 |
|
DOUGLAS BLYDE |
|
|
The Wines of Chateau Lafite Rothschild
With Michael Broadbent
23 March, 2006
"...appreciating old wine is like making love to an old lady... possible, but you need a little imagination..."
[M. B.]
Carruades (originally 'Moulin des Carruades') is the poor mans Rolls Royce and thus the second wine of the Chateau. It has much more supple Merlot in the blend bringing it forward. Deep, intense with a purple rim and black cherry core, long legs denote ripe fruit from this unusually hot year. On the nose, a touch of caramel, toffee, mentholated black and red berries. On the palate gentle tannins make this incredibly accessible. A pleasing aftertaste.
A classic Bordeaux vintage, this is deeper in colour, opaque even, with a larger rim, a little more intensity at the rim, and a touch of violets. Very shiny. On the nose the same mentholated character comes through with a more intense crisp fruit. More generous, fragrant but somehow a touch bleak? On the palate this is very dry with a mint-pepper note, a long(er) finish and stronger tannins which cleanse the mouth. A bigger wine.
Now onto the Grand Vins. Heavily reliant on Cabernet, this is very intense and near totally opaque (almost breaking the side of the glass) with a black core with violet at the rim. On the nose mint, stalkiness, great finesse. On the palate this delivers a positive, eager, multi-layered experience replete with just a touch of basil tang, eucalyptus and overall a surge of raw flavour. After an hour caramel notes became evident. This wine was said to have a seriously long life ahead of it.
Quite a large proportion of Merlot and no Cabernet Franc, this is pretty deep in colour though on the verge to maturity. A touch of waxy honey and burnt sugar on the nose with a hard tannic palate (hardest of all the vintages tasted). A touch of TCA (cork taint) did not help matters but proved all cork-closed wines can be affected in this way. 1998 was a hard vintage, illustrative of the risky business of growing vines in Bordeaux. Not a wine to keep forever.
My favourite wine of the night (and for a long time further no doubt), this very deep, impressively coloured wine had a slight vapour about it on the nose with well-hung meat, something a touch vegetal (geranium stalk?) and after about an hour a round honey edge. Whilst a touch subdued and hard, perseverance yielded many more subtle aromas. On the palate this was the driest, most tannic wine with a very long, poignantly lingering finish. Outstanding.
A supremely good vintage, this showed a slight brick tint at the rim, was warm in colour and seemingly relaxed. On the nose a stalky edge with a deceptively beautiful mint leaf. On the verge of maturity showing a light medicinal edge, a touch of seasoned cedar and very minor bell-pepper. On the palate this well-mannered wine showed homemade damson jelly, accessible tannins and a very joyous aftertaste. Deptful and soft. So much going on it made one trembly!
Fairly intense with a lighter rim, this showed classic cigar box aroma with sweet cedar, even a touch of top end furniture polish. A citrus feel presented itself on the palate, offset by a fruity sweetness (after half an hour) although the wine had a dry finish. Beautifully balanced
Browner on the rim, showing more evolution. On the nose a mineral edge comes through with a touch of iron. Blackcurrant leaf, even a touch of sweet Sangria (though resembling this concoction in no other way). On the palate, "long, lean and taught". Very fine indeed with an amazing balance. Tannic backbone, richness with a touch of beeswax. On par with the '96 and a valuable prediction to how it might taste. Amazing development. The quintessential icon wine producers all-over aim towards.
