blind, side by side with 1971 Everybody at the table preferred surprisingly the 71. Someone detect because of the walnut perfume correctly the winery but we were much younger. The 70 was edgy and not that balanced as the 71. Missing the fruit, some tobacco notes. 94-95
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Drank with a friend for his 54 th birthday. Lived up to its reputation perfect color of course soft tannins but the fruit held up beautifully Loved the long finish Also opened a Forts Latour same year that was also beautiful but without the complexity rate that 90
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Much better than the last bottle. Great fill and only a small amount of sediment. Balanced and great complexity. Had alongside a bottle of '59 Latour. I liked the '59 better, but this was still terrific!
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Clear class, but under a fair amount of rusticity and barnyard. I can even be partial to those things but this wine was up next to some extremely stiff competition at an all first growth dinner and the 1990 next to it blew it away. A few picked it as their #2 of the night but I preferred a few of the Margaux, 90/96 Latour and 96 Mouton/Lafite.
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The first bottle was reserved, black-fruited, and brooding but the second was positively electric, full of verve. Blackcurrant, blackberry, pencil, coak, squid ink. Utterly compelling; full of density and zip. Revving. A good example of this consistently inconsistent wine.
California Wine Weekend; 12/1/2023-12/3/2023 (Mos Eisley Cantina & Waterhouse Restaurant): The first bottle was black-fruited, tannic and unyielding. A wall of blackcurrant, cassis and coal. However, a backup was pulled and it just stunned the table. Blackcurrant, blackberry, pencil, and squid ink and graphite that just produce fireworks on the palate. Everything in its place.
Notoriously variable this wine was picked by our host to be the foil for the Judgement of Peterborough flight. Table had the 78 Clos du Val winning.
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Quelle jeunesse ce Latour 70 ! Rouge foncé, le nez est jeune et typiquement Bordelais de haute voltige. Fruits noirs, graphite, thym, le vin présente une bonne minéralité, tout est en harmonie/équilibre, longue finale, vraiment un grand vin ! Les notes secondaires sont a peine perceptibles, un vin qui va tenir la route encore 15-20 ans.
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Perfect bottle, level base of neck. Opened 10 hours before serving, double decanted one hour before. Incredibly young appearance, full ruby color, hardly any aging on the rim. Classic and complex though not particularly elegant Bordeaux nose, still showing healthy balance between (black) fruit and tannines. On the palate every inch a Latour. Powerful. masculine with great balance, especially for a 1970. Fourth encounter of the wine in 20 years and this was probably the most youthful bottle. Will the 1970 Latour ever fade away?
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Vinøs hyttetur 2023: Ørlite brett, mint, mørke bær, kompleks nese. I munnen er det fullt trøkk, kompleks finish. Svært ungdommelig, og nok best om 15-40 år.
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Fully soaked cork, and a mid-shoulder fill. Maybe not in ideal shape- I get the feeling maybe some minor heat damage in its life.
Color is still strong; a dense ruby core, but obviously showing its age around the edge. Good clarity. Nose is full of tobacco and mushrooms, lashings of mint. Orange zest. Complex, but not as powerful as some Latours.
The texture of the wine is incredible. It's thick and silky; almost souplike. Dry as a bone, plenty of body. Tannins perhaps drying a little, but overall the structure is remarkable.
This wine is finally moving into its geriatric phase, but the second half of the bottle, after two days in the fridge, is still marvellous, which suggests there is no rush. A more pristine example might have even longer to go.
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Of course, with wines of this age, it is all about the bottle, and this bottle was gorgeous. Concentrated, powerful, intense, vibrant, full, and long, the deep, chewy finish was loaded with currants, tobacco, spice, and herbs. Drink from 2023-2032.
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Lucky to have another bottle of this almost 3 years later. Still great clarity and color. Notes have softened a bit, but still woodsy and leathery with a hint of mint.
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1970 Themed Bordeaux Dinner: Base of neck fill. This pours medium ruby with very light bricking. The nose is absolutely profound showing dark cherry, cassis, light roast coffee, cedar, peonies, rose petal, blood orange, sandalwood, crushed rocks, and pipe tobacco. The palate is stunning and extremely elegant prominently featuring blood orange and cherry with a seamless velvet texture. The finish is very long replaying all of the nose on a wonderfully long and kaleidoscopic finish. Just profound stuff and easily the best Bordeaux I've had in 5+ years. While this is drinking incredibly well right now it's also amazing how the aging curve is gliding along so gracefully. It's the kind of wine that's timeless and was probably great 20 years ago and will be just as profound in 50 years. What a great experience and a reminder of just how great Bordeaux can be in the hands of the best producers. This bottle in particular was in absolutely perfect condition so I really can't imagine a better showing.
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Latour, Latour, Latour (WineWatch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): Nineteen-seventy Latour has always been a candidate for Wine of the Vintage, especially at this age. It still has the meaty, masculine intensity and concentration that only old Montrose seems to rival. From an era where modern levels of selection and vinification were unknown it shows a certain sternness and leather that are very imposing. The epitome of “masculine” Pauillac character.
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Beautiful wine although it is beginning to show it's age with some loss of fruit. Well matched to a steak with lovely tannins Had with family/friends for my 70th bday
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very tertiary as might be expected at age 52 with notes of shoe leather, smoke, and spicebox. enjoyable and improved with air my only quibble is that it has lost almost all its fruit.
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One of the most interesting wine experiences I have ever had, this bottle was in aesthetically rough shape, with a barely legible label and completely oxidized capsule. Used the Durand to attempt to get the cork out, and for the first time ever it popped right into the bottle with very little nudging. This was immediately worrisome, but that was quickly allayed when I took a sniff. Classic Pauillac in all the best ways, barnyard, leather, cedar, cooked black fruit, black tea. Lacking a decanter the contents went right into the glass and I was shocked to find the wine a bit tart and tannic at first. I was shocked that a 52 year old wine could drink young, but this one did right out of the gate. With some time, all of that faded away and what emerged was a wonderful mature wine with all the right stuffing. Full bodied and showing tertiary characteristics, this was so well balanced and a complete pleasure to taste over the course of 2 hours.
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The 1970 Latour is an appealing if idiosyncratic wine - yes, classically Latour aromatically, but balancing masculine and feminine, both with rugged raw leather, walnut, and shiitake as well as rose and succulent red fruit with a pop of fresh green. Dense, long, muscled.
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Surprisingly popular with the group but to me too diffuse. All tertiary now, not surprising at age 52, but there should be more brightness and focus. Some dark earth, sure, but lacks the characteristic black licorice the best old vintages of Latour still have. Perhaps just slightly low in acidity.
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Deep ruby centre with an ageing orange rim. Nose of a well aged claret, comprised of light earthy and cedar notes.
Palate dominated by these aged tertiary and earthy notes but some red fruit still poking through. Complex structure enhanced by a slight smokey cedar/tobacco and a certain stoney minerality. This had a refreshing acidity making it feel surprisingly youthful, to the extent that I guessed the wine was almost 20 years younger than it was!
Extremely supple and rather light with beautifully integrated tanins. Such wonderful balance and harmony with a good, rather complex finish which develops and shows off the various layers of tertiary flavour. Absolutely lovely and I can see this continuing to give pleasure.
Double decanted and stopped before serving. Blossomed for two hours before beginning to fade.
What an honour to try such an aged, traditional era First Growth - and with great company and food too.
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Lovely cigar box perfume, sapid on the palate, one of those late phase but really hanging on. It’s actually still fresh on the palate, and only late into the finish does one get the sense that the wine is fading. A pleasure.
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I had this legendarywine some months ago. It held up very well to it’s supreme reputation, even (especially?) at this age. The fruit was still present though softer. It was like playing a Stradivarius. It was telling me how to experience it. It expressed so many subtleties and colors it was mind boggling. It most definitely strutted it’s royal lineage. What an experience!
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Obviously, as wines age, especially once they are over 20, let alone 50 years old, there are no great wines, only great bottles. This is by far, the best bottle of 1970 Latour I have ever tasted. Just sublime in every way. Full-bodied, concentrated, ripe, sweet, fresh, earthy, and packed to the gills with sweet cassis, black currants, cedar, tobacco leaf, cigar box, herbs, forest leaf, and spice. The perfect blend of regal, refined, and austere, with a seemingly, non-stop finish. Decanted maybe 10-20 minutes, and enjoyed for as long as it lasted in our glasses.
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From a bottle purchased from Premier Cru 16 years ago with very top shoulder ullage this one performed superbly. There’s brown at the edge but the center is healthy dark maroon. At first, coarse and rustic with aggressive tannins but miraculously evolved after a five hour decant and air in the glass. Faded fruit, smooth, completely integrated tannins, enormously complex and interesting. Challenging and demands introspection but no shortage of pleasure for the palate as well as the intellect. A great study in old fashioned Bordeaux.
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Pop/Decant for sediment. Bottle stood up for 3 weeks prior. Initially a bit of funk/mold but that quickly blows off. Earthy, herbaceous for the most part. For a 15-30 min window there were some lovely mellow fruit, but that faded quickly into mostly a tertiary flavor driven wine.
