(SYP) blind tasting. guessed 1994 Haut Brion PNP - A classic left bank nose, with tobacco, savoury spices and blackberries. It is fresh and has good fruit on the palate. The finish is rather dry. 91-92
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Fra Jeroboam. Kjølig og klassisk. Mørk frukt. Blyantspiss og lær. Heldigvis lite tobakk. Fullmodent og pent. Et snev støvete, men ikke verst. Finslipt i munn med syrlig og asketisk frukt. Ikke den største årgangen, men godt er det!
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Medium-bodied, with bright, sharp red berries, cranberry, leaf, cedar, wet forest, herb and cigar box aromatics. Not quite lightweight, on the palate, there is a touch of austerity and rusticity to the tannins along with piquant red fruits and herbs in the finish. This is not a wine destined for further aging, if you have a bottle, drink up.
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It was interesting and not too often I'm able to enjoy a 40 year old bottle. No flaws, great fill, well balanced. Resolved tannins, minerality and fruit notes took a back seat. I wouldn't hold onto this wine much longer.
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A lovely bottle with a wonderful nose showing tobacco, old leather, spices, cedar wood, graphite and still hints of red fruit. On the palate a little tired maybe, very soft and smooth, but with well integrated acidity and good structure still. Nice length, too. Drink up. 92-94
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Drank for 50th anniversary at Topping Rose. Dark red with no hint of age. Beautiful aroma when opened which dissipated rather quickly. Drank over a 2.5 hour period. At its peak after about 1.5 hours. When first opened slight bite. Well balanced with less fruit than I had hoped for.
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High shoulder fill. Opened and tasted over several hours as I was hoping this to turn around. Nice garnet color not showing its age. Dark fruit however while the bottle was not corked the wine was tainted and was showing some fairly prominent notes of wet forest floor or cellar. Did not change much even on day 2 in the open bottle
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NDG: 9/1/19 dinner with Magnums of 9 to celebrate the start of 2019 (Imperial Treasure Teochew, Ion): Lovely. Served in a magnum - this was not the greatest Latour by any stretch of the imagination, but this was a really, really solid 1979 Bordeaux. The nose was classic Pauillac, with lovely masculine drifts of truffley earth, meat, cassis, a ring of tobacco smoke and bits of pencil lead. Really nice. The palate was round and velvety, with shades of juicy cassis patted down in a lovely bed of earth and meat and pencil lead, tons of mushroomy flavours - ceps I thought - all this couched in beautifully integrated acidity and soft tannins. Wonderful balance, lovely easy depth, and a wonderfully detailed finish kissed with notes of spice and earth, all made for a lovely drink. Really emjoyable stuff, probably at peak.
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Was concerned when the cork had shrunk and was all dried out. When finally opened there was a blast of a strong fruity aroma which died quickly. The wine needed about one and a half hours before it opened up with cherry and cedar flavors.
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I suspected the wine might be past its peak. And it was. Cork was in good condition, little sediment in bottle. Decanted for 3 hrs and wine opened up a little, improved further on the next day but still very restraint. Very soft tannins, good acidity, medium length, subtle fruit and notes of forest floor.
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bouchon impeccable, imbibé au quart et sorti d'un morceau avec le bilame.
à l'ouverture le nez était vraiment puissant, beaucoup de fruits rouges mais ça s'est estompé un peu avec de l'air. La robe était d'un beau rubis encore foncé. En bouche c'était vraiment excellent. Encore du beau fruit rouge, tanins évidemment assouplis mais toujours présents. Très surpris par la bouche compte tenu de l'âge et du millésime moyen. J'ai pris la chance de le mettre en carafe (fond pas trop large) et j'ai bien fait. il ne s'est pas "fatigué" durant la soirée mais à repris un peu plus de vigueur.
Je suis agréablement surpris de la qualité de ce vin de 37 ans dans un millésime ordinaire. Preuve, encore une fois, que les grands vignerons savent faire de grands vins peu importe le millésime.
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This bottle was purchased and consumed in France. Unfortunately the condition was not as good as the previous bottles I had. Overwhelming herbal note that dominated the elegance and sweetness of the wine.
