1865 Lafite Rothschild

Except for the 1966 and 1870 vintages of Lafite-Rothschild, these wines were poured on virgin territory on my palate. The other great classics from the last century were remarkable wines, all with original corks, and in extraordinary condition. Their age was authenticated by Michael Broadbent, who is the only person in the world to have the good fortune to have tasted these wines on several occasions. The 1865 Lafite-Rothschild was other-worldly. The first word I wrote after smelling it was "wow!". The color is a medium garnet with considerable rust and orange at the edge. The wine possessed an extraordinary fragrance, great density, and fabulous intensity of chocolate, herb, and cedar-like flavors with a wonderful, sweet, inner-core of opulent fruit. The finish is long and velvety, with no hard edges. It is hard to imagine a 130-year old wine (made when American Civil War adversaries, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, were alive) tasting so extraordinary, but I was there - I saw it, I smelled it, I tasted it, and I drank it! Unreal! The notes for this wine are taken from the description of Series V - Flight A of the 1995 tasting conducted in Munich by Helga and Hardy Rodenstock. Many years after the tasting from which this note derives allegations were made concerning the authenticity of old and rare bottles of wine sold by Hardy Rodenstock to collectors around the world. The matter has been the subject of numerous articles, litigation and at least one book. Mr. Parker believes that the wines served to him at this tasting were authentic so this note and the others from that specific tasting continue to be posted on eRobertParker.com.