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Pitted against 1970 Les Forts de Latour in a fascinating double blind. On the first pour this has the superior bouquet with smouldering embers, smoky and dense earth and forest floor, plummy fruit and tomato paste. Booming at first but quickly began to show a more stewed character that detracted from the wine's size and power. Palate is firmly secondary, a little rough around the edges and has some unresolved tannin and rusticity. More advanced than the Forts. Still completely enjoyable and a terrific compliment to have side by side. Each wine made the other more interesting. I incorrectly called this the Les Forts on the theory that the 'lesser' vines / grapes would sooner fall off into this more tertiary and tired zone. Very interesting and a terrific wine in any case. 93 - 94.
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Stored in a cold cellar since early 80's. Fill just below neck. Cork broke. Subdued bouquet of cedar wood. Excellent colour. Good fruit, with tannins almost resolved. Nice balance but lacks finesse and complexity. A reminder perhaps that 1970 was very good but not great. Though maybe great for a difficult epoch. Times have changed. For condition at 50 years 100!
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Absolut faszinierend - das pure Gegenteil vom Margaux 1970...keine negativen Anzeichen des Alters...der hält wohl ewig...für mich in jeder Hinsicht grossartig und einzigartig...ich verstehe die verhaltenen Kommentare nicht...nach 4 Stunden karaffieren singt dieser Vogel endlos lang...
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Minerally nose, expanding slightly over about an hour to include more red fruit and gravel but always a touch taciturn. Better on the palate; broader and more impactful if not inspirational.
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My scores for this seem to go up and down quite a bit, which I am sure has more to do with storage for the past several decades than not. That being said, this bottle was a gem. Powerful, intense, long, stoic, stern, and yet refined, this is showing true Pauillac character with all its layers of cassis, currants, tobacco, crushed rocks, cedar and cigar box notes.
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morituri te salutant! But what an aristocrat of a wine this has been and even on its last legs... is. I have always praised the 1970 over the years for its delicacy, refinement and aristocratic richness. This truly has been a grand vin. I used to rate it close to perfection for its utter refinement. Today it is losing its grandeur and becoming a most admired grand Duchesse, for its light footed, delicate beauty. I can only say: thank you Madam! in reality its a 94 wine now, but I pay my respect by a score of 96 for everything this wine has given over the years.
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served 4 hours and 15 minutes after opening, without decanting. Smoke, mint, pencil lead notes on the nose. Really beautiful and perfect. Exactly what I wanted out of a Latour.
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A Casual Warm-Up to a Friend's Upcoming 50th (Los Olivos, CA): A distinct musty smell was off-putting, but gradually dissipated. I didn't derive too much pleasure from this bottle, though others found it thought-provoking, if not delicious. Not dead, but at this point the fruit had subsided to where it was unable to balance the VA-like notes. Hard to complain, of course.
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Dark ruby core, with garnet rims, but turned almost black with more time in the glass. It was quite incredible how much weight this added with air. Dry tannins, still very structured, some green pepper. You can't help but be impressed with wine that successfully ages for 50 years!
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I have the fortune to say - "this is the best Latour I've ever tried" - after tasting only 3 vintages. Deep garnet color with ruby hues still hanging around the rims. The nose is showing development, but there's still more to go. Incredible. Notes of plums, dried fig, cigar tobacco, coffee. Palate is rich, but beautifully elegant and smooth. Tannins are fully resolved and the acid is blended nicely with them. Long-lasting finish. A style of Bordeaux I'd much love to come back to.
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With the 1971 as part of a birthday celebration. This was maybe not a great bottle but it wasn't flawed. Dried dark fruit and earthy leathery notes with underlying graphite but the main sense is of desiccated fruit and underbrush. This is certainly on the gradual slope towards senescence but aren't we all.
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Blimey! Just enjoyed this over the past 90 minutes (Bday prezzi)...cork needed a bit of working, but the wine was gor-geous! Unfolded with scents of camp fire, grilled meats, jerky, caramel, leather, and stewed plum. For a 50 year old wine, this still had plenty of legs, with little bricking. Great body and mouthfeel. Was at its best the last 20 minutes. Truly fortunate.
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Good to open at our anniversary. Not as soft as I would have thought, still with hauntingly long lingering notes of tobacco and soft berries. Color was what you would expect. Cork came out whole, but reversed into the bottle due to how hard it was. Some sediment, but lovely palate of soft fruit, tobacco, and mushroom.
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At my shelter at home birthday dinner. I didn't feel a year older and either did this wine. We ended with a cheese course so I decided to pop this half bottle. I has been sitting my my cellar for over 40 years so I figured why not. The fill was high neck, the cork broke upon extraction and I decanted through a vinturi into a half bottle decanter. A few swirls and it was open for business. The nose was fruit and tobacco. The palate was dark plums, coffee and tobacco. Tobacco dominated the finsh which was beautiful. Drinking magnicently at 50 years of age. I can see why there is such a high percentage in cellars. Wish I had more. A perfect ending to my birthday dinner. Rating 98++
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Fine Wine Dinner #1 (Barsac Wine Bar, Gothenburg): Still very dark colour with just hints of bricking. Classic nose with cassis, light tobacco, pencil, smoke and lead. Not unlike a recently fired rifle. On the palate still dense fruit. Wonderfull concentration. Still a good amount of tannin. Epitome of left bank Bdx. Long finish with cassis, iron filings and hints of blood. Very, very good. 50 years old but feels like it has several decades of life left.
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Cork soaked but otherwise in one piece and good fill; Pale dark ruby with cloudy slight black core with sediment; macerated cassis-old black cherry, cherry pit; slight walnut and x-mas spices nuances, cellar must, mushrooms, slight band-aid; silky, nearly fully resolved tannins, wet musty earth, mullberry on the palate, showing its age but still characterful, good old wine. Probably 5-10 years past its prime. Lawry's Dirty Dozen Blind. 91-92
Second day: 92+. Drank the last 4-5 oz the next night with lots of sediment--good roundness, very pretty with old strawberry-cherry notes, sauteed shrooms, good concentration leaving a good dose of sediment at the bottom of the glass. Very enjoyable. I always like drinking the remains of an old bottle the next day. Maybe it's the heavy concentration of tannins near the end of the bottle, the softness from letting it breathe overnight, the dropping out of more sediment, or the joy of drinking something special not in competition with 13 other spectacular bottles. Had this next to the '94 Leoville Las Cases which was surprisingly (or not considering the vintage) a little harder, a little more austere and earthy.
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Quite interesting because it’s old but you have to be very tolerant of the lack of any fruit to actually enjoy it. Tawny color, age appropriate. Lots of gnarled old leather and smoke. High acid has preserved it more than tannins. I respect it but don’t love it even though I usually enjoy old wine. It was better 10 or more years ago.
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Oof - slightly madeirized nose. Some good Latourish fruit and walnuts on the palate, it tough to see far past the taint. Rough, wooly tannins (remarkably so).
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A good condition bottle with level in the neck bought in auction a year or so ago. Decanted at home and funnelled back into the cleaned bottle (reusing the previous nights 09 Dom Chevalier cork) to take to the restaurant to take advantage of no corkage charges on a Monday. More of an excuse really to meet up with Paul who would appreciate the wine. Lots of thick sediment left behind. Cork was in good condition for its age, although broke at the bottom. In 1994 I had a bottle and wrote 'massive fruit, closed, long, all potential. Will be 5/5 from 2010.' Now at twice the age the nose was complex and changed over time, from fruit to oak, a touch of barnyard at one point then anise and finally violets. Medium bodied and tannins as smooth as silk. A wine you could drink by the pint! Good finish. Fully mature. Well kept bottles will still be good for a decade.
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Riesling and ripe Bordeaux (Restaurant Brunnenstube, Beinstein): All wines in this flight tasted blind. Latour and LHB was known, third bottle pirate. Popped and poured, not decanted. Different stemware used. Clear, deep ruby color. Youngest of all three wines. Nose with some unripe, green notes, barn, a bit unbalanced. Does not get better with air. Quite youthful, a bit green (stems), barn, red fruit. Dense and with an interesting tension. But also a bid rough and unbalanced. Good length. 92+ This shall be Latour? Hmmm…. Surprise. My biggest "disappointment" this night (on a very high level).
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Obituary: 1970 Bordeaux: Very nice, even if not up to the best examples. Great color, more like something from the eighties. Weighty tannins that are burly but not obtrusive. Medium concentration. More about the dirt that the berry. Old fashioned Pauillac that’s obviously mature but doesn’t need to be consumed ASAP.
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Dinner at Nico Osteria: Loved this (perhaps more than a few others at the table) - just an amazing fragrance, and this is a wine I could have sat and smelled all night. Layers of red fruit, graphite, tobacco, walnut, and more tertiary earthiness all come together into an intoxicating scent that only builds with air. The palate doesn't show quite the same freshness or depth initially, but perks up with more air and the whole package is compelling to follow.
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Dinner at Nico Osteria (Chicago, IL): The nose initially was a little bit dirty, but air cleaned that out. Then you got to the classic Pauillac nose of pencil shavings and graphite (and it's an intense aroma that never faded even as the night went on). The nose, however, I thought was a lot better than the palate, which seemed a little thin and not as complex. However, that's not to say that this wasn't a brilliant bottle of wine -- it just didn't quite live up to the complexity promised on the nose.