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Duration: 2 hours Food: Teppanyaki Condition: Perfect, decanted Aroma: blueberry, spices, pepper, mint Notes: an interesting effort from an average vintage. Tannins quite smooth and soft. Developed quite nicely throughout the night. This is actually pretty mild for a big wine like latour, maybe the vintage had an effect on the wine. I enjoyed the wine tonight. Drink now-2025.
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Only good bottles at this age, obviously very well stored. On the downward slope of peak but drinking very well on this night. By far the top of the 79 BDX heap.
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Old Bordeaux Dinner (Hong Kong Country Club, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Lovely jeweled translucent ruby-claret purple-ish colour. Nose is deep bass organ notes, resonant but surprisingly restrained - you have to chase after it. Palate is absolutely gorgeous on entry, very harmonious, definitely Pauillac with cedar, pencil shavings, graphite and dry fresh-sawn plank wood together with black cherry fruit but with the cherry stones still in them. Unfortunately too tannic to be really enjoyable. Not much length or resonance.
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LATOUR vs. MARGAUX (WINETIP): Concentrato e ampio: il frutto scuro è ancora sensibile, poi molto caffé, ma anche tanta freschezza mentolata. Dolcezza misurata del legno al sapore di tabacco biondo e spezie classiche del Cabernet. Naso molto in forma, elegante e voluminoso. La bocca tradisce le aspettative dell' olfatto: è più stretta, acidula, amara e terrosa. Tannino ancora spinoso che richiede cibo. Annata minore, ma tutt' altro che deludente, ha una certa eleganza vegetale che lo rende particolare.
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Opened mid afternoon and decanted for four hours. It needed it. initial scent was like a fall day-very earthy and marvelous. It needed several hours to resolve the taste and finish, but layers of complexity on the nose, and a great accompaniment to dinner. Long finish. I would never guess it to be a '79.
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Smooth and elegant with leather, tobacco and earthy note. This bottle was a bit more tired than the last bottle. The plums emerged and tannins were all gone. It has gone over the peak.
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A lovely mature Bordeaux! Leather, cherries and plums on the nose. For such an old Bordeaux in a weak vintage, the wine had no secondary taste. It was very smooth and silky on the palate. It is drinking beautifully now. Drink up if you still have them.
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Tasted blind: Mature red in color. Nose of leather and tobacco. Still a very nice structure and good depth to the wine. In the finish it starts to dry out a bit. Overall a solid wine and a great effort for 1979. Drink now . 2020.
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I drank this side by side with the 1976. They took quite a long to open up so I recommend to decant them both and sip it patiently while enjoying some food (french or not).
The 1979 shows signs of development (after all it's almost 40 years old), but still get an incredible strength and health, starting from the color, a bright ruby with just some garnet hints. On the nose it is very different from the 1976: the fruit here is more delicate and clear, but at the same time the wine has an earthiness and dried leaves character which I didn't find in the other one. The difference is even greater in the mouth: tannins and acid are still present and very well defined, but the 1979 shows a softer, mellower and more delicate structure, filling your mouth without being too aggressive. Paradoxically this 1979, while still in its prime, seems older and readier to drink than the 1976 and that's the reason why I gave it a slight higher rating. Being able to retain such a lively character after almost 40 years is incredible and credit goes of course to the producer, but during all this time they were also probably stored in perfect conditions.
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My first 1er cru classe. Classic bordeaux aromas of, tobacco and cedar. An absolutely balanced and smooth wine to drink. This was really a quality wine, although it did not perhaps had that wow feeling I expected, however a really classy wine. 93-94
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Healthy deep ruby color. Nose is all that one can ask for from a mature Pauillac: cedar, bitter chocolate and plummy fruit. Elegant, fully mature, at peak I would say. Palate is supple with elegance and finesse, and while it is slightly tannic with food it is perfect. Lacking somewhat in concentration and length from what one could expect from a better vintage of Latour. 93 points in the context of Bordeaux - any other wine like it outside Bordeaux would send a drinker raving mad... Bottle was in perfect condition, level, label etc, but strange thing there was almost no sediment at all.
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Dinner with Saxon (Chez V): Opened for slow-o at 1pm. Fill into neck. Decanted at 7pm, gone by 9pm. Black currant and cedar mulch nose with hints of pencil lead and licorice. Mellow, full, and warm in the mouth. Long thick finish of forest floor, licorice and black fruit. Classic Latour. This wine is probably at its peak now.
