1 bottle per lot
Details
1940's-The Decade
Five wartime vintages, some, as will be seen, quite good, and five post-was vintages, three being of almost unsurpassed quality. Although Bordeaux was well away from the war zones, following the collapse on France it was governed by the Vichy régime and under Germand occupation until the war's end. It could have been worse. Wine was needed; wine was produced, the main problems being the lack of labour and materials.
The négociants were in an invidious position. They were obliged to trade with the Germans which, unsurprisingly, left them open to the charge of collaboration. There were uncomfortable moments for them when the war ended. But the main problem was to reconstruct the trade. Many traditional markets were badly dislocated and economically weak. British post-war restrictions lasted well into the 1950s. But, as if to make up for this, along came the '45s, '47s and '49s. Wine merchants everywhere restocked at what now looks like give-away prices, aided by Stafford Cripps, the austere Labour Minister who, with unexpected foresight, reduced the British import duties on wine.
1945
Arguably one of the greatest vintages of the 20th century, and in my opinion, eclipsing the 1961. An early harvest yielded magnificent, long-lasting wines of the highest quality. The very small crop size was the result of severe frosts in May, when the vines were literally nipped in the bud. The wines' exceptional ripeness, concentration and power were due to a summer of drought and excessive heat. The vines and winemaking also benefited - though it may not have been appreciated at the time - from some fortuitous circumstances: first, old, or at least fully mature vine stock as there had been little replanting during the war; second, traditional winemaking methods. New oak barrels were a thing of the future as was the influence of the consultant oenologist. The best, and best kept, are still superb. I think I was born and entered the wine trade at the right time for I see I have over 200 notes covering a wide range of châteaux of this great vintage.
Michael Broadbent, Vintage Wine
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1945
Pauillac, 1er cru classé
Level: top shoulder; lightly torn label
"My most recent notes include a flawless magnum at the Eisengatz tasting in 1993 and an extraordinarily good magnum, despite its mid-shoulder level, at Christen Sveass' great dinner in Oslo. The cork was sound so the air in the ullage must have been benign. The wine had a beautiful colour; medium deep, with rich legs but not intense, unlike the flanking Margaux and La Mission, the colors of which seemed to press the sides of the glass. Just about every note over the years refers to a glorious fragrance which seems to unravel itself after 15 to 20 minutes in the glass. Also noticed at the sveass dinner, and previously, its sweetness to which one adds, unoriginally, rich, soft with masked tannins. A glorious mouthful. Last noted April 1996 *****" MB, Vintage Wine
1 bottle per lot
Five wartime vintages, some, as will be seen, quite good, and five post-was vintages, three being of almost unsurpassed quality. Although Bordeaux was well away from the war zones, following the collapse on France it was governed by the Vichy régime and under Germand occupation until the war's end. It could have been worse. Wine was needed; wine was produced, the main problems being the lack of labour and materials.
The négociants were in an invidious position. They were obliged to trade with the Germans which, unsurprisingly, left them open to the charge of collaboration. There were uncomfortable moments for them when the war ended. But the main problem was to reconstruct the trade. Many traditional markets were badly dislocated and economically weak. British post-war restrictions lasted well into the 1950s. But, as if to make up for this, along came the '45s, '47s and '49s. Wine merchants everywhere restocked at what now looks like give-away prices, aided by Stafford Cripps, the austere Labour Minister who, with unexpected foresight, reduced the British import duties on wine.
1945
Arguably one of the greatest vintages of the 20th century, and in my opinion, eclipsing the 1961. An early harvest yielded magnificent, long-lasting wines of the highest quality. The very small crop size was the result of severe frosts in May, when the vines were literally nipped in the bud. The wines' exceptional ripeness, concentration and power were due to a summer of drought and excessive heat. The vines and winemaking also benefited - though it may not have been appreciated at the time - from some fortuitous circumstances: first, old, or at least fully mature vine stock as there had been little replanting during the war; second, traditional winemaking methods. New oak barrels were a thing of the future as was the influence of the consultant oenologist. The best, and best kept, are still superb. I think I was born and entered the wine trade at the right time for I see I have over 200 notes covering a wide range of châteaux of this great vintage.
Michael Broadbent, Vintage Wine
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1945
Pauillac, 1er cru classé
Level: top shoulder; lightly torn label
"My most recent notes include a flawless magnum at the Eisengatz tasting in 1993 and an extraordinarily good magnum, despite its mid-shoulder level, at Christen Sveass' great dinner in Oslo. The cork was sound so the air in the ullage must have been benign. The wine had a beautiful colour; medium deep, with rich legs but not intense, unlike the flanking Margaux and La Mission, the colors of which seemed to press the sides of the glass. Just about every note over the years refers to a glorious fragrance which seems to unravel itself after 15 to 20 minutes in the glass. Also noticed at the sveass dinner, and previously, its sweetness to which one adds, unoriginally, rich, soft with masked tannins. A glorious mouthful. Last noted April 1996 *****" MB, Vintage Wine
1 bottle per lot