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this was perfect after 20 years; it still is after quite 50 years; still full power, not overripe at all, soft tannins, immense concentration, wonderful
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still dark and deep with profound, brooding nose of tobacco-laced dense, refined dark fruits. palate a bit pruney at first but freshens to sappy, densely earthy, succulent, classy flavour with great, long aftertaste; finely wrought, classic Pauillac with outstanding balance, but still a bit of slightly harsh tannin. could improve
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I have a soft spot for the 1970 Latour. As a youngster around 1990 I went to a 1970 first growth tasting at Imperial College in one of the chemistry labs. Latour was the only wine that shone. But on this occasion it was remarkably shy. A very good wine underneath, with exquisite balance, it was inexpressive on the night. Almost as if it had stage fright. Faint truffle and autumnal notes.
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I think this has a high Parker rating, but to me its way more tired than his review. Maybe a miss bottle, still good, but lacking any power at all...its totally resolved and a bit raisiny...Not worth the price even at a good price..I'd rather spend a little more and get the Latour experience..I don't give a shit about the label. This was the second time with this vintage...DRINK
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Wine was properly stored from purchase upon release until consumed. Opened jus before drinking. Color was deep burgundy, pleasant initial nose. It took at least 15 minutes to start to open, so this wine has time left before it fades. The bouquet developed in the glass to a classic cassis-based Bordeaux nose. Lovely fruit, various other fruits emerged over time. To keep a Latour this long, one must love older Bordeaux. We have drunk this vintage younger and it was more assertive, certainly had bigger fruit. But the pleasure of drinking a 48 year old wine is worth occasionally letting them age like this. Drunk with a 3-star meal and helped make it memorable.
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Purchased in 1989 and meticulously cellared. Still considerable tannin but it starts to diminish over time in the glass. Bacon, dried fruit, coffee; rich but just a little awkward. May hold up for another decade but not sure it will get any better.
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Typical old Latour, now with finesse and elegance, has lost much of its fruit. Surprising, but I think it is now past it's peak. Excellent with prime tenderloin
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Mid shoulder, got a good deal on this at auction. Decanted and served. Started off a little sweet with a strange banana note in the nose. Evolved to have a bit of Earth and a touch of chocolate but really didn't show any complexity.
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A private dinner (Restaurant Bak, Amsterdam, NL): An elegant but masculine Latour, powerful and playful at the same time, cedary, firm and structured yet refined, silky texture, beautiful ripe Cabernet fruit, perfectly formed, opens up wonderfully, nutty depth, balanced and harmonious, excellent length. At peak, time in hand.
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Latour Big Vintages (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): I had this wine a few times, from Magnum much fresher, more reluctant than 1978 in the same flight, red and black berries, precise and too young. It is a tannic monster. Casssis and tocacco leaves in the late palate. 96+
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At the Wolf restaurant in Oakland, this and another red wine were served to us blind by Michael. Both bottles decanted by Michael a few hours earlier. Darkish red in color, the nose was very pleasant Bordeaux like, but not as flamboyant as the "other" red. On the palate there is cassis, red berry, cedar tobacco and a touch of mocha. On the mid palate, lots of herb mineral complexity. Elegant with still some tannin left. This wine got even better as the evening progressed (seemingly attempting to "catch up" with the "other" red.). I'm thinking perhaps a 1990 big Bordeaux, or more likely, one of those brooding Bordeauxs from the 1989 vintage. Well, right region and essentially 2 decades off. This wine may have another 10 years. (BTW, the "other" red wine was a 1970 Yverdon Cabernet. Yes, I know.)
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Fireworks for January: plethora of top wines with great friends (Black Salt Restaurant, Washington D.C.): Certainly fresher than the Haut Brion 1970, tasted just before. A sweeter nose and more pure. There is a succulence to this wine. Something like the 1990 but not as focused or as concentrated. Recently having had the Palmer 1970, and this has more verve and more grip. It is really drinking nicely, but just not as pleasurable as the 1990.
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Amazing, bottle was 5 days open, still nice drinkable, a lot of earthy notes, black tea and tobacco leaves, no more fruits left after this Long time of opening. 92-93
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Drank at The Grill in NYC. This wine is still going strong! Plenty of life ahead of it. I found that this improved over the course of the hour we drank it. Very elegant yet still holding on to some tannic backbone, it’s amazing how old this is relative to how well it’s drinking.
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Château Latour Vertical (Vaucluse): The nose here is surprising in that is is soft and elegant for Bordeaux, let alone Latour. Sweeter red berry fruit, strawberry. Highly nuanced with nice smoke and dry leather notes. Soft red berry and strawberry palate. Nice and mature.
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A lost Friday afternoon gathering – 75 Trotanoy, 07 Roumier BM and 10 Jobard Les Tillets that we all guessed at the Roulot. (Blacksalt, Washington DC): Fully mature but energetic nose displaying classic old school Pauillac nose, subtle black fruit, cassis, a hint of ash, lead pencil, cedar, wet tobacco, a hint of not so clean old damp cellar and earth. Fully integrated palate, subtle slightly dry black fruit and lead pencil driven palate impression, bright acidity, strong earthy mineral and a long subtle black fruit and lead pencil driven finish. Very youthful example but the fruit is a bit shy. Excellent showing.
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Any rumors of this wine's demise or decline must be absolutely ignored for well kept bottles. Just coravined 100 ml from a beautiful 750 and color is stunning. It looks and swims like a 96. The bouquet was tight at first but after an hour ripe plums, a hint of fennel and fresh pencil shavings are jumping across the table. Every sip is harmonious, everything is in balance, there is still abundant black cherry, milk chocolate, and a beautiful background of pipe tobacco smoke and white pepper. I've never had a Latour older than 1998 before and now I really get it. I am dumbfounded how this is a 47 year old bottle of grape juice. The winemakers of this world are magicians.
This would be a perfect wine for me but there are some drying tannins in the finish and the finish is somewhat clipped. My skin is crawling complaining about anything this wine does but just had to give the full report. So happy I picked up the Coravin because I have 6 more glasses to enjoy over the next year!
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Last pour from a coravined magnum at 67 Pall Mall. Much darker colour than the 47 lafite. Absolutely classic Latour. Lots of cedar and regal, dark fruits. A point but I suspect it could add some more complexity and charm as the decades pass from here, certainly in magnum format.
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I picked the worst of the four bottles: mid-shoulder fill, obvious signs of leakage. Double decanted four hours prior to tasting. Deep color, little signs of browning. On day one, the nose was totally dominated by cedary notes. My suspicion was that more subtle notes has been lost to a very slow oxygenation. The tannin structure was firm but tannins were of excellent ripeness. As expected, this wine fits into the category of traditional long-term cellaring Latour wines. On day 2, the aromas had expanded significantly and the tannins has softened further. More earthy and evolved cassis aromas appeared, cigar box. Overall more complexity. Beautifully balanced palate with sufficient acidity, soft (now) but very substantial tannins. Long, spicy finish. Very classy wines.... The other bottles should improve further. Perhaps 5-10 years...
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Popped and poured. Dried fruit, prune, raisin, and fresh tobacco. Silky and delicious. Well integrated and good to go now, though it probably has another 5-10 years before really declining.
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At Acker HK auction. Deep ruby. Looks like a wine from the early 90s! Very interesting nose. This was probably one of the best bottles of Latour 70 I have had- cassis/cherry fruit with a nut (toasted pecan?), chocolate, leather, tobacco undertone. Quite burly and massive on the nose and almost intimidating, showing off the power of Latour. Power rather than beauty! On the palate it is still a bit tight, tannins are still present and there is that serious structure that just is a bit unforgiving. Impressive for the vintage and perhaps still needs more time! An impressive wine but I enjoyed drinking the Beychevelle 1989 more!!
From a good looking bottle with a VHS fill, this wine had a very deep red center with oranging rims. The nose started out a bit funky but overall pretty restrained. However, it evolved over 4 hours to show currants, smoked meat, gravel, clove, and a hint of honey.
In the mouth, this wine was rather tight and refined at first. After extended air it impressed me with its awesome balance. It showed lovely fruit, moderate rounded tannin, solid acidity, and excellent length. The richness and fine grained texture really developed after hour 3 which elevated the wine. It also lost a slight rustic element and moved into an elite level.
This is an excellent wine in its prime. While it will easily last for another couple decades, I do not believe it will get better, only different, with time.
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Fading bottle. Typical nose if somewhat subdued. Lack of energy or refinement on the palate. While still clear what this is, not the best expression of it
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1970s Bordeaux tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): Having tasted this three times in the past year, I can tell you that the 1970 Latour is a tired wine. Again, it was one of the least impressive wines of the evening. The nose has cassis, mint, leather, and cedar. A bit of Brett as well. Very soft mouthfeel, but a bit flat on the palate. Pretty good freshness, but everything just doesn't really come together. As one of my least favorite Latour vintages, I certainly won't buy any for my cellar.
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Achim's Magnum Tasting 2016 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): a masterpiece, a giant from magnum, still primary fruit notes, minimal secundary and tertiary notes, a black currant bomb, fine and firm tannins, great acidity backbone, very enjoyable now but will be pleasant over the next 30 years, three hours of double decantation was not enough, 99+
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This presented slightly musty and earthy at opening, but came around the reveal damp cellar notes, browned crust, cigar leaf, cardamom, and even a bitter chocolate souffle aspect! Super silky, dusty fine tannins, rich and kind of creamy but clearly old, with a super nice long and balanced finish. It seems as if this has gone through all of a wines stages of life and has collected them in this bottle, like an aristocratic wise old man at the end of his life. Nothing more to add, but very intriguing and delightful conversation. Very enjoyable. Drink now. Ultra Rare Bordeaux Tasting-Class at Monopole.
