1970 Château Lafite Rothschild

Gentle russet colour, softly spoken aromatics. This was one of the best vintages of the 1970s (and high yielding, so you have a fairly good chance of still finding bottles), and at 51 years old shows just how moreish Lafite becomes with age. Aromatics major on campfire, brushed leather, wild strawberries, touches of soy, oyster shell salinity with brambled autumn fruits, earth and softly spun tannins. At this point, if you are opening it there is no need to decant, but you can expect it to stay at this balanced, finessed and harmonious level for another decade at least. At this point the maceration would have been a relatively short 15-20 days in large sized oak casks, with longer barrel ageing than today (around 30% new, and even then from barrels made by their own estate cooperage). Harvest began October 2. It was seen as excellent quality at the time (and little did they know only one other vintage in this whole decade would rival it).

Magnum. This was a strange wine as at the beginning it was rather tart and disappointing. And after 45 minutes or so it was starting to return to that state, but about 20-30 minutes after pouring it was absolutely glorious in typically Lafite lighter, but soaring, register. Mid ruby. A bit rusty. Light and a bit raw. Very light in fact. Lots of acidity. But then it came out and, I suspect, would have been even more impressive had it not been served alongside the powerhouse of Latour 1970. (JR)

The bouquet definitely has more vigour then previous bottles encountered, with sandalwood, cigar box and cedar to the fore. Not a complex nose, but nicely defined and unashamedly 'classic' in style. The palate is medium-bodied and well-balanced, good level of ripeness, elegant; harmonious but aloof. The second half is conservative but still fresh with just a touch of piquancy right on the finish. (NM)