TN: 80 Turns Around the Sun with a 1945 Lafite

WINE TALK
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80 TURNS AROUND THE SUN WITH A 1945 LAFITE - Charlotte, NC (8/4/2025)

Celebrating the dual birthday's of two greatly distinguished gentlemen: Michael and Bill the First. It was wine that brought everyone together and it was one of those magical nights where every wine could have been the showcase for any dinner. But tonight a birth year 1945 Lafite Rothschild revealed and expressed all the magic and wonder that turns this hobby into a passion.

Always Start with Bubbles

This vintage Champagne from Moët & Chandon's prestige cuvée offers a complex evolution, blending freshness with mature depth.

  • 2000 Dom PĂ©rignon Champagne - France, Champagne
    1 hour double decant prior to serving. Aromatic and gently oxidative. A deliciously warm bouquet of hay and brioche. Complex apple and dried tangerines on the palate displaying a depth of flavor that is exceptional. Body was medium+ and vibrant. Sublime texture with hints of dried pear layering into an excessively long finish. Decanting vintage champagne is one of the most overlooked treatments that enhances these wines to surprising heights. Tonight was another fine example as this champagne was singing from first pour to the final drop.

Burgundy or Bust

While critics mention a challenging vintage, this consumer finds consistent joy. Louis Jadot's Grand Cru white Burgundy shows remarkable resilience, with citrus-driven elegance and subtle oak integration. Domaine Ponsot's old-vine Pinot Noir from this Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru delivers earthy complexity, greatly outperforming expectations from various assessments.

  • 1996 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des HĂ©ritiers Louis Jadot - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    1 hour double decant. Expressive aromatics: Violets, citrus, stone fruit, and apricots on the nose. Soft and gentle on the palate. Fulsome on the mouthfeel. Wonderfully balanced fruit profile – nectarines and stone fruit – while also delightfully oxidative. Harmoniously woven together this wine resolves into a long lingering and savory finish.
  • 1996 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
    Opened at 7pm. Pour 1oz to aerate. Aromatic and rich immediately. No decant. Consumed at ~90 min. Great depth on the nose – jammy cherry and black fruits. Gentle on the attack and rich on the palate. Complex and flavorful – dried red berry fruit with hints of darker berries. Plenty of primary and secondary notes with hints of tertiary. In its wheelhouse of drinkability. Finish was long, broad, and well-balanced. An exceptional wine. Not going to improve. Drink now

There is only one Lafite

This 1945 post-WWII Pauillac icon from Château Lafite Rothschild is a rare gem and the 1982 is celebrated for its power and finesse.

  • 1945 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, MĂ©doc, Pauillac
    Bottled acquired ex-Chateau in the mid-1980s. Professionally stored since.

    Opened at 7pm. Nose was dark woodsy, pencil shavings, Forest floor. Nearly all secondary and tertiary notes. Decided to decant at 7:30pm and it unlocked true greatness.

    Post decant… Beautiful delicate aromas of sweet mature fruit, earth, and brown spice. At times even explosive and intense. Dusty rose petals, rich and soft. The nose brings a depth and richness that modern winemakers mistake for intensity. It penetrates your senses unlike any prior experience. It touches your soul. Gentle on the attack it smoothly and subtlety seduces and tantalizes every sensory node possible. Shoe leather, pencil shavings. Absolute perfection. Brilliant on the palate. Soft, complex, great depth. Barnyard and classic Bordeaux notes confirmed – magnificent complexity of cedar, spice, and currant; black fruits and woody cedar. Tannins resolved though still faintly lingering. Long, silky, and perfectly balanced body and structure. Effortlessly glides into a lengthy, contemplative finish. Truly spectacular. Magic in a bottle. The greatest wine I have consumed. (100 points)
  • 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, MĂ©doc, Pauillac
    Bottle acquired on release and professionally stored since.

    A legendary Pauillac First Growth from a stellar Bordeaux vintage.4pm decant for 90min. Back in the bottle via strainer. Served at 7:30pm. Amazing aromatics, brilliant, soft, and rich. Pencil shavings, soft smoke barnyard and black fruits. Easy on the attack the profile is powerful yet balanced with beautiful roundness and persistent freshness; deep color with dark cherries, blackcurrants, and subtle underbrush; oozes class. Tasty and savory finish lingers deep into the night. Lafite is Lafite. A truly brilliant wine that matches its lofty reputation as one of the greatest wines ever made.

Any Port in a Storm

Taylor Fladgate's Vintage Port from this declared year captures youthful vigor in maturity, with structured fruit and spice.

  • 1970 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
    Double decanted at 4pm for sediment and served at 9pm. Color displays a garnet core with faded brick rim. Aromatics of liquorice and raisin with smoky notes of primary fruit. Soft of the attack and thinning though fighting to hold on to that full-bodied profile. Superb ripeness with layers of wild strawberry, cherry, smoke, and dates. A cohesive closer ready to end any evening.

The wines and the company were something to never forget. The days run short for any of us. Drink the good stuff. You earned it.

Posted from CellarTracker

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So nice!

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amazing how the label hasnt’ changed on the lafite.

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I’m very happy indeed that the Ponsot has come around-not at all the first time that a vintage of theirs that seemed unsalvageable when newly released has blossomed into something beautiful. When Ponsot bottles are as they should be I sometimes think they are the best wines in the world but it takes a huge a mount of planning, luck and now expense.

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That’s amazing that the Lafite were laid down when they were

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Super awesome and I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of the lineup. Nothing exaggerated and over the top really allowing each flight to sing in its own right but the Lafites to headline. Thanks for sharing the note, really one of a kind.

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Curious what you meant by this?

Cheers!

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These old wines can at times deliver a nose of incredible intensity – penetrating scents and flavors. These intense notes are delivered with incredible grace and elegance. It takes incredible craftsmanship to delivery this complexity of intense notes with both power and restraint allowing the consumer to be enveloped by greatness on the nose.

My experience with too many modern wines (within the last 20 years) is this intensity is sought after. But the intensity is powerful and when clumsy can singe your nose-hairs. The goal (based on the finished product) appears to be the intensity and not the rich flavors and aromas delivered with an incredible, yet controlled, power. Intensity on the nose in modern winemaking is too regularly achieved through higher alcohol rather than winemaking craftsmanship. The result is comparatively simple and far less evolved (nor will it likely achieve the complexity many of us seek).

The goal should not be the intensity.

The penetrating aromas and flavors – savored when delivered with the restraint and delicacy of a true winemaking artist – is what can define true greatness on the nose.

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Ah so if I understand your looking for a wine that whose aromas are more saturated, not just intense?

Like increasing audio fidelity vs just cranking up the volume?

I think I get what you mean, thanks for clarifying!

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This is the perfect analogy. I may steal it :wink:

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