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The colour was "younger" than the 1990 beside. A "feminin" wine for Latour with fine grained ripe tannins, still some cassis and dark berries, cedarwood, discreet cigarbox, even after two hours charming nose, now some leather and tar, reminding more to a Burgundy, seems to be reaching his best time
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popped and poured. lovely classic Latour nose of tobacco, cassis and leather. much better bottle than previous with richer finish. in a great place now.
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While technically sound, this bottle showed a tired example of '70 Latour. On the positive side, the texture is pleasing and both the aroma and taste are very complex. But it's thin and the fruit was nowhere to be found. The '70 Lynch Bages was much more lively today. Enjoyed by the group more than me.
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Rich red fruit, dried berries, white pepper, dry soil tones, and a slight background mustiness on the nose. More of the same on the palate with a hint of pencil shavings. Rather youthful tannin and acid profile on the palate in this bottle
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Château Latour vertical tasting (1937 to 2003) ((Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)): I don't know what it is about the 1970 Château Latour, but it always disappoints me. Perhaps it's because I always try this in a vertical tasting with superior vintages. But on this night, it was one of the least impressive wines. The nose has lots of ripe fruits, with black currant and cherry. Very soft mouthfeel, but a bit thin on the palate. Reserved on the mid-palate. A charming finish, with very good freshness. I would love to drink this any night of the week, but there are simply better Latours out there.
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I opened this bottle because I noticed that the cork had slipped down the neck and the level was mid shoulder. I was even more concerned when the cork slipped even further down the neck at the slightest touch. However, the color looked solid with a red/purple center and tawny rims.
The medium+ intensity nose offered up currants, walnuts, brown spices, blackberries, minerals, and clay soil. In the mouth, this wine was pretty well balanced with substantial rounded tannin and firm acidity. In fact, the acidity was slightly firmer than ideal.
As a side note, I have owned bottles of this wine since the early 80's. It did not start dropping sediment until around 1990! When I drank a bottle in 1997 it was so powerful I thought it was going to melt the glass ;>) Thus, I had not felt this wine was likely ready to drink yet until this bottle forced my hand.
I am not sure if this bottle was representative given its debatable condition. However, despite this, it continued to improve over 5+ hours of air. It is a masculine wine that will still benefit from time in the cellar. That said, it can be drunk with extended air. Based on my prior experiences, this wine can score a point or so higher.
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Drank with Paul195 on the hottest night of the year in NYC, but couldn't have been more enjoyable. A truly memorable bottle that others who tasted it guessed to be from the late 1980s. Silky, resolved tannins but still deep in color and possessing some gorgeous primary red fruit, mingling with dried spice and a hint of barnyard funk. Easily has 20 years left on it but it was by no means too young to be a wine of the month.
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Still a dark core with lightening rim. Initial funk quickly was replaced by sweet cassis and red berry fruit, after 15 minutes or so hints of cedar and spice and earth joined in. On the palate this still shows fresh fruit, nice texture, lively intensity and firmness. Impressive length and finish for a 1970, showing no current signs of decline. In fact the wine continued to improve over the next couple of hours. Easy to see why many consider it one of the best wines of the vintage. Just a delicious bottle of Latour
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Disappointing! Great structure, fruit and flavor but not exceptional. I was expecting much more. Could be the bottle was off or the wine is getting too old. Also possible that technology has advanced so much in the last 45 years that formerly exceptional wines are now just great. The fact that it has held together so well this long is a plus.
I have a couple more bottles along with a few other 70s, It will be interesting to see how they present themselves. Certainly, it is time to drink them.
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Drank it side by side against Latour 1971. The nose is very intensive after cassis and cigar box but with time getting more reluctant. In the palate elegant with red ripe red fruits, especially black currant, some pencil and cedar and cigar box. clear winner
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Note, I have tasted better bottles, but it is what it is. Still, there was something going worth paying attention to. The rustic, firm, slightly strict masculine, yet refined Pauillac sensibility was all there. Tobacco, cassis, cedar, lead pencil, earth, smoke and cigar wrapper notes turned the nose into the best part of the wine.
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A private tasting and dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Tasted blind. Double decanted. Deep colour, an essence of mature and classical claret, warm but firm and tannic, rich and ripe, masculine but harmonious and generous, quite clearly the outstanding wine on the left bank in this vintage. Thank you, Steven!
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Still has some life left in it, improved about an hour after opening. Seemed to firm up a bit as we pretty thin when opened. Still good color and lots of fruit, but still have some life left in it. Don't rush to drink it.
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Château Latour vertical tasting ((Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)): The 1970 Château Latour was the least impressive of the tasting. Still had a surprisingly ripe nose, with black currant, some cherry, and fig. Very soft mouthfeel, but a bit thin on the palate. Reserved on the attack and lacked punch on the mid-palate. Hint of bitterness on the finish. Overall, the 1970 did not impress tonight.
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Forgot about this review! A gift from my brother in law. Only decanted for four hours which was an error. The darkest wine I have ever seen. Inky black. Evolved beautiful throughout drinking as only an exceptional wine can. Cassis and tobacco the main features with a medium, refined finish that made you want more.
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Nose was a touch odd, but cleared up. Nice concentration still and length. Good bottle but less fun than the 1970 Pichon Lalande we drank together. Surprising.
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Quite nice aged Latour nose, but this was grumpy and hard as nails. A huge wall of tannins that was austere enough to cloud over anything else. Might have been an off bottle.
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[Magnum] Leathery cherry and cranberry - a great spot for Bordeaux - damp earth driven but with strong fruit present. Tremendous on the palate - Huge but tannin mostly resolved. Great to drink right now. Nose fell off a bit towards the end of the night but still awesome and alive on palate. Little dusty - library books. Very enjoyable. Cool cellar, tertiary.
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Chateau Latour Vertical Tasting - TWG (Des Moines): Dark garnet color, with a bit of bricking at the rim. Leathery and dusty. Not much fruit left. Seems older that the '62 it followed. Still enjoyable, but on the downhill slide in my opinion.
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Wine was properly stored from purchase upon release until consumed; Still has lots of life left. Beautiful classic bordeaux bouquet, fruit and cassis, complex and lovely.
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Bottle variation is to be expected with wines that are 45 years of age. We were more than lucky with this bottle as it was the best example of 1970 Latour tasted in ages. Cedar, tobacco, cassis, cigar box and ash aromatics were all over the place. The wine was still fresh, the tannins were resolved and the finish combined hints of rusticity with elegance, it was long and the fruit was sweet.
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Impressive nose. When it comes to palate, this is now showing signs of fatigue. At end of, or just past, drinking window. Sour cherry. Tertiary notes developed. A little hollow on mid-palate. I had a 1966 bottle which was solid and full-bodied. Not 1970. Drink up.
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A full-bodied, old style Latour with flavors of tar and gravel along with intense dark fruits. A bit rustic and not showing well compared to the '71 and '66 drunk alongside. This continues to be a disappointment although it is possible it could emerge from its tight and unforgiving nature at some point. Not sure I'm betting on it. At Rarities, Cafe Boulud.
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White pepper, dark earth, cigar box and cedar, blood and a background steeliness, light dark fruit on the nose. A somewhat musty backpalate with noticeable alchohol. 92+
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Wow what a powerful wine, and it still has not woken out of its shell as yet. This was so coiled up and recalcitrant. It took a full 2 hours before it started showing anything. The color is still very youthful and with severe tannins even at this age. Textbook old school Latour here. Vibrant, powerful and brooding, yet with a fine luxurious feel. Dark berries, with cedar and graphite. Sounds crazy but this is still a baby. Needs more time for its transformation.
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Nice and fresh, easy drinking, showed a bit dilute. This may not have been the best example as it didn't show as anything memorable. Using this bottle as a guide, drink now.
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One of the better bottles that I have had in recent years. Dry mushroom, faint dark berries, old leather and light bell pepper on the nose. Faint raspberry, cellar mustiness, light spice and leather on the palate. Good out of the blocks but the palate thinned considerably and the finish deteriorated after 45 minutes.
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Opened bottle two hours before serving. Cork was stained. Decanted an hour before serving. Quite good. Having tasted along the way it opens nicely. Powerful with cassis, tobacco, & just a hint of leather.
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Bt dcanted an hour, color darkens to deep garnet with bricking rims. Nose of earthy dried leaves, plum, hint of cassis. Plush in mouth, gd conc, cedar, tobacco. Tannin largely resolved altho slightly grippy. Seems still going strong, alas this is my last btl.
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There is a fresh and lively quality to crisp, crunchy cassis fruit that I quite like, But there is a stern quality to the tannins, coupled with an austere quality to the leafy, tapenade and red fruit in the finish that detracts. I think this was probably not a perfect bottle, as it was good, but more old school than I recall based on how the last bottle I tasted showed.
