Day two: Chateau Latour

[Comte Flaneur]

A Latour trifecta as the big day approaches.

All of these wines were double decanted and drank side by side at Nigel Platts Martin’s Glasshouse restaurant in Kew Gardens, West London. All three wines were in perfect condition.

1983

Translucent maroon; intriguing and subtle notes of cedar, leather, sweet berries, other dark fruits, herbs, tea, forest floor, hints of pencil lead; on the palate very classy and refined; medium bodied, and very smooth; perfectly judged; quite soft because the tannins are fully integrated, but it is not lacking for grip or persistence; it has exquisite poise; it is elegant, classy and fresh with a satisfying finish. Somewhat old school, it is a wine which whispers rather than shouts out its class. This wine is in a perfect place right now. It should continue to drink well for another 10+ year. I would give it 95 points on the night.

1985

This had a somewhat brighter ruby colour and less bricking than the ’83. More expressive nose with lashings of pencil lead, attenuated cedar, berries, cassis, meat and tobacco notes. The tannins are not quite fully integrated and it has a grippier, livelier, mouth feel. It is more exuberant and has a thrilling, mouth filling palate. An enthralling wine, which just gets better with every glass, and with every bottle opened (this is the third in a year). It is just about entering its drinking window, and will probably get even better. 96 points

1982

It had a deeper, darker more marauding maroon nose than the 1983. On pouring the nose jumped out of the glass. Complex notes of cedar, cassis, perfectly ripe berries and dark fruits, hints of pencil lead in the background, with truffle, spice box, cigar wrapper and meaty notes overlaid; it is utterly intoxicating. The tannins are almost fully resolved and integrated, and the palate is so smooth, silky and velvety; so expansive and mouth filing. There are absolutely no hard edges to this. It has layers and layers of nuance and complexity, and much more power, presence and persistence on the mid-palate than the other two wines. It really is a step up and perfect in every way. The best example of this iconic wine I have tried. My guess is that it is 5-6 years into a 20-30 year drinking window. Easily deserves a triple digit score.

[robert goulet]

Wow, nice notes

First the Margauxs then Orlandorobert with the Lafite and now this! Who is going to pop the Mouton and HB this month?

I am ashamed to say i have never tasted the infamous Latour...though I do have an '86 and some '01's sleeping...

[OrlandoRobert]

Step up with the big boys, BobbyG!

Time to start popping your stash. I'm thirsty.

[jal]

Nice notes birthday boy! I always had a soft spot for the 1985 Latour.

[OrlandoRobert]

Those are wonderful notes, BTW. Would love to try the '82 to put it into context with other '82s that I have loved.

[Mike Christensen]

The only one of these I've had recently has been the 1983, which has been much maligned. I thought it was a damn fine Latour with 95 pointy-points sounding about right, and it greatly outshined the 2000 Lafite it was tasted with (both double blind).

[AlexR]

Robert,

I have 1 bottle each of 3 first growths in the 2001 vintage.
I think these will probably be fine to drink just about now although will hold, obviously, for quite some time.
The people at Ch. Margaux,for instance, firgure there's no reason to wait.

Alex R.

[stefan]

Nice tasting, Ian!

I agree that the 1983 Latour is better than its reputation.

[DavidG]

Well done Ian and happy birthday! A good bottle of '82 Latour is an unforgettable wine. Glad you had a perfect example.

[Nicklasss]

Nice report and happy birthday. I'm now 39 but to be fair, I feel more like 30 than 40...

I did not had many Latour, and If I think about it, had it just once, the 1970 Château Latour that SdR brought to Washington in 2009... And it was a great wine.

Nic

[sdr]

Sadly, the pristine bottle of 1982 Latour I opened last night was bland and boring, but not corked. My previous samplings of the '82 have been superb, so obviously there is bottle variation at age 31. The '70 is also quite variable, so I'm glad the one Nic remembers was good.

Stuart

[robert goulet]

anyone taste '01 haut brion?....the bahans was f'ing incredible