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Group de Degustation Diner, L'Anniversaire de Daniel, '1970s in France & Elsewhere' (Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong): Drank double-blind. Semi-transparent ruby red colour. Nose has the same brett as the previous wine but not as pronounced....a very classic Bordeaux nose and very agreeable. Palate is full, initially very rich but slightly tart and dry late season blackberries but then mellowed out into sweeter blackcurrant pastilles...very nice and rounded on the finish but a tad austere and linear (probably not a great year but clearly a top-league Bordeaux)...I love the pastilles. Very little length and it died fast in the glass, which led me to think it was probably a 1991 or 1993. Not quite as good as the previous wine (which turned out to be the Comtesse de Lalande from the same year).
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Taste in Vivere at IV. Rustic, fresh leather saddle. Really loamy wine. This was returned from HdH due to a "flaw." No way. Loamy gravely component. Palate is well resolved and showing finesse and classic Bordeaux styling. Not up to the umph of Latour, but really good.
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Aromatically - cassis bud, graphite, faint leather, earth, and light red berry. On the palate medium bodied, very well integrated, fine grain tannin. In a good drinking window now, but will likely hang on for another 5+ years. Very enjoyable. 91-93.
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Rustic style of Latour. It is interesting to compare with the 79 LLC. Ben Giliberti, a former wine critic for the Washington Post, commented that Latour probably could afford to have a bit more strict selection. They are very similar but the 79 Latour had more of everything. Cedar, prune, very sweet, dark caramel.
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Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns (Washington, DC): Opens diffuse at first, but seems to really put the pieces together with more time in the glass. Lovely aged BDX notes of cedar, plummenaire, and some light cassis that marries the finely grained tannins which gives the wine a receeding structure. With time, a lovely nose of mocha and caramel espresso (dcwino nails it) emerges to the nose which makes the wine all the more lovely. Great stuff.
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Vin de mon année de naissance...Robe étonnamment jeune, d'un pourpre profond. Quelques instants dans le verre : un nez végétal, très noble, encore un peu fruité. Quelque minutes plus tard : l'épice reprend le dessus, le poivre notamment, d'aucuns y trouvent du cuir. Les tanins sont bien soyeux et la trame alcoolique est encore bien solide. Finale d'une trentaine de secondes. Encore quelques minutes et le vin s'estompe totalement hélas.
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A slight decant. The owner of the bottle admitted that for roughly 20yrs of its life it was in poor storage conditions in the back of a closet. The cork was completely dry and literally crumbled when extracting. Garnet color with a slightly darker brown rim. A first the nose was a bit musty with only a touch of fruit coming through, but after a minute or so, it came to life. Dried red currant, plum, and cranberry aromas with some truffle and leather notes. Classic cedar as well. Medium bodied on the palate with the same fruit profile as in the aromatics. No tannin remaining and nice acidity. I've had perfectly stored bottles of this as well, and this showed just as well as one of those. Still though, its slightly past its prime. Enjoyable.
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granate and tawny in the rim. very deep color but quite dull. Very intensive aroma. The flavor and aroma world consisted of truffle, soil, ripe fruit with very high oak flavor profile. Ripe but very high and evident tannins, with medium acidity and youthful peaking appearance. Multilayered and very Pauillac feeling with mocha and pencil shavings. Yum!
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Color: Had a light brown color on the edges, but was a wonderful maroon color in the core of the glass. Nose: Change throughout the hour of drinking. Was closed at first but opened up to cedar, moved to redwood. Taste: Had a little blackberry at first, moved to plum and cedar box with the family farm raised T-bone steak. The tannins are fully intergrated and are on the backward slide, but is still kickin', very smooth. Had a rose petal taste with the yeasty bread. The finish was a little short, but what I expected out of a middle of the road vintage. The complexity in the mid-palette takes it to the next level. Since it's a birth year wine for me, the experience makes me want to add a couple more points, but I'll just say that it was a wonderful wine to close out 2009 with.
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I was having a little trouble removing the cork which made me worried. Not very brownish as I've expected, with classic leather,truffles, cassis, dark fruits, mineral. Surprisingly good and not too old at all. Started off velvety soft tannin, and got more tannic with time. An eye opener for me as this is my 1st aged Latour. The only down side of this wine was that its finish was pretty average. 92+
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Trentieme Fete d'Anniversaire et degustation de Bordeaux mil. 1979 (Indianapolis, IN): Damn. This bottle was not good. Started with a potentially promising austere Latour nose, but was atrocious in the mouth. Incredibly short finish. Tasted spoiled. A recently acquired bottle--quite disappointing. A bottle drunk 2 years ago was a perfect example of Latour in a less than favorable vintage with dark cassis and an essence of walnuts. This bottle did not perform.