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"20 Vintages of Latour at Daniel." To me, always an overrated vintage of Latour and I preferred it in its youth. Nevertheless, it was smooth and tasty tonight. A bit rustic with softening tannins and fine flavors of Latour dirt, it seems just about fully mature to me and was slightly inferior to the '71 tasted alongside.
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White pepper, black raspberry, and slight mustiness on the back of the nose. A hint of spice emerges with air time, cinnamon perhaps. A good bottle of this wine, although I liked it more than others at the table.
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The 1970 Château Latour was as brilliant as I had hoped, bursting from the glass with an utterly classic bouquet of walnuts, black fruit and wet gravel, with some subtle hints of cigar box. Still a beautifully saturated ruby-black, this wine is still young but very fun to drink: very concentrated, beautifully focused and seamless on the palate, it is the quintessential Latour, and by some margin superior to the 1990 which I had a few weeks ago. It just grew and grew in the decanter and glass. Bottles like this one should cruise along in the cellar for another two decades, as the fruit is pure and vibrant.
Decanted over 30 minutes, drank over 2 hours. Well stored, near perfect cork on this bottle. Nose wasn't giving much out of the bottle, really benefited from the air. Color is still dense red, some cloudiness and discoloration at the rim. Nose is classic Bordeaux, dark berry, herbs, pencil shavings, tobacco, cedar, truffles. Palate of black currant, dark fruits, plums, cassis. As expected, elegant and layered (medium) finish
Fully mature, still has a strong backbone, seems like it will go at this level for several more years. Really special wine, classic old school Bordeaux
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Dark core with only the slightest discolouration. Lovely, regal nose with dark berry fruit, lots of forest notes, tobacco, leather, herbs, pencil shavings. Almost youthful, firm structure, grippy, herbal, very good length. Powerful and masculine. Has still many years ahead of it. Ein Dank dem edlen Spender. 95-96+
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compared to other 70s tasted along that eve, ts-in bottle, dense, dark-red, ink-like colour and upon pulling the cork rather unaccessible nose; serious decanting necessary. Evolves with those cedar, leather, tobacco notes, subtle truffles, masculine on the palate, yet harmoniously balanced, ripe tannins (these must have been gripping 25-ys ago), not a charmer rather an impressive earthy character with chewy bits to it and long lasting aftertaste. Pure Pauillac power and Medoc terroir at its best; When M. Broadbent wrote in 2007 "many more years in hand", he was spot on. 95-97+
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Extraordinary nose, tobacco, bonfire and liquorice. The applet is fresh blackcurrant, soft, pastry, great balance, so easy to drink, I have to admit to it being the first wine that brought a tear to my eye! Big thanks to a very generous friend who bought this bottle along to lunch at Boisdales in Victoria, London.
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I bought on release ( price on the bottle $33.95). Cedar, tobacco, spice, herbs and dark fruits on the nose. Lots of depth and fruit on the palate. Still quite alive and well. This is really in the pocket for drinking now. Loved it and my favorite of the flight.
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Where the 55 may have been fading, this stood front and center commanding your attention. beautiful, powerful, and poised. Cassis, graphite, Pauillac dirt, with tremendous depth, and better balance. Deep and very long. This is fantastic wine and it knows it. One of the best wines I've had this year. Fantastic, and way better than my previous experience with this wine. At peak. Thank you RN! WOTN in strong company. 96 pts
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From a bottle with a low shoulder fill and bulging cork... However, the wine was in much better shape than expected. Seemed to be fading somewhat, although still an excellent nose of earth, leather, cigar, and faded blackcurrants. Silky mouthfeel with luminous color and little sediment. Well integrated tannins and an overall pleasurable wine. Not powerful, but harmonious and a great food wine in it's present state.
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Drank contemplatively over two evenings. Near-perfect cork. Minimal decanting. Plush velvet ruby colour with an orange tint, semi- transparent. Nose is beautifully mellow and rounded red plum and berry fruits with some fresh high notes of freshly sharpened pencil lead. Palate is full of fresh and vibrant acidity together with wonderfully poised and harmonized red/ black berry fruits, graphite and still firm tannin frame. Slightly lean but still drinking beautifully. Wonderful. Thanks so much, Herald for your birthday present.
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The 1970 Latour is the ultimate old Bordeaux experience. This bottle in fabulous shape, almost to neck level, firm moist cork. It's the opposite side of the spectrum from Aussie or California fruit bombs. In fact, there's no fruit at all it's so deep in the tertiary phase. More about cranberries, dried herbs, especially thyme. High acidity holds it all together. Begs for meat; it's almost undrinkable by itself.
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What a treat. Bottle condition was questionable, with a low shoulder, but the nose wasn't oxidized. In fact, the nose showed lots of saddle leather and cigar box. The palate was the same, with a nice mouthfeel. The fruit has completely faded, but still a terrific bottle and I can only imagine how it would have showed in perfect conditions.
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Stood this 750ml for two days. See my previous TN. Similar, yet this bottle was a bit lacking its predecessor's "wow" factor. Plenty of cedar, leather and tobacco here. Slightly less pure than last yr's bottle, and a bit shorter in the finish. Still a luxury of riches - what's not to love here? Drink up sooner than later.
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Klar, mørk, tett rød med lett bruning. Noe lukket på nese, men mildt parfymert med underliggende, forførende, røde bærtoner. Tett, massiv, intens og kompakt frukt. Knusktørr og strukturert. Frisk syre. Tørre og faste, nesten bitende tanniner i utgang med svakt hint av varme. Sitter svært lenge i. La ligge.
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27 Vintages of Latour: Bottle 2. IN fill. Wonderful, ‘linear’ fruit – but at the same time deep and nuanced. Tight and surprisingly rich. A very good, but not splendid 1970.
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27 Vintages of Latour: Bottle 1. TS fill. Forest floor with dark berry fruit (at the tipping point between primary and tertiary notes); spice and balsamico; fresh in the mouth, a bit one dimensional.
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Nice wine. Score is hurt by what it is worth which is way more than anyone should pay for a wine that tastes like this. Enjoyable but not a wow wine or a memorable wine. Neither large nor long.
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HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago, IL): A beautiful '70 Latour. Aromas of spice, tea, cedar, dark fruits and floral notes jumped out of the glass. Palate was elegant and very claret-like. Fruit was dark and elegant and it was surrounded by earthy, cedary notes. Really really good.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Some lead pencil shavings on the nose. Paired incredibly well with a dijon-roasted tenderloin. Slight peppery note on the palate, but this is incredibly balanced with vibrant fruit and lovely secondary characteristics. Excellent.
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Very clear, dense ruby red color with a faint brown edge. Very forward body, almost chewy, with major cassis, and licorice, and some tobacco and cedar as well. Great finish with long, lingering fruit....A great wine, stored in my cellar since 1975 undisturbed.
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Well stored in my cellar since 1975 (paid $17.95/bottle). Deep ruby color with only faint brown edge. Rich nose with raspberry, cassis, licorice, and tobacco. Full fruity body with great legs .Long lingering fruity finish.
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This is an example of the glory of aged Bordeaux. Level almost up to neck, great color, obviously stored by someone very carefully, since it was a recent purchase for me from Wine Watch. The best part was the tremendous perfume of cassis and black truffle. Then, medium weight, lots of minerals, autumn leaves, gravel and dense. Deep into its secondary phase, and not as fruity as the nose would suggest yet very satisfying. Then the typical high acid finish of the vintage makes it fresh rather than tart.
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Colour: Very youthful, betrays its reserves already in coulour. Dark core with cherry-red brightening on the rims. Nose: Primal a very reserved & closed nose, with some time in the glass notes of truffle, leather, a case of spices, dark chocolate and walnut shell. After about one hour in the glass the fruit appears more & more. More dark, earthy fruits like Black-Cherry and cassis. Palate: Good mouthfeel. Power & elegance in a great combination. Still reserves left. The acidity & tannins are quite present.
My first Latour ever, maybe I expected too much. Was a bit disappointed by the nose. The palate was very good.
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Sunday Night Wines II: BN fill. Dark and not much development on color; Herbal, deep dark fruit, ash; Lots of power, structured and tannic, ash again, dark berries, dark chocolate. This was pop-and-pour. My bad. After several hours in the glass a slight sweetness emerged. Still a bit too young.
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This bottle slightly underperformed although still wonderful. Just lacking a bit of that black fruity and mineral essence it has at its very best. Yet this still was a wonderful wine, great harmony and balance and strong finish. I was worried when I first opened it that it might be corked, but it emphatically was not, just some bottle funk. This bottle, from Acker auctions, was in superb condition, ullage almost in the neck.
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Decanted 20 minutes to reduce sediment. Clear color. Brown rim. Awesome nose. Not a bit of heat on palate. Still with some fruits left but also tertiary notes. Medium plus finish. This still has many years to go.
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Very reticent on the nose initially but then opened up more and gained in intensity. Still it only gave light scents of prunes, cloves, nutmeg and cedar. But to the taste it was more fresh and fruity, with red and blue berries predominating with the generous, but fine, tannins that coated the palate. Like a fading photograph of a beautiful woman, this wine was still beautiful and harmonious but clearly more inspiring to the imagination than the senses.
50+5+12+17+8=92
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Drank over 4 hours. Fully mature nose of smoke, tobacco, black and red fruit, earth and leather. Some wet stone as well. Palate was extremely smooth, layered and balanced. This did not have the ashtray notes that the last bottle I had did. Some green herbs amidst the dark fruit and earth. This is in a great place right now and I expect it will hold. Long smooth finish.
