Showing posts with label #lafite. Show all posts

Sunday, June 19, 2022

LeDomduVin: Château Lafite-Rothschild 1961 close-up

Château Lafite-Rothschild 1961

Although I left my position as Wine Quality Control Director, nearly a year ago, after doing it for 9 years in my previous job, I still love doing wine inspections and checking out these old and rare ladies in every detail.

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to do a brief inspection of a few bottles that were bought by the wine team of one of our outlets, which included some old and rare gems, like this Lafite 1961.

Always a pleasure to scrutinize these ladies everywhere and even gently lift up their capsules to look at what's underneath. 😀 😄 (we're still talking about a bottle of wine, right? 😉)

This particular bottle showed a great level, good colour and sedimentation. The capsule and label were in good condition and show no counterfeiting signs, even under the microscope and the blue light.

The capsule had been previously cut, so I couldn't resist opening it and having a closer look at the cork, which was also in very good condition.

That's a "Passed" to me! How about you?

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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Friday, June 18, 2021

Château Lafite 1959 - Double Magnum (3L)

Château Lafite 1959 (3L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021

Château Lafite 1959 (3L)

A few days ago was that time of the month again, my visit to the private cellar full of old and rare and fine ladies. Coming in all shapes and sizes, like this sleeping beauty, a double magnum of Lafite 1959 with pristine label and capsule, and high level (reconditioned at the Château, in the late 90s or early 2000s, don't remember exactly).

A rare (and difficult to find) large format bottle commanding an estimated lowest price at around HKD 155,000 (USD 20,000 or Euros 16,500), knowing that the only and highest price on Wine-Searcher is around HKD 450,000 (roughly USD 58,000 or Euro 48,000)...

Château Lafite 1959 (3L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021

At that price, no wonder why Lafite is one of the most coveted wines in the world by counterfeiters.

A beautiful bottle in any case and surely one of the last remaining specimens of her kind.

Cheers! Santé!

LeDomduVin (aka Dominique Noel)

@chateaulafiterothschild #chateaulafiterothschild #pauillac #bordeaux #bordeauxclassic #legendarywines #grandcruclasse #france #wine #vin #vino #wein #oldandrareladies #oldandrarevintages #oldandrarebottles #olandrarewines #lesphotosadom #ledomduvin @ledomduvin ©LeDomduVin 2021

All rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2021 on all the content of this post above, including but not limited to: pictures, photos, drawings, illustrations, memes, texts, quotes, wines, wine tasting notes, wine descriptions, tables, graphs, etc...

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

LeDomduVin: Visiting Old and Rare Ladies | (Part 2) | TLC as needed

Visiting Old and Rare Ladies | (Part 2) | TLC as needed

On my previous post (here), I was telling you that, 2-3 times a week, I'm visiting the Old and Rare Ladies of the Display Cellar of the French Restaurant "Le Pan Apicius" located in the Headquarters Building of the company I have been working for, for the past 5 years, (Goldin Group), to provide them with some TLC (Tenderness, Love and Care) as needed.

As you know, storage conditions, climate and environment are crucial for these Ladies to age gracefully and the best way possible without getting too "old", "decrepit" and/or "unbearable" to quickly (Am I still talking about bottles of wine? 😉).

However, do not freak out Ladies, it is unavoidable, with age come skin creases and outfit crisis (i.e. understand damaged or deteriorating label), and I'm here for you to help and remedy to this undesirable situation (I think that I'm not going to make any friends amongst the women reading this post...)....

So here we are, a few weeks ago, we had a major issue with the cooling unit maintaining the temperature and humidity levels in the display cellar (which unfortunately took a few days to be repaired) and I realised that the humidity level was going down around 50-55% instead of the usual and ideal 70-75% level.

You see the problem with old ladies is that once they lay down comfortably and adapted to their environment, better not move them to prevent from choking or brusk them, moreover they get very cranky and take days to settle down back in the right mood after being moved ...

As a consequence, and despite the use of additional water buckets placed in the cellar the duration of the repair, some of these old and rare Lady's labels started to dry up and get slightly detached.

It was a horrible sight for a Sommelier like me... I couldn't watch my old Ladies friends dried up...

I had to do something.. And so I did... I decided to dress them up with a plastic film to maintain the label in place and avoid further deterioration... a sort of a makeup to make them pretty and resplendent once again.... what will I not do for these Ladies.... ?!? How could I resist facing these "Grand Dames" in great distress?

Let's get dressed up Ladies.... especially you... yeah, you... the very old ones (...antic should I dare to say... historical might be better) from one of the most unique collections of Chateau d'Yquem outside the Chateau with vintages dating back to 1825... I really don't want to see you undressed...

Latour 1945 detached Label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 bottle without the label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 detached label © LeDomduVin

Label Protection Operation Tools © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 detached label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Mouton 1947 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Mouton 1949 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 slightly damaged and detached label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 slightly damaged and detached label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

H Jayer 1996 Vosne-Romanée Cros- Parantoux label © LeDomduVin

Beautiful, aren't they? Yes, I know, this Display Cellar is a Sommelier, or should I say a collector, dream come true.

I feel very privileged and humbled to be able to hold and take care of these beauties, memories of the past who survived history and still live to this day... They need to be preserved and tend to until maybe one day someone decides to lay them forever in a museum or offer them a better end by savoring them religiously right after listening to their last whisper when releasing the cork.... and let them finally take their last breath... (sigh)

NB: I hope you get the metaphors in my way of writing these posts... otherwise ask someone to explain you... it is second degree mixed French-American humor... but some of you might not get it at all.... (sigh)

LeDomduVin

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