Вино Шато Лафит 1787 (Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1787)

The Great Antique Lafite Rothschild Collection
- spanning four centuries

Лондонская компания The Antique Wine Company, занимающаяся продажей старых вин, целых два года собирала свою коллекцию по самым лучшим ресторанам, отелям и частным подвалам, включая подвал одного из членов семьи Ротшильдов. Самое старое вино из этой коллекции было сделано в 1787 году, еще перед Великой французской революцией. Тот, кто приобретет The Great Antique Lafite Collection, станет обладателем части истории, настоящего богатства. Еще бы, ведь это вино 1787 года принадлежало самому Томасу Джефферсону, президенту США, благодаря которому американцы получили Декларацию независимости. За то время, пока вино из этой коллекции созревало в темных подвалах, в мире прогремело немало войн и сражений и сменилось не одно поколение правителей.

The Antique Wine Company is very proud to be offering the most extensive collection of Chateau Lafite Rothschild ever seen on the world market, a unique collection that spans four centuries, with the earliest vintage being 1787, prior to the French Revolution.

It encompasses all the bottle formats ever produced, including giant 6ltr Imperials from all the top vintages of the 20th century.

Impeccable provenance

Even though the provenance appears to be impeccable, The Antique Wine Company have, in conjunction with various experts developed a series of scientific tests which can be carried out to verify the age of the glass and the wine. The final tests will be completed in the presence of the purchaser, enabling him or her to be involved in this pioneering scientific breakthrough.

Additionally an extensive range of tasting notes has been compiled for many of the vintages with the help of The Rothschild Family and Charles Chevallier who attended a marathon weekend of tasting vintages dating back to 1887 on April 20-21 at Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera.

Unique

The new owner of the collection will be the possessor of a historic and truly unique treasure; wine that was discovered for the New World by Thomas Jefferson while he was ambassador to France in 1787, on the eve of the Revolution.

Sale of the collection

We are therefore especially privileged to be presenting The Great Antique Lafite Collection to the international market.

Dating back to 1787, this is, to our knowledge the most complete collection of vintages and formats of what is unquestionably one of the the greatest red wines in the world.

The collection is now offered for sale by private negotiation. Interested parties are invited to register to receive news updates and to be informed when the bidding process is opened.

1787 Chateau Lafite Rothschild: 1 bottle

Michael Broadbent notes:
“A wine of some notoriety. It was the first of the ‘Jefferson’ wines to come on to the market when a single bottle was sold at Christie’s in December 1985. Unsurprisingly, I well recall the occasion for in advance of the sale no one had any idea of its worth, so the owner agreed to let it go without reserve.

Instead of the usual estimate in the catalogue I coined the phrase ‘inestimable’. Starting at around £2000 the bidding went quite speedily up to £7000, then to £10,000 until eventually two bidders were left in the running. I finally brought the hammer down at £105,000, still a world record auction price for a single bottle of wine.

The successful bidder was Christopher Forbes, the underbidder being Marvin Shanken. Flown in the Forbes private jet to New York that evening, it had pride of place on Jefferson’s dining table in the Presidential Memorabilia section of the Forbes Museum.

Not long after, I received an agitated telephone call from the curator. Due to the heat of the spotlights, the cork had fallen in! As it was for display and not for drinking, I merely advised her to insert a stopper.

Regarding tasting, I have two notes, both made under laboratory conditions. The first I opened in Munich in 1991. Both wax seal and cork looked old, the wine was brown— tinged and the nose and taste distinctly old. Yet, after a very long delay, the laboratory reported that the wine contained unspecified amount post 1960. Shock, horror and much publicity.

Subsequently in August 1992 half bottle from the original collection was analysed by the two pre-eminent men in the field, Dr Bonani in Zurich and Professor Edward Hall in Oxford (best known for their work on the ‘Turin shroud’).

Once again I was charged with cork drawing and tasting, witnessed by Dr Bonani, the owner and a lawyer. No question about the bottle, it was correct and, subsequently, after a long and expensive process, the cork and the wine were also found to be absolutely correct.

My tasting note: tawny, no red, a dark brown flaky sediment; nose restrained and though oxidised opened up quite richly with residual fruit traces; a touch of sweetness on the palate and acidic, acetic, finish. Last tasted in Zurich, August 1992” –