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One of the best bottles I've tasted in years, the developed nose offers wet earth, tobacco, burning wood, cedar, stone, cassis, cigar wrapper and cherries. There is a slight tart edge to the fruit with some herb, cedar and forest floor notes that tasters who do not truly enjoy old school Bordeaux at its best, could find off putting. There is probably no real reason to hold this wine any longer, even though there is no hurry to drink it.
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super, levendig, klassieke geur, sigarenkistje komt meteen naar boven, leer, grafiet, smaak is breed en nog zo jeugdig en vers, intens, diepte, alles is in balans, mooie zachte tannines, maakt veel indruk, top Latour
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I like it but would i pay £450 for it? Firm structure with cab sav leafy notes and high acidity cut through with red fruit and fores floor. Tight palate with iron and metallic feel on the finish.
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Feeling like we caught this at the tail end of its life cycle. Very cloudy in color, graphite, dirt (funk lessened over time), and dusty. 2 bottles were quite different, one more refined and one a hair oxidized. Still very solid (is a Latour after all) but felt like some of the usual support/balance was missing.
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Beautiful and complex bouquet with luxurious oak, smoke, cedar, dust and also some rose hips. On the palate a fully mature wine and compared to the Latour 1970 I tasted last year a little disappointing. Still a classical wine with a good dose of acidity, but the beauty faded in the glass. Overall: Especially the bouquet in the start was a feast. No score.
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This wine has a lot of color for its age, viewing it i my thoughts were; looks more like a 20year old. The nose is complex a lot of blackberry, leather and pepper. Also some notes of balsam and a nutty scent. The taste is full, round not much sweetness but enough to balance the palate in the right way. There is a lot of fruit still here mainly dark and red- of the preserved kind. Also there is more than enough tannins present this wine could hold its own for quite a lot of years to come if it weren't for the acids that seem to be more of an aged kind (aside from the normal ones every wine has, but this may be only limited to this bottle) the finish is good, even big, nice composition of the things, present at the start of the tasting. It lasts more then a minute( make that about 2 minutes) this isa real masculin wine indeed.
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Once again that chestnut of wisdom rang true, “After 20 years, there are no great wines, just great bottles.” I’ve enjoyed better bottles of 1970 Latour and I’ve tasted worse examples, this was in the middle. Still dark in color with bricking around the edges, the nose was packed with cedar, gravel, tar, blackberry, earth, cassis and tobacco scents. While the wine was powerful and concentrated, there was a touch of bitterness in the tannic finish. Was it the wine, or the bottle? There’s only one way to know for sure and that’s to pop another bottle.
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Grapes for Great Causes (Goosefoot Restaurant, Chicago): From Magnum: Dark beefy nose, sleek and masuline. Dry dusty, slightly rustic. Dry black fruits, touch of charcoal, iron quality, slight brown leaf. Lean, dusty with underlying quality that gives whiff of real breed. Afraid this likely saw better days. I was told cork fell into bottle during opening.
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From 750, V/TS fill. No formal tasting notes; I mean, why keep formal notes on 1970 Latour when it's the very first taste of Latour that you've ever had in your life!?! Pshaw :) Served alongside 82 Talbot, 83 & 85 P-L, and 85 Mouton over steaks and MNF, no big whoop. (!) The 70 Latour blew them away. Sure, it's 'supposed' to but, wonderful that it lived up to/almost exceeded expectations. One never knows what to expect from 40+ yr old bottles, no matter how well they're stored. This screamed for a decant, so we obliged (only one among those five that we decanted). It took about 20-30 minutes to stretch but, man this was impressive. Descriptors from below accounts are all on point. Brooding color, nearly black (bricking?! ha!) - just awesome. Cedar, grilled meat, amazing structure, purity of fruit. I guess it's not bullsh** that this might well last - let alone show wonderfully! - for another couple decades. We are blessed, aren't we?! Lord, please let my other two bottles perform as well in the future....Amen
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Tasted blind. Gorgeously looking, deep, shiny dark cherry colour with hardly any age sign. Rather rich, complex nose with dark tart cherry and old wood, quite nuanced. Med+ body, still rather tannic. Sour cherry on the palate, hints of tar, good acidity, blueberries, balsamico notes. Completely ready, rather elegant, maybe a bit short on the midpalate, if such nitpicking is allowed.
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Opened slowly in the bottle and the bouquet grew with passing time. Dark masculine tobacco and leather scents were noticeable among dark fruits. The taste was a little tannic and lean and elegant, balanced and harmonious and very mineral (crushed stone and metallic aftertaste). The fruits were secondary to the other tastes, perhaps an indication that this beautiful wine is fading.
50+5+12+18+9=94
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Superb! Drank from magnum with dual decanting. Incredibly dark and dense with only faint bricking. After 42 years of dust blew off (~30 min) the depth was incredible...dark fruits, tobacco, spice, with great length and clarity. A powerful, yet silky texture fills the palate and the finish is Lon and complex. Loving this!
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Amazingly dark in color with absolutely no bricking. Took about 15-20 minutes to open but when it did.....OH BOY! This wine has the spine, power and fruit to go another 20+ years. Beautiful rich dark fruit with beautiful tertiary notes of cedar and tobacco with soft round tannins. This was obviously a well stored bottle and it showed like a wine twenty years it's youth. This is the second time I've tried this wine (from different sources) and it's shown consistently well. This is the star of the vintage in my book.
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Dark garnet core with brown rim. It was shy at first but slowly expanded and getting more intense in the glass with more air. Lovely mature bouquet of blackcurrant, plum and savory note. Cedar, sweet tobacco, graphite, ink and earth. All wrapped in a powerful yet elegant package. Medium bodied. Still so much lively with excellent harmony. I especially love the energy of this wine, with layer of fruits, cedar, dark floral, grilled meat as well as sweet herbs and tobacco. Large scale, boosted with finesse and class with long lingering finished with some firm tannin bite and juicy sweet dark fruits that doesn't want to let go. Breathtaking!
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12% ABV. Having a hard time pinning down this wine- it has so many facets. Bought this bottle a while back and while checking on my wine found the cork was a little loose under the capsule, so had to crack it open. Thus, it was paired with mac + cheese! What a treat. Bottle was vts, and it was the cork from hell. Eventually got most of it out but decanted it through a cheese cloth. Probably only had 20 mins in the decanter before serving.
The first amazing thing about this wine was the color. Almost an inky black with maybe the faintest trace of garnet around the edge. No bricking to speak of. For a 40 year old wine that seems incredible, but there is no mistaking its age when you stick your nose in it and inhale its utterly glorious scent. Some cranberry-ish fruit, some apple, even a little green broccoli note, but a huge wave of tertiary aromas too. Soil and , meat and mushrooms all the way. Menthol too, but not overpoweringly so. It's almost as if you took the vinegar part out of balsamic vinegar, leaving the intense flavor behind.
The wine is astonishingly full-bodied- a marked contrast to a recent Cheval Blanc with a similar (though less complex) aromatic profile but no depth or concentration. Tannins are fully resolved. 40+ second beautiful finish- just sensational from start to finish. It's hard to imagine this wine will get better, but there's no way it's on the slide yet. It oozes first growth quality and class. I am stunned given how bad that cork was!
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Cedar wood, tobacco, forest floor, cigar box, black currant, iron and truffle started off the mature aromatics. Full bodied, concentrated and showing depth of flavor, the wine ended with a refined, masculine, classic, long, spicy cassis finish.
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Bordeaux 1961 - Mini Horisontal (Le Sommelier, Copenhagen): Quite a funky nose with blackberry fruit and cabbage and the alcohol is really shining through. Elegant but unfortunately a little weak on the palate but it does still seem quite young. With more air it does seem to open up nicely and presents itself with authority and presence. Almost aristocratic. Still an impressive wine that with even more air could merit a higher score.
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Dreamtasting #4 (Restaurant de Watermolen, Kasterlee): (*) Splendid, mild, soft, eloquent nose wafting hints of coffee, leather, strawberries, rosehips and some iron or blood. Very pure, bright, precise, graceful and tertiairy, slightly drying finish containing some old acidity. Although it starts to fade after 15 minutes in the glass, this is a magnificant and joyous 1970, and it isn't cranky, nor rustic or bretty. A totally cool, neat wine. 18-18.5/20
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At tasting. Wonderful very typical mature latour. Purple, regal, youthful in color. Very rich red robe of thick velvet infused with purple violet scented dark red fruit with that masculine tannic balance that is just right on t he mark. But oddly we felt it not as complex as anticipated. A great wine to be sure but not as fully expressive as the 61, 66, 52 or 82. Drink now.
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33rd Austin Wine Salon - Bordeaux (Max's Underground): Great bottle and easily my WOTT. Flawless, supple texture, incredible sweetness of fruit, wonderful balance. Earth, truffle and animale. This one had it all. Close to perfection in a bottle.
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Tasted at dinner alongside a 1970 Mouton. The 70 Latour was opened and drank straight with no decanting. The bottle was in perfect condition. Initial bouquet was a gentle waft of cherries, berries laced with a hint of leather. The initial taste was one of mild elegance that has been refined over the years in the bottle. The waves of flavours is one that rolls over your tongue as opposed to hitting you with power. Cherries, plum and tobacco seemed to elegantly dance around on your palette and your within your mouth.
