850% of the first €150,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of €150,000. Buyer's Premium is calculated on this basis for each lot individually.