Chateau Lafite Rothschild Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac 1986

The tannins remain evident, fully in tact, and overall this 1986 is young, profound, full of spiced herbs and freshly turned-over earth. It needs time in the bottle or carafe, because although there is more evident charm in the 1985 on first opening, this is the vintage of the pair that will be around for the longest. Dense black fruits abound, along with cigar box, black tea and slate. In its youth it was described as tannic, solid, almost austere, and it is astonishing how it has kept that character over the decades. There are still nuaces here that will be revealed over the decades to come, so be sure to give it time to unwind if you are opening any time over the next decade. 45hl/h yield. The famous Ricardo Bofill circular cellar was under construction at this point.

The 1986 Lafite Rothschild was tasted twice, once from bottle at the château and then from imperial at the Académie du Vin dinner. It is an awesome Pauillac that has finally reached its drinking plateau. The nose is so vibrant yet beautifully controlled, black fruit commingling with graphite, cedar and just a touch of juniper. Wonderful delineation, though it needs 15 to 20 minutes to really cohere. The palate is taut and fresh with a keen thread of acidity. It is not a powerful First Growth (Lafite rarely is), but there is astonishing balance to its layers of cedar-infused black fruit. Touches of allspice and pencil shavings emerge towards the sustained finish. Magnificent.

The 1986 Lafite Rothschild unfurls in the decanter and glass with aromas of earthy blackcurrant fruit mingled with notions of cigar box and red berries. Richer and darker in profile than the 1975 drunk alongside, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and concentrated, displaying a velvety attack and a lively core of fruit, with just a touch of the tannic asperity that often defines this vintage in the Médoc making itself felt on the finish. As it approaches its 40th birthday, the 1986 Lafite still needs several hours' decant to show its best.

The wine seems fully mature, more so than the '89 (or the '82, tasted recently, but not for this vertical). The aromas were savoury roast meat, black plum, fig, and prune touched with smoke, coffee, and truffle. The texture was dense and extraordinarily tannic. The finish was long, and there was a touch of soy sauce right at the end. The 1986 vintage featured a dry spring followed by a hot summer, but there were small, sporadic rain showers that meant the grapes did not suffer drought stress. At Lafite the final blend was 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Merlot.