Showing posts with label #oldandrare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #oldandrare. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

LeDomduVin: Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1978





Someone said Lafite Rothschild 1978?



The other day, I served wine in one of @thelegacyhousehk's luxury private dining rooms.

The pantry had two doors: one leading to the room where I was serving wine and a second to another private room.

The second door opened while I was in the pantry, and I could see people arriving for dinner in the other room.

The host put a bag on the dining room island and took out these six bottles.

Even if I had nothing to do with this party and was not even going to serve the wine for them (I mean, I do not work there; I just came to serve wine for a private dinner), I was intrigued when I saw the labels and could not help myself uttering in an admirative voice, "You've brought some great wines!"

As he looked at me and glanced at the golden grape pin on my jacket, I asked the host if I could enter his room to examine the bottles more closely and even take a picture of them.

He agreed and even told me that I could taste the wine. I said I would love to and thanked him profusely.

I thought from afar that they were different. Yet, they were all 1978 vintage.

The house Sommelier opened the bottles and later brought me a glass, telling me he found some bottle variations.

Although the 1978 vintage was good overall, especially compared to the rest of the 1970s, bottle variations are unsurprising, in my opinion, as these bottles seem to have different provenance, and most 1978 Bordeaux (in general) started to fade and slowly lose their fruit two decades ago already.





Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1978

The wine displayed a dull, cloudy, light brownish color. On the nose, it boasted autumnal tertiary aromas of leather, tobacco, coffee, underbrush, and pencil shavings, mingling with earthy and light oaky nuances. The palate was still alive and kicking, relatively consistent, with good fruit and acidity and a reasonably long finish. Surprisingly, it was still pretty good. Old but not finished.


Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein @chateaulafiterothschild #lafiterothschild #grandcruclasse #pauillac #bordeaux #oldandrare #oldandrarewine #oldandrarevintage #oldandrarebottle #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife




Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2024, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).


Friday, January 5, 2024

LeDomduVin: Marques de Riscal Elciego (Alava) Vino de Crianza 1922





Marques de Riscal Elciego (Alava) 

Vino de Crianza 1922



I'm always humbled when in the presence of such a piece of history. 

I mean, it's not every day that I come across such an old and rare bottle, especially one from Marques de Riscal. 

The cellars I am inventorying are usually primarily stocked with French wines. Some Italian and American wines are occasionally found, but Spanish wines are a rare discovery.

Marques de Riscal is one of my favorite Rioja wineries, and I had the chance to visit it a few times and drink and sell a fair amount of their wines over the past 20 years. 





Being able to hold this bottle of Marques de Riscal 1922 brought back a lot of great memories. 

Back in the early to mid-2000s, when I was working in New York, at @pjwine, I had the chance, every year, to organize and participate in the PJ Wine owner's wine-buying trip to France and Spain. 

A trip of 15 to 18 days, usually occurring at the end of March and beginning of April, focused mainly on tasting Bordeaux Futures and visiting wineries around Rioja, Priorat, and Ribera del Duero.






This is how, at the time, Peter Yi (wine lover and owner of PJWine.com), Justin Berlin (a Spanish wine aficionado extraordinaire), Sam Nelom (a wine amateur and blind-tasting legend), and I ended up eating in some of the best restaurants in the southwest of France and the northern part of Spain had to offer.





That's how, in 2006, we got to experience chef Ferran Adrià's "El Bulli" and eat at Marques de Riscal's restaurant after tasting some of their wines. 

We were also among the first guests to spend the night in some of the best suites of the newly finished Frank Gehry-designed Marques de Riscal hotel. It was a tremendous experience. 

And for those who may wonder, no, I did not open this bottle as it is part of a private cellar. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @marquesderiscal #marquesderiscal #crianza #rioja #spain #wine #vin #vino #wein #lesphotosadom #oldandrare #oldandrarewine #sommelier #sommlife #sommelierlife #ilovemyjob #lovewine #wineyearly



Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2024, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).