Some wines are so engaging that they bypass our analytical faculties and express their flavors with emotion – their presence demands contemplation, not necessarily of the wine itself, but of our own journey to the current moment. The bottle of 1986 Château Lafite Rothschild that my mother and I shared to celebrate her retirement is one such wine.
In many ways, this wine was a diametrically opposing force to a previous bottle of '81 Château Leoville Las Cases, responsible for restoring a sort of balance to my oenological universe. Did the the Las-Cases provide the shadow that permitted the transient beauty of the Lafite to shine a bit brighter than it may have otherwise? Was I swept away by my emotions, failing to recognize that the Lafite was simply a mediocre bottle of wine?
Whether disappointing or transcendent, aged wines are always an emotional journey that reveal deeper meaning than the flavors in the bottle. The nose on the '86 Lafite gave off intense aromas of spice, molasses, brown sugar, and leather. Supple and elegant flavors of intense black currant and cedar are perfectly nestled inside a fantastic structure of lively acidity and reserved tannins. Tertiary notes of truffle and mushroom carry through the long finish.
“It is because everything must come to an end that everything is so beautiful.”