Château Lafite 1870 (1 MAG)
Auction Closed
April 17, 07:22 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Château Lafite 1870
Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé
Level into the neck, bin-soiled and slightly scuffed label, slightly scuffed, slightly nicked, and slightly corroded capsule, Château embossed capsule, Christie's London strip label, Château Lafite strip label affixed on back confirms recorking by Maître de Chai du Château in 1989
An extraordinary vintage and a stupendous wine. It had the power and the richness to last and it has. Serena Sutcliffe, MW
WA 96
1 mag (cn)
Provenance:
13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Glamis Castle, Scotland circa 1878;
Christie's London, June 24, 1971, Lot 169 as "The Property of the Rt. Honourable Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne," The Finest and Rarest Wines from Private Cellars;
Sherry-Lehmann Sotheby's, New York, 21 February 1997, Lot 270 as "Property from Glamis Castle," Fine and Rare Wines Including the Magnificent Cellar from the Estate of Andrew Dembrowski
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This magnum of 1870 Lafite is distinguished not only by its rarity, but by its exceptional provenance from Glamis Castle, one of Scotland’s great historic estates and the ancestral seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne. The castle’s cellars were maintained with meticulous care over generations, as evidenced by original bin labels and detailed cellar books recording the purchase of 48 magnums of 1870 Lafite in 1878.
Provenance from Glamis carries particular weight in the world of fine wine. The cellar achieved legendary status following the landmark Christie’s 1971 sale, where bottles were discovered still resting in their original bins, untouched for decades. These wines had benefited from remarkably consistent storage conditions, and tastings at the time confirmed their extraordinary preservation—most notably, magnums of 1870 Lafite that were described as nothing short of perfection at over a century of age. Such history firmly establishes Glamis as a source of wines of both impeccable care and proven longevity.