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A classic with grace and length. The real LaTour structure started to show only 3 hours after decanting. In this difficult year - Latour still made a classic wine capable of long aging.
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Fairly reticent on the nose (although after an hour of air it was opening up). Incredibly rich, ripe, dark fruit (this is how old???) - cassis, blueberry, pencil lead. Soft, fleshy and velvety in the mouth. Perfectly balanced tannins, and a long, elegant finish. Nearly perfect. No way that I would have guessed its age blind - and I imagine that it still has a long life ahead. A stunning, remarkable, wine.
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Personal Note: Definately a solid 1st. growth from a decent year. Drank W/ Julie, Bert, & Terra in Highlands. My first 1st. growth and I was impressed with the complexity, potential of this 20 year old.
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Tasted at unblinded Latour vertical at the Belgian Lion. The light was dim, making it difficult to fully assess the color, although it can be said that the color was deep. Attractive, supple bouquet of jammy black cherry and cassis, with some leather. Velvety, medium soft tannins with plum, anise and cassis on palate. Medium, supple finish. Nice drink now!
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Very young, drinkable now. Obvious intensity of Cabernet Sauvignon. Not as stylish or interesting as the better vintages. Not bad, possibly could develop into something worth having but I’m not sorry I sold mine.
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At Singer & Foy survey of '79 Bordeaux. Medium ruby. Nose either has extremely highly extracted fruit, or barnyard. On the palate, pretty hard and closed. Not showing much. Probably has potential. 5-10-13-6: 84/100.
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9/8/2023 - LTTC wrote:
(SYP) blind tasting. guessed 1994 Haut Brion
PNP - A classic left bank nose, with tobacco, savoury spices and blackberries. It is fresh and has good fruit on the palate. The finish is rather dry. 91-92
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4/24/2023 - Cikgoo Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOTN
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7/8/2022 - hprphf wrote: 92 Points
Off-vintage Latour are so consistent. Elegant hue with strong pencilbox characters. Light but pleasurable. 92
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11/28/2020 - vinkeger wrote: 92 Points
Fra Jeroboam. Kjølig og klassisk. Mørk frukt. Blyantspiss og lær. Heldigvis lite tobakk. Fullmodent og pent. Et snev støvete, men ikke verst. Finslipt i munn med syrlig og asketisk frukt. Ikke den største årgangen, men godt er det!
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8/26/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Medium-bodied, with bright, sharp red berries, cranberry, leaf, cedar, wet forest, herb and cigar box aromatics. Not quite lightweight, on the palate, there is a touch of austerity and rusticity to the tannins along with piquant red fruits and herbs in the finish. This is not a wine destined for further aging, if you have a bottle, drink up.
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8/3/2020 - winefloat wrote: 92 Points
It was interesting and not too often I'm able to enjoy a 40 year old bottle. No flaws, great fill, well balanced. Resolved tannins, minerality and fruit notes took a back seat. I wouldn't hold onto this wine much longer.
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5/23/2020 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
A lovely bottle with a wonderful nose showing tobacco, old leather, spices, cedar wood, graphite and still hints of red fruit. On the palate a little tired maybe, very soft and smooth, but with well integrated acidity and good structure still. Nice length, too. Drink up. 92-94
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6/8/2019 - ljl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank for 50th anniversary at Topping Rose. Dark red with no hint of age. Beautiful aroma when opened which dissipated rather quickly. Drank over a 2.5 hour period. At its peak after about 1.5 hours. When first opened slight bite. Well balanced with less fruit than I had hoped for.
