RP 96 pts! 2001 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux wine

Description

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Ratings:
96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted at "The Sampler's" icon tasting in London. The 2001 Lafite Rothschild has a quintessential bouquet for Lafite: very pure, almost understated at first. It then begins to open with briary, blackberry leaf, cedar and freshly rolled tobacco with subtle floral notes emerging after three of four minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and it certainly shows more vitality than the 1985 served alongside. Slightly grainy tannins, more feminine than previous bottles with dark plum, blackberry, citrus fruit, a touch of dried apricot and a very precise finish. Superb. (NM)    (3/2012)
96 points Wine Spectator
Stick your nose in this and it says something: "I am special." Deep and generous aromas of blackberries, fresh tobacco and minerals. It's full-bodied, with big velvety tannins and a superlong finish. Like a fine cashmere sweater. *Collectibles - #7 on the Top 100 of 2004* (JS)    (3/2004)
Bottle Size:
750 ml
Storage History:
Bought directly from the wine vendor and storage kept in a restaurant wine cellar at 55 F and 75% Humidity until 2011. Sold to Cult Wines International in 7/2011 and is currently being stored in an optimum climate controlled cellar.
Condition:
Absolutely flawless. Perfect label, capsule and fill level.
History:
Situated in the great wine-producing village of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Bordeaux, the estate was the property of Gombaud de Lafite in 1234. In the 17th century, the property of Château Lafite was purchased by the Ségur family, including the 16th century manor house that still stands. Although vines almost certainly already existed on the site, around 1680, Jacques de Ségur planted the majority of the vineyard. In the early 18th century, Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de Ségur refined the wine-making techniques of the estate, and introduced his wines to the upper echelons of European society. Before long he was known as the "Wine Prince", and the wine of Château Lafite called "The King's Wine" thanks to the influential support of the Maréchal de Richelieu. Towards the end of the 18th century, Lafite's reputation was assured and even Thomas Jefferson visited the estate and became a lifelong customer.
Following the French Revolution, the period known as Reign of Terror led to the execution of Nicolas Pierre de Pichard on 30 June 1794, bringing an end to the Ségur family's ownership of the estate which became public property. In 1797 the vineyards were sold to a group of Dutch merchants.
The first half of the 19th century saw Lafite in the hands of the Vanlerberghe family and the wine improved more, including the great vintages of 1795, 1798 and 1818. On 8 August 1868, the Château was purchased by Baron James Mayer Rothschild for 4.4 million francs, and the estate became Château Lafite Rothschild. Baron James, however, died just three months after purchasing Lafite. The estate then became the joint property of his three sons: Alphonse, Gustave, and Edmond.
The 20th century has seen periods of success and difficulty, coping with post-phylloxera vines, and two world wars. During the Second World War the Château was occupied by the German army, and suffered heavily from plundering of its cellars. Succeeding his uncle Élie de Rothschild, Lafite has been under the direction of Eric de Rothschild since 1974.
The record price at auction for a bottle of wine (6,000) was for a 1787 Chateau Lafite which was once thought to be owned by Thomas Jefferson.
Recently the 2008 vintage produced a world wide increase in price of over 125% in 6 months from release, which in turn has come to push some Asian countries to the top of the list of worldwide markets in which investment grade wine is purchased.
Alcohol Sales Disclaimer:
Cultwines is participating in a closed category of wine sales on eBay. As a participant in this category, Cultwines had to be pre-approved by eBay prior to listing wine on the website. For more information about wine sales on eBay, please click
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Shipping Restrictions:
We can ship to ALL states EXCEPT the following:
ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, DELAWARE, KENTUCKY, MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, ILLINOIS, OKLAHOMA, PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTH DAKOTA AND UTAH. Wine shipping laws are tricky and vary from state to state. Some states require us to ship through a fulfillment center. For these particular states, packages are only sent out on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you need overnight shipping or 2 day shipping on a wine package, and are planning on ordering on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, please contact us to discuss options.
