Château Latour

The legendary 1961 vintage in detail:

Character and evaluation

Here are some tasting notes on the Chateau Latour:

Chateau Latour 1934

Those born in 1934 should have no problem finding a good wine from their year of birth. Very good wines were produced across Europe in 1934. For Bordeaux, 1934 is considered the best vintage of the 1930's. There is still a lot to discover and the Wineterminator still likes to pick up well-preserved 34s. (Source: wineterminator.com Dr Becker).

Chateau Latour 1945

Latour should still have a long life. 1995 from a perfect 1tel(bn) with typical mint nose, still clear tannins and strong acidity, in the same year at Willi Krähling's Latour tasting intense mint nose, as a perfect Mouton 45 should have, fully developed, last 2000 again a young bottle, mint, eucalyptus, brittle, opens only hesitantly - fantastic deposit, still needs 1 to 2 decades in good bottles (source: wineterminator.com Dr. Becker).

Chateau Latour 1952

A Latour Magnum in 1996 had a strong colour, tobacco nose, was still very young, strong, good future - 92/100. Last 2006 again a classic Latour with still damn young colour and the typical, slightly bitter walnut aroma - 94/100. A wine with still plenty of future (source: wineterminator.com Dr. Becker).

Chateau Latour 1959

Latour appeared slender, unripe, very strong acidity, did not let out much of its potential at a tasting in 1993 in comparison to the 59 - 94/100. 1995 at Willi Krähling's Latour tasting from the magnum then the power and the splendour - 100/100. In the same year then still simply extraterrestrially good from a Marie-Jeanne and - the super disaster! - from a faulty Imperiale. Then several more times from bottles of varying quality. Most recently in 1999 from a Best Bottle, dense colour, decadent sweetness, power, light mint, unbelievable, that was 59 Latour as I know and love it - 100/100. In the summer of 2005, another perfect 1tel at 100/100 level. Four weeks later on Sylt, I thought it was much younger when poured blind and imagined myself at 82 Leoville las Cases. So young, even in colour, so dense, such massive tannins, such compact fruit. A wine made for eternity, which in perfectly stored bottles like this one should definitely be decanted a few hours beforehand, but preferably put away for a few more years - 97/100. Last enjoyed in 2007 at Chateau Latour in two versions. The ex-Chateau bottle was magnificent. Super colour without any age, multi-layered dream nose, also on the palate so dense, so young, so powerful, incredibly complex, Latour in perfection, a wine monument, made for eternity - 99/100. The bottles from a cold Loire cellar seemed surprisingly a little more mature with an extra portion of sweetness, but also herbal, floral aromas - 98/100 (source: wineterminator.com Dr. Becker).

Chateau Latour 1961

Latour is one of the great wines of the last century, but unfortunately there are also different bottlings here. The better one - the majority of the bottles - was bottled in May, the worse one in October. And it was the latter that we had at Willi Krähling's big Latour tasting from the magnum in 1995. Too bad, the wine seemed somewhat one-dimensional compared to 59,62 and 64 and did not live up to its reputation - 93/100. Of course, with wines like this, reading euphoric tasting notes also raises expectations that no wine can fulfil. My second bottle, from Jörg Müller in the summer of 1995, was of a completely different calibre, with unbridled power and still far too young. However, I searched in vain for the famous 100 points in the glass - 97/100. The third bottle, in 1997 in a 61 sample, came from a miserable cellar and had a poor fill level. Sensational colour, nose and palate perfect, ripe Cabernet, but also somewhat herbaceous, you can taste the poor fill level, in this form no more than 96/100, massive tannins, but the fruit is gone (source: wineterminator.com Dr. Becker).

Chateau Latour 1966

Parker N° 129 (01.06.2000) : 96 Drinkability : 2000-2020 The wine of the vintage, the 1966 Latour is a classic, old style Bordeaux that has required decades to become drinkable. A dark, opaque garnet colour is followed by a fabulous nose of cedar, sweet leather, black fruits, prunes, and roasted walnuts, refreshing underlying acidity, sweet but noticeable tannin, and a spicy finish. This powerful, vigorous, immensely impressive, concentrated Latour has reached its plateau of maturity, where it will remain for another 10-20 years.

Chateau Latour 1985

Parker N° 129 (26.06.2000) : 89 Drinkability : -2020 This wine was tasted at a vertical tasting held in Charlotte, North Carolina several days before the Christie tasting. The Latour staff spoke far more highly of the 1989 than my experience has shown. It possesses many characteristics that make great vintages of Bordeaux so alluring - softness, overripeness, and sweet fruit. The problem is that there are insufficient quantities of these components. An evolved dark ruby colour reveals amber at the edge. The nose offers aromas of caramel, coffee, ripe black cherry and currant fruit, cedar, and spice box. Although medium-bodied, with low acidity, the wine lacks richness in the mid-palate, and is surprisingly abrupt in the finish. It is a very fine, delicious Latour, but it is hard to believe it will attain the weight and flavour dimensions its producers suggest.

Chateau Latour 1990

Latour, is this a wine of the century or not? My first bottles in the second half of the 90s showed endless power and potential, but were quite inaccessible. Three amazing bottles in 2000, all at 100/100. 2001 at the 90s tasting and then twice again very closed from my own stocks. 2002 in a tasting grandiose Bordeaux in perfection - 100/100. 2003 surprisingly tame. 2004 in comparison more fruity, more flattering than 82, but with less pressure and power, in the long term 82 is the greater wine. In 2005 and 2006 several half bottles, accessible and closed at the same time - let out little, but the massive tannins are not clearly noticeable either. 2007 was a fun wine par excellence with a lush, chocolaty nose and exotic aromas. Also with power and structure, but also very soft tannins. Will not be one of the longest-lived Latours - 97/100 (source: wineterminator.com Dr. Becker).

The timeless power of terroir. Château Latour epitomises purist Bordeaux excellence. The wines are a game of patience - but those who allow them to mature will be rewarded with unrivalled complexity.