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2/17/2019 - pavel_p wrote: flawed
High shoulder fill. Opened and tasted over several hours as I was hoping this to turn around. Nice garnet color not showing its age. Dark fruit however while the bottle was not corked the wine was tainted and was showing some fairly prominent notes of wet forest floor or cellar. Did not change much even on day 2 in the open bottle
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1/9/2019 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
NDG: 9/1/19 dinner with Magnums of 9 to celebrate the start of 2019 (Imperial Treasure Teochew, Ion): Lovely. Served in a magnum - this was not the greatest Latour by any stretch of the imagination, but this was a really, really solid 1979 Bordeaux. The nose was classic Pauillac, with lovely masculine drifts of truffley earth, meat, cassis, a ring of tobacco smoke and bits of pencil lead. Really nice. The palate was round and velvety, with shades of juicy cassis patted down in a lovely bed of earth and meat and pencil lead, tons of mushroomy flavours - ceps I thought - all this couched in beautifully integrated acidity and soft tannins. Wonderful balance, lovely easy depth, and a wonderfully detailed finish kissed with notes of spice and earth, all made for a lovely drink. Really emjoyable stuff, probably at peak.
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7/15/2018 - sdr Does not like this wine: 77 Points
Reticent. Hard bitter fruit. Doubt it will ever soften up. Maybe just a bad bottle. The biggest disappointment of the tasting.
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3/9/2018 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Nose: A- Palate: B++
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11/9/2017 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
2017 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium - Kelly and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/9/2017-11/14/2017 (Villa D’este, Lake Como and Milan): Fully mature claret nose, still noticeable cassis with a hint of plum, also cherry, cedar, lead pencil, leather, dirty damp cellar and scorched earth. Medium concentration, fully integrated palate, subtle cassis and cedar driven palate impression, good acidity, still a bit of noticeable slightly coarse tannins and a medium finish. This is a good but not great Latour.
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5/18/2017 - Sean Tay wrote:
The wine looks garnet colored. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, mushroom, forest floor, toast, cedar and black pepper.
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3/2/2017 - ljl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Was concerned when the cork had shrunk and was all dried out. When finally opened there was a blast of a strong fruity aroma which died quickly. The wine needed about one and a half hours before it opened up with cherry and cedar flavors.
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12/26/2016 - Henning13 wrote: 87 Points
I suspected the wine might be past its peak. And it was. Cork was in good condition, little sediment in bottle. Decanted for 3 hrs and wine opened up a little, improved further on the next day but still very restraint. Very soft tannins, good acidity, medium length, subtle fruit and notes of forest floor.
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10/16/2016 - GuillaumeC Likes this wine: 92 Points
bouchon impeccable, imbibé au quart et sorti d'un morceau avec le bilame.
à l'ouverture le nez était vraiment puissant, beaucoup de fruits rouges mais ça s'est estompé un peu avec de l'air.
La robe était d'un beau rubis encore foncé.
En bouche c'était vraiment excellent. Encore du beau fruit rouge, tanins évidemment assouplis mais toujours présents. Très surpris par la bouche compte tenu de l'âge et du millésime moyen.
J'ai pris la chance de le mettre en carafe (fond pas trop large) et j'ai bien fait. il ne s'est pas "fatigué" durant la soirée mais à repris un peu plus de vigueur.
Je suis agréablement surpris de la qualité de ce vin de 37 ans dans un millésime ordinaire. Preuve, encore une fois, que les grands vignerons savent faire de grands vins peu importe le millésime.
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7/14/2016 - Burgnick wrote:
This bottle was purchased and consumed in France. Unfortunately the condition was not as good as the previous bottles I had. Overwhelming herbal note that dominated the elegance and sweetness of the wine.
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11/20/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sufficient dark fruit to still be enjoyable. Palate weak overall relative to what Latour can offer.
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9/15/2015 - lvandembergue Likes this wine: 98 Points
First great wine in my life, tasted twice for my 18th and 20th. I just remember "wow, that's how wine is". I wich i could afford it once again
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8/24/2015 - TWSA wrote: 92 Points
Duration: 2 hours
Food: Teppanyaki
Condition: Perfect, decanted
Aroma: blueberry, spices, pepper, mint
Notes: an interesting effort from an average vintage. Tannins quite smooth and soft. Developed quite nicely throughout the night. This is actually pretty mild for a big wine like latour, maybe the vintage had an effect on the wine. I enjoyed the wine tonight. Drink now-2025.
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8/14/2015 - Lax wrote: 95 Points
Only good bottles at this age, obviously very well stored. On the downward slope of peak but drinking very well on this night. By far the top of the 79 BDX heap.
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8/7/2015 - turtlexlax Likes this wine:
Decanted it. It opened up well after three hours. Still excellent. Supple with plenty of fruit left.