We collect 6% sales tax in the state of Florida
Returns, Cancellation & Refunds:
International wine shipments are totally at the discretion of the Buyer. International shipments are sent with an expedited method and usually take 3-5 days for delivery. However, with International Shipments there can be many delays associated with transit including customs procedures, flight delays, weather delays and others. Furthermore, Cult Wines International will NOT be held liable for international shipments in any way whatsoever. Should the package be spoiled, damaged, broken, lost or seized by customs, NO refunds will be given. If you are International Buyer, once you have paid for this item you are agreeing to these terms. If you have not yet paid or the item has not yet shipped, and you wish to cancel the transaction, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Age Requirements:
The purchase of alcohol by persons under the age of 21 is prohibited by law. You must be at least 21 years old to purchase and receive wine. By purchasing wine listed by Cultwines on eBay, or otherwise placing an order with Cult Wines International, you are representing yourself to be at least 21 years of age. Cult Wines International reserves the right to verify proof of age before shipping. Someone over the age of 21 must be available to sign for the package upon delivery. Wine cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
Holds on Wine Shipment during Summer Months:
Your wine will ship after payment has been made. However, we will hold shipment of your order when requested, and keep your wine stored in our cellars until the weather is more suitable for wine shipment. To hold your order, please tell us in the "Comment" section of the order during checkout. Please also include the date which you would like us to ship. We will not hold your wine longer than 5 months.
Combined Shipping Policy:
We will combine your shipping for multiple bottles upon request. Please contact us for a quote.
Disclaimer:
Regardless of the date or temperature during shipping: Wine spoilage in transit is NOT covered. Expedited/overnight shipping or shipping insurance DOES NOT change this policy. When purchasing shipping insurance, remember that shipments are only covered for theft, breakage during shipping or complete loss of the package. If you have purchased wine but are worried about heat spoilage or freezing temperatures, simply let us put the order on hold, and we will ship when you want. Cult Wines International also cannot guarantee the quality of the wine in the bottles. We are not wine makers. If you do not like the wine in the bottle, please take it up with the vineyard. We do our best by storing the wine in optimum conditions and  accurately describing the condition of the bottles, but obviously this is as far as we can go when it comes to quality assurance.
Regarding Vintage Wines:
Cult Wines International cannot guarantee the condition of the cork or quality of the wine inside the bottles. Many of the vintage wines we purchase come from private collectors, hotels, restaurants and estate sales. We examine our wines carefully before purchase and never attempt to purchase wine with poor provenance. Wines which we feel have provenance issues will be discounted greatly and will be detailed in the description. We do our best by storing the wine in optimum conditions and accurately describing the condition of the bottles, but obviously this is as far as we can go when it comes to quality assurance. Wine is alive inside the bottle and changes over time. Cult Wines International cannot guarantee when the peak drinking window of a wine is. Older wines may be past their peak when you open them. Older vintage corks can shrink, and degrade. The cork may break or crumble when you remove it. This is normal for older wines. There is always a risk with older wines. It's as simple as that. You may open one up and have one of the greatest experiences of your life. You may open a similar bottle and find it's past its prime or oxidized. That is the inherent risk assumed by the buyer in the vintage wine world.
Some buyers do not know how to drink older wines, and in turn end up having a bad experience for no reason other than lack of knowledge. If you purchase a bottle 20 year old or older, please check out these 7 tips for enjoyment:
1. Keep in mind that the lower the fill level is of the wine inside the bottle, the greater chance the wine has oxidized. This is not a rule but rather a calculated risk. A wine at base neck or greater has basically no risk of oxidization. A wine right at halfway mid-shoulder has a 35-40% chance of being oxidized. Below that, the risk keeps increasing further. Keep this in mind when purchasing.
2. Older wines have natural sediment in them that accumulates with age. These are tannins which precipitate out of the wine over time. The color of the wine will slowly fade from purple to brick red or even orange as the tannins accumulate and lump together to form the sediment. This sediment can be bitter when consumed but is harmless to health. However, for the best drinking experience, it is a good idea to drink sediment-free wine. Allow all vintage wines to stand upright for several days and even sometimes a few weeks if the wine has very fine sediments (as in older Burgundy or Champagne). Once the wine is clear you can proceed to uncork and decant the wine.
