Blick answers your wine questions
«How much is my Château Lafite Rothschild 1958 worth?»
Blick wine editor Nicolas Greinacher regularly answers readers’ questions about wine. Reto Neuber would like to know the value of his bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 1958.
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The bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 1958 from Blick reader Reto Neuber is a rare rarity.
Nicholas GreinacherEditor Wine
The full-bodied red wines of this noble Bordeaux chateau have been among the coveted Premier Grand Cru Classés since they were classified in 1855. Thirteen years after this classification, the winery was sold to Baron James de Rothschild (1792-1868), in whose family it has remained to this day.
The vineyard area of 112 hectares, which is impressive by Bordeaux standards, is mostly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon vines, followed by Merlot and small plots of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Year after year, wines are pressed here that are among the most elegant and unfortunately also the most expensive that is bottled in Bordeaux.
A bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 1958 is so valuable
In the early 2000s, Lafite prices soared due to increased demand from Asia. The Chinese gift mentality, especially among state employees, made a significant contribution to this. However, during the financial crisis in 2008 and due to the gift restrictions introduced in China a few years later, prices corrected again.
The bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 1958 from Blick reader Reto Neuber is a rare rarity. A former tenant of his emigrated to Thailand and decided without further ado to leave him his entire wine collection in a generous gesture.
Unfortunately, the 1958 vintage was not outstanding in Bordeaux and only produced light, often somewhat thin wines that wanted to be drunk soon after bottling. Therefore, the bottle from Blick reader Reto Neuber should no longer offer too much drinking pleasure. As a collector’s item, however, it still has a considerable estimated value, which is currently between 500 and 700 francs.