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6/4/2015 - Goldstone wrote: 88 Points
Old Bordeaux Dinner (Hong Kong Country Club, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Lovely jeweled translucent ruby-claret purple-ish colour. Nose is deep bass organ notes, resonant but surprisingly restrained - you have to chase after it. Palate is absolutely gorgeous on entry, very harmonious, definitely Pauillac with cedar, pencil shavings, graphite and dry fresh-sawn plank wood together with black cherry fruit but with the cherry stones still in them. Unfortunately too tannic to be really enjoyable. Not much length or resonance.
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5/19/2015 - galenico wrote: 90 Points
LATOUR vs. MARGAUX (WINETIP): Concentrato e ampio: il frutto scuro è ancora sensibile, poi molto caffé, ma anche tanta freschezza mentolata. Dolcezza misurata del legno al sapore di tabacco biondo e spezie classiche del Cabernet. Naso molto in forma, elegante e voluminoso.
La bocca tradisce le aspettative dell' olfatto: è più stretta, acidula, amara e terrosa. Tannino ancora spinoso che richiede cibo. Annata minore, ma tutt' altro che deludente, ha una certa eleganza vegetale che lo rende particolare.
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4/12/2015 - fencerdan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened mid afternoon and decanted for four hours. It needed it. initial scent was like a fall day-very earthy and marvelous. It needed several hours to resolve the taste and finish, but layers of complexity on the nose, and a great accompaniment to dinner. Long finish. I would never guess it to be a '79.
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4/5/2015 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last bottle. Still holding but beginning to dry out a little. Lovely old claret all the same. I would drink up unless you have impeccable provenance.
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3/8/2015 - Mathijs81 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Nearly the perfect wine - ageing at its best - Latour GRAND vin !!!!
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2/11/2015 - Burgnick wrote: 92 Points
Smooth and elegant with leather, tobacco and earthy note. This bottle was a bit more tired than the last bottle. The plums emerged and tannins were all gone. It has gone over the peak.
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1/13/2015 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
A lovely mature Bordeaux! Leather, cherries and plums on the nose. For such an old Bordeaux in a weak vintage, the wine had no secondary taste. It was very smooth and silky on the palate. It is drinking beautifully now. Drink up if you still have them.
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3/5/2014 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted blind: Mature red in color. Nose of leather and tobacco. Still a very nice structure and good depth to the wine. In the finish it starts to dry out a bit. Overall a solid wine and a great effort for 1979. Drink now . 2020.
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2/21/2014 - The years of the grape Likes this wine: 94 Points
I drank this side by side with the 1976.
They took quite a long to open up so I recommend to decant them both and sip it patiently while enjoying some food (french or not).
The 1979 shows signs of development (after all it's almost 40 years old), but still get an incredible strength and health, starting from the color, a bright ruby with just some garnet hints. On the nose it is very different from the 1976: the fruit here is more delicate and clear, but at the same time the wine has an earthiness and dried leaves character which I didn't find in the other one.
The difference is even greater in the mouth: tannins and acid are still present and very well defined, but the 1979 shows a softer, mellower and more delicate structure, filling your mouth without being too aggressive. Paradoxically this 1979, while still in its prime, seems older and readier to drink than the 1976 and that's the reason why I gave it a slight higher rating. Being able to retain such a lively character after almost 40 years is incredible and credit goes of course to the producer, but during all this time they were also probably stored in perfect conditions.
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5/3/2013 - Nordin wrote: 93 Points
My first 1er cru classe. Classic bordeaux aromas of, tobacco and cedar. An absolutely balanced and smooth wine to drink. This was really a quality wine, although it did not perhaps had that wow feeling I expected, however a really classy wine. 93-94
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2/11/2013 - Stefanos T. wrote: 93 Points
Healthy deep ruby color. Nose is all that one can ask for from a mature Pauillac: cedar, bitter chocolate and plummy fruit. Elegant, fully mature, at peak I would say. Palate is supple with elegance and finesse, and while it is slightly tannic with food it is perfect. Lacking somewhat in concentration and length from what one could expect from a better vintage of Latour. 93 points in the context of Bordeaux - any other wine like it outside Bordeaux would send a drinker raving mad... Bottle was in perfect condition, level, label etc, but strange thing there was almost no sediment at all.
