2013 Vintage
Timed Online Auction, 6 - 13 March 2023
2013 Vintage theme
About the SessionJust how well do modern-era South African wines perform as they get older ? One of the most important measures of great wine is that it should be age-worthy, that is it should become more pleasurable and more interesting to drink with time in the bottle.
To view the WineMag.co.za 10-Year-Old-Report 2023 please visit. https://winemag.co.za/wine/best/10-year-old
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About this Item
Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in the Pauillac region of the Médoc, producing one of the most sought-after and expensive red wines in the world. Lafite Rothschild is known for its perfume, elegance, finesse and harmony, in contrast to the more powerful Latour and Mouton Rothschild. Nevertheless, great vintages can age for 50 years or more.
The estate began to earn its reputation as a winemaking property in the late 1600s; by the second half of the following century it was known as "The King's Wine" at Versailles, and had a strong following in London. The acclaim did not diminish and in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification Lafite was ranked a first growth. It was bought by Baron James de Rothschild in 1868. Throughout much of the 20th Century, despite many sublime wines, Lafite Rothschild was regarded as an inconsistent producer but since the mid-1990s it has become more reliable – in fact, it regularly makes claims for wine of the vintage.
Provenance
The Coats Family Cellar is arguably the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. It contains a deep collection of the worlds finest, most sought-after wines, spanning over 150 years. Collected over many decades, the cellar was imported from Ireland to South Africa via reefer. Each bottle within the Coats Family Cellar was authenticated by Michael Egan in August 2022 and given an ID number for tracking.
Michael Egan is a world-expert in fine and rare wines with more than thirty five years of experience. He was the principal expert for the plaintiff in the two major wine counterfeiting trials in Koch v. Eric Greenberg and United States v. Rudy Kurniawan, both of which occurred in 2013.
Along with Michael Egan, the Strauss & Co Fine Wine team have tasted extensively through the cellar and are confident of the wine storage and hence quality. The entire collection is currently stored at Wine Cellar.
Critics Ratings
‘The intensity of colour is about the same as Latour's but it's much more evolved in the Lafite. Sweet and fresh and lifted and dancing. Very Lafite! There are hidden depths to this wine which is not disappointingly light or simple. Fresh and a decent interpretation of 2013 with undertow – but you may baulk at the price for a non-classic (though delicious) vintage.’ – Jancis Robinson, JancisRobinson.com, 17/20 (Feb 2023)
‘Almost entirely Cabernet Sauvignon (98%), this structured and dense wine is packed with concentrated dark fruits that are firm, showing intense acidity and freshness under the dark tannins. It's classic Bordeaux, with fruit and tannins in equal measure and needing time. Drink from 2024.’ – Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 94/100 (Mar 2016)
‘Features a charcoal coating, along with singed bay and tobacco leaf notes, melding pleasantly with the core of lightly steeped black currant and bitter plum fruit. Shows ample length and depth, with the grip striding through the finish. This should be among the long-lived wines of this modest vintage. Best from 2018 through 2028.’ – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 92/100 (Mar 2016)
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