Wine Advisor
Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1953
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Description
Within the five rarefied first growths, Lafite is perhaps the wine with the best reputation for quality and longevity, commanding correspondingly high prices. It is considered by some to be the best wine to come out of Bordeaux. In 1815, Guillaume Lawton said of Château Lafite, “I consider it to be the the most elegant and delicate, with the finest substance of the three (Premier Crus). The location of its vines is one of the finest in the Médoc”. In 1855 the Château was ranked as a Premier Grand Cru in the famous classification that was prepared for the Universal Exhibition of that year. Lafite is also known as the ‘King’s wine’, after being introduced to the Court at Versailles by Maréchal Richelieu.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Completely madeirised on the nose. I taste the palate anyway - completely cooked. Tasted December 2005.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Tasted 5 Times With Consistent Notes On two occasions I rated the 1953 100 and on another occasion, nearly perfect. According to some old-timers, the wine has been fully mature for almost 30 years. It possesses that extraordinary Lafite fragrance of minerals, lead pencil, cedar, and spice. It is velvety-textured, wonderfully round, and sweet, but so well-delineated and balanced. It is best purchased today in magnum and larger formats unless you can be assured the wine came from a cold cellar and has not been traded frequently.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
On two occasions I rated the 1953 100 and on another occasion, nearly perfect. According to some old-timers, the wine has been fully mature for almost 30 years. It possesses that extraordinary Lafite fragrance of minerals, lead pencil, cedar, and spice. It is velvety-textured, wonderfully round, and sweet, but so well-delineated and balanced. It is best purchased today in magnum and larger formats unless you can be assured the wine came from a cold cellar and has not been traded frequently. Last tasted 10/94.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1953 Lafite-Rothschild surpassed my expectations. Deep in color with only a thin brick core, the bouquet is atypical for Lafite-Rothschild in that there is no holding back, rather an outpouring of blackberry, raspberry confit, crushed stone, pencil lead and a touch of spice, delivered with breathtaking poise and detail. It frankly knocks the 1953 Latour into a cocked hat, perhaps not least because it may be the only vintage that has the audaciousness of its rival. The palate is medium-bodied with crystalline delineation, a hold-onto-your-seats sense of focus that is equal to anything I have tasted from this era. Then it gracefully winds down towards quite a sensual and mineral-driven finish that exhausts all the superlatives and you are rendered tongue-tied by the prodigious brilliance of this wine. It redefines my perception of this First Growth. Tasted at the International Business & Wine First Growth Dinner at the Four Seasons.
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