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10/5/2012 - Chris Davies wrote: 90 Points
Lovely. Looked a suprisingly youthful ruby colour. Good intensity and fleshiness and pleasantly mellow. Classic bordeaux flavours.
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6/20/2012 - kenv wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Saxon (Chez V): Opened for slow-o at 1pm. Fill into neck. Decanted at 7pm, gone by 9pm. Black currant and cedar mulch nose with hints of pencil lead and licorice. Mellow, full, and warm in the mouth. Long thick finish of forest floor, licorice and black fruit. Classic Latour. This wine is probably at its peak now.
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11/14/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 88 Points
Group de Degustation Diner, L'Anniversaire de Daniel, '1970s in France & Elsewhere' (Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong): Drank double-blind. Semi-transparent ruby red colour. Nose has the same brett as the previous wine but not as pronounced....a very classic Bordeaux nose and very agreeable. Palate is full, initially very rich but slightly tart and dry late season blackberries but then mellowed out into sweeter blackcurrant pastilles...very nice and rounded on the finish but a tad austere and linear (probably not a great year but clearly a top-league Bordeaux)...I love the pastilles. Very little length and it died fast in the glass, which led me to think it was probably a 1991 or 1993. Not quite as good as the previous wine (which turned out to be the Comtesse de Lalande from the same year).
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4/5/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 91 Points
Taste in Vivere at IV.
Rustic, fresh leather saddle. Really loamy wine. This was returned from HdH due to a "flaw." No way.
Loamy gravely component. Palate is well resolved and showing finesse and classic Bordeaux styling. Not up to the umph of Latour, but really good.
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4/2/2011 - Harrypotter wrote:
Aromatically - cassis bud, graphite, faint leather, earth, and light red berry. On the palate medium bodied, very well integrated, fine grain tannin. In a good drinking window now, but will likely hang on for another 5+ years. Very enjoyable. 91-93.
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1/21/2011 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Rustic style of Latour. It is interesting to compare with the 79 LLC. Ben Giliberti, a former wine critic for the Washington Post, commented that Latour probably could afford to have a bit more strict selection. They are very similar but the 79 Latour had more of everything. Cedar, prune, very sweet, dark caramel.
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1/20/2011 - Faryan wrote: 93 Points
Figeac vs Las Cases: the big guns (Washington, DC): Opens diffuse at first, but seems to really put the pieces together with more time in the glass. Lovely aged BDX notes of cedar, plummenaire, and some light cassis that marries the finely grained tannins which gives the wine a receeding structure. With time, a lovely nose of mocha and caramel espresso (dcwino nails it) emerges to the nose which makes the wine all the more lovely. Great stuff.
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11/6/2010 - stadler wrote:
Vin de mon année de naissance...Robe étonnamment jeune, d'un pourpre profond. Quelques instants dans le verre : un nez végétal, très noble, encore un peu fruité. Quelque minutes plus tard : l'épice reprend le dessus, le poivre notamment, d'aucuns y trouvent du cuir. Les tanins sont bien soyeux et la trame alcoolique est encore bien solide. Finale d'une trentaine de secondes. Encore quelques minutes et le vin s'estompe totalement hélas.
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6/13/2010 - MatthewF wrote:
A slight decant. The owner of the bottle admitted that for roughly 20yrs of its life it was in poor storage conditions in the back of a closet. The cork was completely dry and literally crumbled when extracting. Garnet color with a slightly darker brown rim. A first the nose was a bit musty with only a touch of fruit coming through, but after a minute or so, it came to life. Dried red currant, plum, and cranberry aromas with some truffle and leather notes. Classic cedar as well. Medium bodied on the palate with the same fruit profile as in the aromatics. No tannin remaining and nice acidity. I've had perfectly stored bottles of this as well, and this showed just as well as one of those. Still though, its slightly past its prime. Enjoyable.
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4/7/2010 - clayfu wrote: flawed
Burgundy Boozers do aged burgundy/bordeaux/cali, cult cali cab, and.. a Loring Pinot!? (Golden Truffle, Newport Beach, California): Oh look another corked bottle! Wu tried to persuade himself that it wasn't corked 2 hours into dinner, but why lie to yourself old man ;P
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1/3/2010 - bodulations wrote: 91 Points
granate and tawny in the rim. very deep color but quite dull. Very intensive aroma. The flavor and aroma world consisted of truffle, soil, ripe fruit with very high oak flavor profile. Ripe but very high and evident tannins, with medium acidity and youthful peaking appearance. Multilayered and very Pauillac feeling with mocha and pencil shavings. Yum!