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The most amazing bottle I have ever experienced. I would assign the 100, but I can't be sure there aren't more deserving bottles out there so I will stick with a 98. These notes are in a general progression as it opened up in the glass. Nose: menthol, eucalyptus, shoe polish, barnyard, hay, manure, varnish, kirsch, cherry brandy, Dr. pepper, Worcestershire, gasoline vapor, leather, dried berries - cranberry, rawhide, earthy, dried bark, forest in Fall. Taste: green pepper up front, barnyard throughout, fades into fire roasted plum and prune with a warming fortified wine / brandy note on the finish - cherry flambe, licorice, leather and rawhide, smooth and silky with tannins hiding in the background but still present, assertive grip on the very end with a slight menthol note on the finish. Continued to develop and change about every single minute it was open - an absolutely spectacular wine.
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Popped and poured. Very seductive secondary aromas on the nose. You know you are definitely in Pauillac. Unfortunately the palate did not hold up as well. The flavors were a little tired and lean although you could still detect the essence of the terroir. With some air the profile improved and was actually quite a nice drink but ultimately a little disappointing for this famed Château. The first time I had this 2-3 years ago was showing better.
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This came from a bottle which was in great condition. When we opened the bottle the waft is just an incredible nose of flowers. The palate was very tight and refused to give up its secrets. But we could taste the potential and had tastes of cherries black pepper with a touch of cassis. The grip is still very good and the wine stills tastes fresh.
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Depending on how the wine in question shows, bottle variation is either part of the fun, or the most frustrating aspect of the hobby. In this case, is the 1970 Latour a tannic, masculine, asutere styled wine? Or is it a powerful, refined Bordeaux with true Pauillac character? Bacchus was with us, because this was the best 1970 Latour I've had in ages! Crushed gravel, cassis, tobacco, smoke, truffle, blackberry, walnuts, forest floor and 5 Spice aromas were all over the place. Big, dense and chewy, this powerful Bordeaux wine commanded your attention. Most of the tannins have faded and this wine has developed wonderful complexities. It's not shy. Instead, it's power with refinement in a glass. Depending on the bottle, this could improve with age.
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Hairy crab dinner chez Thomas: Perfect looking bottle, VTS level that I picked up off the FV website a year ago, out of curiosity more than anything else. It turned out just about OK. In fact, with the gentle bouquet and lively dark fruit with cedar and lead pencil notes, it could have passed off as a mid-1980's Latour from a good but not great vintage. I'm sure there are some truly fantastic bottles still out there, but considering how much this wine costs, I can think of many other wines I'd like to buy with my scarce wine budget dollars. (PS: this wine also does not go too well with steamed hairy crabs, but thanks very much TH for hosting a most enjoyable evening)
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Acker Merrall 1996 Left Bank Bordeaux Dinner (Balsan - Chicago IL): Tasted blind, showed much younger than 40 years old. Black fruit still quite prominent with some cherry liqueur and aromas of leather. Background hints of tobacco. Intricate fruit nuances come through on the palate with delicate, almost lacy, fruit and textures. Really elegant fruit and spice on the finish, complemented by some mushroom elements. Not a powerhouse but a very impressive wine.
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A sharp, pencilly nose. On the palate, this is very disjointed and lacking any happiness or love. Weedy and unbalanced. I can only hope that this was a bottle character as others' notes are generallly positive.
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Vertical of 15 vintages Latour followed by a 3* Michelin dinner and 11 magnums. (@ the Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands.): Dark carmine red with a slightly brown rim. Beautiful mature and classical bouquet with earthy impressions, cedar, cassis still and some spiciness. Very intense and complex. On the palate juicy thanks to a touch of sweetness, graphite and other minerals and beautifully soft tannin with a pleasant bite. The wine still developed in the glass and had an enormous length. This was a perfect and beautiful bottle, everything in perfect harmony and balance. Powerful but also very elegant. Just great!
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Verticaal Latour (De Librije, Zwolle): Kleur: Robijnrood, aan de rand wat oranjebruin Aroma / bouquet: Prachtig bouquet, iets meer gesloten, ook hier prachtige tertiare tonen, champignons, leer, cederhout, daarnaast ook cassis en ceder en wat tabak. Smaak / Afdronk: Wow-wijn, ook dit glas biedt een superieure balans, alles klopt, zuurgraad, een wat stenige mineraliteit, concentratie met subtiliteit, doet iets 'gemakkelijker' aan door een indruk van zoet. Enorme lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Niets op af te dingen, wat ' gemakkelijker' glas, maar net zo perfect. En bovendien een glas met een enorme toekomst. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
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i was a little worried after reading some of the tasting notes here, but luckily, this bottle was great. very mature, but with outstanging color. nose of sweet red fruit, graphite, and barnyard. juicy palate with more sweet red fruit, and a medium plus finish. i see no reason to rush to drink these if you have them.
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A good but not exciting example of this variable wine. Excellent appearance (from Acker retail); VTS level, medium garnet, soft, moist cork which came out in two pieces. Not much happening on the nose and the palate was gentle and supple. Obviously completely mature and well balanced without the intrusive acidity some '70s have. I kept hoping for more flavor interest, but there was no change over a 2 hour period.
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Tasting ‘Chateau Latour’ at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival: decanted before the tasting; rubin red color; red and black berries, some lead pencil; well-integrated tannins on the palate; medium/full body; well-balanced texture; long finish.
The 1970 Latour was a subtitute for the flawed 1972 bottle from flight I. Excellent wine with plenty of tannins to offer. Therefore my guess there is still some room for further improvement and longevity guaranteed.
First Growth Dinner (plus some La Mission) (Ruths Chris - Washington, DC): Many at the table didn't think this bottle was correct - wasn't flawed, but wasn't where it should have been. Having no previous experience with the wine, I figured I'd give it a go anyways. I thought that the nose was delicate with nice cranberry and red floral components. Palate had a nice cherry tobacco edge to it with roasted herbs and mushrooms. I found the palate to be quite nice (I think I was an outlier in this regard).
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Holding up impressively well. Excellent fill to the bottle. Glorious ruby red color, with bricking at the rim of the glass. Compelling bouquet of black fruit, flowers, mushrooms, earth, tobacco, and spice. In the mouth, elegant but forceful, with power behind the pretty black fruit and an endless array of tricks to the complexity, which just keeps unfolding in layer after layer. A gloriously long finish. A
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Deep ruby color. Exotic oriental spice. coffee, cedar, mocha, leather, soy and intense mineral essences topped off with sweet caramel flowed from the glass. This wine is huge, balanced, masculine in style, but dapper as well. This mature claret offers a big, juicy mouthful of rich, ripe cassis, black cherry and iron. A slight bitter note hits the back of the mouth in the finish.
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Looks like there may be some bottle variation on this one. Ours was quite soft, tannis definitely well integrated, seemed like it was on a downslope. Nose and palate both something less than usual for a Latour, but the finish was amazing.
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Really excellent color with slight fading. I've had numerous bottles of this wine and it has been variable but this is clearly a perfect bottle. It smells just like an old Latour should - roasted walnuts and deep graphite earth. On the palate, this shows wonderful aged flavors of Bordeaux with a silky texture but the tannins are stubbornly rustic. Will that wear off and make this a profound wine in 20 years? I don't know but it keeps this wine short of its potential today.
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On my birthday. This is very beautiful wine. Very dramatic that's getting close to 1961 and 1982. Medium to full-bodied, silky and elegant. I think I'm very lucky to drink it at this moment of its 40 years old wine. Aftertaste is like an angel sings and very long sensational finished, I can not finish the bottle.
Day later, still very beautiful at lunch time, I should focus on looking for it.
Drink now - 2025+ ......................99+/100.......................
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Mature but monolithic. No decant. This is a big wine in every sense. Powerful evolved nose of earth, graphite and cedar wood is unable to drown out the chunky and still vigorous fruit. Hard to tell this has nearly 40 years under its belt. Exceptional length. Of course you can drink this now, but no need to panic about drinking up for a while yet.
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Wow, nothing hits the spot like a great, mature Bordeaux. Dark, ruby with light edges. Notes of tobacco, cherries, cassis, wood, spice and earth fill your senses. Great mouth feel and texture. Long, slightly dusty finish in the beefy wine.
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Deep ruby with a brownish rim. After some aeration into the glasses, I was surprised by the high level of red ripe fruits. This Latour is still a baby! Medium bodied on the palate, with sweet and well integrated tannins. Cherries, Kirsh liqueur, plums, berries, currants, charcoal, tobacco leaves, mushrooms, licorice and earth, both on the nose and palate. To drink now or to keep for at least two decades. It could be the ideal companion for a realy special occasion
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Cloudy red in color with classic bordeaux aromas. Great mouthfeel and extremely balanced. Slight mint mid palate? Terrific wine with a lot more time in it.
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Very serious juice! It had a huge nose of black fruits, cassis, cedar and walnuts. It was fat, rich and had a finish that wouldn't quit. Still young, vibrant and full of life. Great wine!
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Light Lumber in Minneapolis: For me, one of the most interesting wines of the night, as I can't recall having had this before. Quintessential claret. Doesn't hit you over the head as a wow wine, but subtle and very good. Really liked it.
