Many years ago at the complettion of a real estate deal I was gifted a
3L bottle of 1970 Chateau Lafite from a man who really didn't know or
like wine but he had a number of cases stacked up in the corner of his
office. At the conclusion of the real estate closing he pulled up a
large format bottle and handed it to me and told me that it probably
wasn't any good as it had sat around his office for years. He had 6
of these 3L bottles of 1970 Lafite. I had a large crowd at
Thanksgiving and decided to open my bottle. While it still had a good
neck fill, the cork slid out with ease. The nose was fairly effusive
with cassis when I decanted it. The wine was slightly brickish in the
glass but still a medium red in color. Within minutes the nose had
opened up showing classic cedar, lead pencil, cassis and floral
notes. The wine evolved over the next hour but never disappointed.
I was pleased. "A-"

On 11/28/11 10:28 AM, Bi!! wrote:
> Many years ago at the complettion of a real estate deal I was gifted a
> 3L bottle of 1970 Chateau Lafite from a man who really didn't know or
> like wine but he had a number of cases stacked up in the corner of his
> office. At the conclusion of the real estate closing he pulled up a
> large format bottle and handed it to me and told me that it probably
> wasn't any good as it had sat around his office for years. He had 6
> of these 3L bottles of 1970 Lafite. I had a large crowd at
> Thanksgiving and decided to open my bottle. While it still had a good
> neck fill, the cork slid out with ease. The nose was fairly effusive
> with cassis when I decanted it. The wine was slightly brickish in the
> glass but still a medium red in color. Within minutes the nose had
> opened up showing classic cedar, lead pencil, cassis and floral
> notes. The wine evolved over the next hour but never disappointed.
> I was pleased. "A-"

If any wine were designed to withstand ill treatment, this is probably
it: tannic red wine in large format bottle. I'm glad to hear that your
bottle was in sound shape, and it sounds like a very appealing wine.

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Nov 28, 8:28*am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> Many years ago at the complettion of a real estate deal I was gifted a
> 3L bottle of 1970 Chateau Lafite from a man who really didn't know or
> like wine but he had a number of cases stacked up in the corner of his
> office. *At the conclusion of the real estate closing he pulled up a
> large format bottle and handed it to me and told me that it probably
> wasn't any good as it had sat around his office for years. *He had 6
> of these 3L bottles of 1970 Lafite. *I had a large crowd at
> Thanksgiving and decided to open my bottle. *While it still had a good
> neck fill, the cork slid out with ease. *The nose was fairly effusive
> with cassis when I decanted it. The wine was slightly brickish in the
> glass but still a medium red in color. *Within minutes the nose had
> opened up showing classic cedar, lead pencil, cassis and floral
> notes. *The wine evolved over the next hour but never disappointed.
> I was pleased. "A-"

Wow sounds great. Would have loved to be at that opening.

very nice! As Mark says, big format and big wine helps, but still know you were happy when it showed well.

On Nov 28, 9:28*am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> Many years ago at the complettion of a real estate deal I was gifted a
> 3L bottle of 1970 Chateau Lafite from a man who really didn't know or
> like wine but he had a number of cases stacked up in the corner of his
> office. *At the conclusion of the real estate closing he pulled up a
> large format bottle and handed it to me and told me that it probably
> wasn't any good as it had sat around his office for years. *He had 6
> of these 3L bottles of 1970 Lafite. *I had a large crowd at
> Thanksgiving and decided to open my bottle. *While it still had a good
> neck fill, the cork slid out with ease. *The nose was fairly effusive
> with cassis when I decanted it. The wine was slightly brickish in the
> glass but still a medium red in color. *Within minutes the nose had
> opened up showing classic cedar, lead pencil, cassis and floral
> notes. *The wine evolved over the next hour but never disappointed.
> I was pleased. "A-"

I still have 5 magnums of 1970 and several single bottles, all of
which have been properly stored since release. I reported tasting a
magnum here a year or so ago. It has turned out better than many
expected early on and likely will hold well several more years. I
think I paid about $24 per single bottle for a case, and a bit more
than twice that for magnums. It has always been a bit heavy for a
Lafite. However age has made it much better balanced. if you bought it
today, it is going at auction for about 4534 UK Pounds per case of 12
single bottles. However the 1982 sells for about 31813 Pounds per case
of single bottles. These are prices quoted by the Dec. 2011 decanter.
The 1982 is very popular in the Orient, which likely explains some of
the very high price.

"cwdjrxyz" wrote .............
>
> The 1982 is very popular in the Orient, which likely explains
> some of the very high prices.

You ain't kidding.

I was in Beijing last month and came across an outlet (deep inside
an international trading centre) with an amazing selection of wines.

Including several bottles of 1982 Ch. Latour - priced at 71,888RMB
which is around $US11K !!!!

I was offered 15% discount, but passed

AB