Keep in mind the final drinking place of the wine and keep the wine there until it settles
. If you bring an old wine with you to a friend's house or a restaurant with plans of drinking it that evening, you will disturb the sediments and make the wine impossible to properly decant.
3. Do not use a standard corkscrew as older wines have corks which will easily break during extraction. Purchase an ah-so or better yet a Durand. We have pulled out corks whole from 1945 bottles with a Durand.
4. Properly decant the wine. Purchase a decanter if you don't have one. We won't go into too much detail about decanting. There are many great videos on YouTube which will show you how to properly decant vintage wine. However the idea of decanting is to gradually pour the wine into a different container while leaving (and without disturbing) the sediment in the original bottle. A small amount of wine will be left in the original bottle which is full of sediment and is typically discarded. The decanter can now be swirled, handed around and poured without risk of sediment issues.
5. Allow the wine to breathe. Older wines require less breathing time than younger wines, but still typically need about 25-30 minutes for best aromas and flavor. These wines have been cooped up in an enclosed container for many years and often can have a musty smell upon freshly opening. This will usually go away upon breathing.
6. Do not expect old wines to taste like better versions of young wines. Older wines often taste completely different to their younger counterparts. They lose their fruity qualities and their secondary complexities increase. More earthy notes and minerality is to be expected.  Most often the bouquet of wine improves over time, imparting a smooth, rich flavor without the bitterness of a younger wine. However its intensity decreases and the wine feels lighter and thinner in the mouth. To many people these qualities are highly desirable, however there are many people who prefer younger wines also. So simply don't assume you'll enjoy an old wine more than a younger one.
7. Not all wines get better with age. Bold, higher-end red wines, complex whites and dessert wines are the ones to benefit most greatly from age. Varietals which typically get better with age are as follows:
Riesling
:
A good Riesling can improve, growing rounder in flavor, virtually forever.
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Bordeaux, California, and many other places produce Cabs with the bold richness needed to age well. However not all Cabs will develop delicious secondary and tertiary flavors. This is dependent on the structure, tannins, and richness of fruit needed to hold up to years of aging. Typically the higher-end Cabs are designed this way. Budget Cabs aren't typically suitable for aging over 15-20 years.
Chardonnay:
This depends on acidity greatly. A rich, buttery Chardonnay won't have the structure necessary to age well and will fall apart within 5-7 years. Higher acidity Chardonnays with rich mineral tastes can very well improve with aging. Namely higher-end French White Burgundies.
Sauternes:
Some of the longest lived non-fortified wines in the world. The combination of sugar and alcohol give these wines an almost immortal lifespan and the complexities they can develop are endless.
Fortified wine:
Similar to Sauternes but even higher in alcohol and an extremely low chance of oxidization. Port, Madeira and the like age wonderfully because their high quantities of sugar and alcohol act to slow down the aging process, meaning that they can open well after even hundreds of years. Typically you can open the bottle, pour a glass and go back to the bottle months later to have another sip with the wine being completely unharmed.
Pinot Noir
:  This is greatly variable depending on the level of Pinot. Budget Pinot tastes great and there's no need to hang onto it longer than 5-7 years. However many experts hold that a well-aged Pinot is the holy grail of the wine world. High end French Burgundies like Romanee Conti are considered a travesty if opened too young as their flavors can evolve unlike anything else in the wine world.
Syrah:
Most Syrahs age well, but only up to a limit–about 15 years.
Merlot:
Merlot is a very forgiving wine when it comes to age. Many bottles can taste great young, however they can still benefit from some time in the cellar. Higher end Merlot like Petrus is well known for aging gracefully and beautifully.
Zinfandel:
Like Cabernet Sauvignon, many Zinfandels have the potential to age to greatness.
Old Italian wines
: Some varietals like Chiati do not benefit much from aging. Barolo is one of the world's greatest age-worthy wines. Brunello and Super-Tuscans are also excellent wines for aging. Italian wines from the 50s and 60s age well because they were made by farmers with primitive equipment. Their wines ended up very high in tannins, making them perfect aging candidates.