Château Lafite-Rothschild 1945
Pauillac, 1er cru classé
Level: mid shoulder; torn label with 19 5 visible on label, vintage confirmed on embossed glass bottle
1 bottle per lot

Provenance
Christie's London, November 27, 1969, lot 57

Type: Red Wine
Grape Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux

ABOUT THE WINE
The name Lafite comes from the Gascon language term "la hite", which means "hillock". The estate is situated at the northern end of Pauillac, close to Cos d'Estournel which is just over the border in St.-Estephe. The vineyard consists of three major areas: the hillsides around the Château, the adjacent Carruades plateau to the west, and 4.5 hectares in neighboring Saint Estephe (which is entitled to the Pauillac appellation). The well-drained soils are deep fine gravel up to 4 metres deep mixed with Aeolian sands on a bedrock of tertiary limestone. The 107 hectares of vines are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The average age of the vines 35 years, although vines younger than 10 years old are not used in the Grand Vin. 18 hectares of vines are more than 50 years old and the oldest plot, called “La Gravière”, is over 120 years old, having been planted in 1886. Normally the final blend of the Grand Vin is assembled from Cabernet Sauvignon (representing between 80% to 95%), Merlot (between 5% to 20%), Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (between 0% to 5%), however this depends on the vintage, for example the 1961 was produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate is run by a team overseen by Technical Director Charles Chevallier. Only minimal interventions of fertilizers are used. Yields are kept low and harvesting is done by hand in approximately 12 days by up to 350 pickers. Grapes are sorted in the vineyard before being brought in to the two reception bays where different plots are vinifed separately. Fermentation takes place half in traditional oak vats which are equipped with computerized temperature control with maceration on the skins for between 18 and 25 days. Malolactic fermentation also takes place in vats before the wine is transferred into 100% new oak barriques (the estate produces its own barrels in their cooperage) where it remains for between 18 to 20 months until bottling after regular rackings and fining with egg whites. Lafite is renowned for its finesse and subtlety and is often considered as more accessible young than a Chteau Latour or Mouton Rothschild, as Stephen Brook in his book, The Complete Bordeaux summarized; "for elegance choose Lafite."