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12/31/2009 - balkmr@hotmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Color: Had a light brown color on the edges, but was a wonderful maroon color in the core of the glass.
Nose: Change throughout the hour of drinking. Was closed at first but opened up to cedar, moved to redwood.
Taste: Had a little blackberry at first, moved to plum and cedar box with the family farm raised T-bone steak. The tannins are fully intergrated and are on the backward slide, but is still kickin', very smooth. Had a rose petal taste with the yeasty bread. The finish was a little short, but what I expected out of a middle of the road vintage. The complexity in the mid-palette takes it to the next level. Since it's a birth year wine for me, the experience makes me want to add a couple more points, but I'll just say that it was a wonderful wine to close out 2009 with.
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3/5/2009 - loverboy wrote: 92 Points
I was having a little trouble removing the cork which made me worried. Not very brownish as I've expected, with classic leather,truffles, cassis, dark fruits, mineral. Surprisingly good and not too old at all. Started off velvety soft tannin, and got more tannic with time. An eye opener for me as this is my 1st aged Latour. The only down side of this wine was that its finish was pretty average. 92+
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1/10/2009 - ATBridge wrote:
Trentieme Fete d'Anniversaire et degustation de Bordeaux mil. 1979 (Indianapolis, IN): Damn. This bottle was not good. Started with a potentially promising austere Latour nose, but was atrocious in the mouth. Incredibly short finish. Tasted spoiled. A recently acquired bottle--quite disappointing. A bottle drunk 2 years ago was a perfect example of Latour in a less than favorable vintage with dark cassis and an essence of walnuts. This bottle did not perform.
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6/14/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 86 Points
Satisfying to drink, in an anonymous mature claret kind of way. Pleasant and simple, not much depth but no holes in it either.
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2/11/2008 - naftaflyer wrote: 96 Points
A classic with grace and length. The real LaTour structure started to show only 3 hours after decanting. In this difficult year - Latour still made a classic wine capable of long aging.
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1/22/2008 - Bruno wrote: 97 Points
Fairly reticent on the nose (although after an hour of air it was opening up). Incredibly rich, ripe, dark fruit (this is how old???) - cassis, blueberry, pencil lead. Soft, fleshy and velvety in the mouth. Perfectly balanced tannins, and a long, elegant finish. Nearly perfect. No way that I would have guessed its age blind - and I imagine that it still has a long life ahead. A stunning, remarkable, wine.
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10/30/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Chateau Latour vertical at Danube (Danube restaurant in NYC): Thinner than 78 or 71. A bit hard.
B+
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9/1/1999 - sdr Does not like this wine: 80 Points
No aroma. Anonymous. Weak. Just drinkable.
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9/1/1999 - sdr wrote: 81 Points
Somehow both watery and reasonably full. Okay, no better. Forgettable.
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6/17/1998 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 92 Points
Personal Note: Definately a solid 1st. growth from a decent year. Drank W/ Julie, Bert, & Terra in Highlands. My first 1st. growth and I was impressed with the complexity, potential of this 20 year old.
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5/11/1996 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at unblinded Latour vertical at the Belgian Lion. The light was dim, making it difficult to fully assess the color, although it can be said that the color was deep. Attractive, supple bouquet of jammy black cherry and cassis, with some leather. Velvety, medium soft tannins with plum, anise and cassis on palate. Medium, supple finish. Nice drink now!
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8/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very young, drinkable now. Obvious intensity of Cabernet Sauvignon. Not as stylish or interesting as the better vintages. Not bad, possibly could develop into something worth having but I’m not sorry I sold mine.
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2/11/1991 - FransS wrote:
A Latour - Les Forts tasting: unfortunately a hint of cork; behind that I noticed a concentrated wine.
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8/4/1990 - MicklethePickle wrote: 84 Points
At Singer & Foy survey of '79 Bordeaux. Medium ruby. Nose either has extremely highly extracted fruit, or barnyard. On the palate, pretty hard and closed. Not showing much. Probably has potential. 5-10-13-6: 84/100.
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