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Lumber Comes To Minneapolis (La Belle Vie Lounge, Minneapolis): Someone at the table described this as an "English claret personified," which perfectly captures this wine's personality. This has a more soil-driven than fruit-driven personality -- there is plenty of complex red fruit here, but it doesn't jump from the glass. Layered secondary and tertiary flavors of saddle leather, smoke, and earth in a seamlessly integrated package. Mellow tannins (which no doubt were fierce in this wine's youth). Really delicious and interesting.
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I think everyone else liked this more than me. This is the only one of the '70s that strikes me as noticeably tannic to the point where it actually feels still unready to drink. It's not a hard, coarse tannin a la 1975 but just feels a little cobwebbed to the point that you don't get the most vivid picture of what this is supposed to be. It sweetens up as it sits in the glass and picks up a typical walnut-and-cocoa-dust scent but never gets as expressive on the palate as I would have hoped for.
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93rd Rezek Dinner (Kendall College): Full ruby crimson color. Wonderful nose of cedar briar red fruit. Mmnn, lovely bright red fruit with spice and cedar carrying through on the palate. Always fun to drink a mature wine of this pedigree. Would have easily been WOTN except that one of the three bottles served was off so the votes were skewed. 94+ pts.
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Festa Winesnob 2009 (Pizzeria di Giulio a Roma): Anche questo giovanissimo molto concentrato e morbido in bocca. Poco complesso al naso, anche se molto rigoroso, tutto sul cuoio e tabacco. Molto nitido e pieno
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The fill was high shoulder and the cork -- which came out easily enough and had a good seal -- was soaked 80% through. A suprisingly youthful appearance, with a dark ruby core, turning to amber at the rim. A boldly scented wine, offering up notes of cedary dark fruits, leather, and earth. More impressive in the mouth than on the nose. Rather full-bodied, with outstanding concentration, impressive depth, and a velvety mouthfeel. Classic structure and grip on the long and satisfying finish. Perhaps I am being too stringent, but I felt the bouquet lacked just a bit in complexity, and while displaying impressive concentration and mouthfeel, needed a touch more delineation and focus on the palate to be truly sublime. I am sure bottles with better fills would rate higher. Nevertheless, a fine wine and, for my taste, on par with the '70 Ducru, slightly ahead of the '70 Montrose and '70 Lynch Bages, but a notch below the '70 Mouton.
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Dark center and lighter at the edge. Clear sign of bricking and age. Not as powerful as the last bottle but this was from another source but with a great fill. I think what makes this wine so nice is the detail in the nose and on the palate. It has that aged bordeaux feel to it where all the things you smell and taste smell or taste aged. Aged leather, aged cedar, dirty red fruit. Good complexity and unreal focus. This bottle, unlike the last, didn't have the structure in the mouth. The finish however went on forever. Still an excellent value for mature Latour-although I suspect from reading notes there is a lot of bottle variation. This was of the better bottles just perhaps cellared in less than perfect conditions at some point.
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Dinner with friends (Their home): The initial nose was all bordeaux. Permeated the room it was so strong. Very well stored. Deep dark color, like prune without the smell. This is at its peak and will stay there for some time. WOW
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The bottle sourced from an Acker auction, was in impeccable condition. We double-decanted it right before service. Mature garnet as expected. A surprising blast of mint escaped from the bottle for just a minute or two, then vanished. (Oddly enough, the same thing happened with the '66 that night). This was a very good example of the '70 Latour, but not up to the best bottles since the fruit had faded more than some. Nevertheless, there was plenty of enjoyment to be had in submerging the palate in its old wine character of leather, spice and hint of blackberry. At this age, it's more about complexity than depth of fruit and on that score, it was just fine. Thre's considerable bottle variation in well-stored examples of '70 Latour, even given its age. Held up very well in the glass although surpassed at the finish line by the '66 Latour this night.
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Very surprisingly, this Latour was lost in the (low) trees in the blind tasting of 1970 Bordeaux at the Cataldo Bordeaux night tasting. I took no notes and do not remember it.
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Poker Night at my place (My house): Amazing! Medium mahogany from center to the edge. Clean and brilliant looking in the glass! This wine is pure class . Very old world nose of old saddle leather coupled with a tar like smell that made it remind me of a oiled old baseball glove. There was a hint of sweaty socks and some vegtible aromas along with cigar ash. The nose on this wine rocked. One of the most foused and detailed bouquets i have every had the pleasure to know. In the mouth the wine soft and still plush and no hard edges. This did not drink like a 1970. One of the better latours I have had, the best 1970, and this bottle was great.-drinking at its peak but can go on for 5-10 more years with ease.
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This was Hugh's bottle, purchased many years ago. Although decanted well in advance there was a surprising change after pouring it in the glass - first sweet, soft and fragrant for a few minutes, then closing down, then very gradually opening again, but never quite reaching the height of the first impression. Quite a bit of acidity in the background, which dominates the structure more than the tannins. After re-sampling it leasurely over the next 3 hours, I concluded this was not one of the better examples of '70 Latour, which shows a fair amount of bottle variation, not surprising at age 38.
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Pearl Harbo(u)r Day Lunch 2007 at Le Gavroche with CO, DF, JD, RC. Rich deep purple color and very good berry nose but not overwhelming. Slightly youthful(!) but still a sense that this is exactly what one wants an old claret to be like. Did not fade. My sense was that this wine could last another ten years or more easily, especially en magnum as it was here. Great great claret.
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Drunk at Lucques. Decanted for 1 hour and left in bottle for 1 before drinking. Bricking at edges but holding together well. This had great dry savoury flavours- cedar, leather in a warm medium bodied style. Classy stuff- not mind blowing but very well pu together.
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This Acker purchase from last year surprised with its extraordinary youthful brilliance at the "Latour by Four" tasting we did at Cafe Boulud. Clearly besting the '66 this night, it was deeply colored and concentrated, but oh so well balanced. Pure pleasure. Very full and flavorful in the black fruity Latour way, multilayed and long. Interestingly, this is the one I was concerned about when I decanted it 4 hours ahead of time because I thought I detected a bit of excess VA, but the acidity was just right to focus this beauty.
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This bottle, from Premier Cru (top shoulder level, firm moist cork that came out in one piece), was one the the very best examples of '70 Latour I have ever had. Doesn't shout Latour since it's a gentle giant, but the gorgeous bouquet of blackberry and dark cherry is superb and refuses to fade in the glass. (I had double decanted this for 2 hours.) Lovely middleweight, soft as an easy chair, great purity and finesse, perfect stage of maturity, no hint of fatigue, medium perfectly long clean finish. Unlike some examples, this bottle had no hint of coarseness or rusticity.This is one of those bottles you want to selfishly consume all yourself.
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Still young; a good 10-15 years left for this baby to peak. Great color; tannic grip on the back end. Unfortunately I only let this breathe in bottle for about 2-3 hours; next time I'll give it 8-10 hours and see what difference there is.
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When this Latour is on, as it was tonight, it's a lovely but gentle example of the property. (This bottle was purchased from the Chicago Wine Company many years ago.) There's a distinctive cinnamon and cooking spice fragrance that I have never encountered in any other Latour. Almost soft in the mouth but harmonious and flavorful. It's well into the secondary stage with echoes of cedar and earth, but not fading. A bit of acidity in the finish detracts just slightly.
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Sydney Offline: Birthyear Wines: The nose is deep and rich with graphite, menthol, roasted meats, blackcurrant and some mulchy and cheesy characters. The palate is youthful and shows aggressive tannins along with reasonably good length. Didn't live up to reputation and probably suffered from coming after the legendary Peppermint Patty
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Lovely showing at the One Market Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts pre-convention dinner. Soft, fragrant, gently spicy. Faded after a couple of hours. It sounds more like a Cheval Blanc than a typical Latour, but so it was.
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Bottle variation is to be expected of course for wines of this age and this bottle was one of the less successful examples of '70 Latour. I believe this bottle originated from Chicago Wine Company many years ago; the level was top shoulder and the cork was firm and moist and came out cleanly. Deep amber color with a definite orange rim, which is usual for this wine. Potent mix of hard red cranberry fruit and solid cedar backbone gives it good structure without being too tannic. Even after a 3 hour decant, it evolved in the glass and unfortunately became harder, more leathery and drier. Not close to the wonderful '66 we compared it to at Johnny V with Greg.
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Showing very well tonight in a trio of '55/'61/'70 Latour. I purchased this bottle from The Chicago Wine Company about 15 years ago. Decanted for 3 hours. Immediately after opening there was some bottle stink and a sample tasted a bit acidic. But by the time we opened it at Marks Las Olas, there was fortunately a positive transformation. Full color for age, top shoulder level. Strong nose of cinnamon and cedar. Not the utmost in complexity but deep, poweful and long. Not that far behind the '61 tonight. An old fashioned style of wine well into its secondary phase, but really lively and should go on for 10 - 20 years.
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A spectacular showing for this somewhat variable wine. Remarkably, it deepened in color after 5 hours in the decanter. What's more, the bouquet became more focused and more intense. Really profound on the palate, with a suggestion of dark small berry skins and cedar on a background of iron. Very firm finish, but not endless. The tannins are now well integrated and fine, but not as velvety as more modern vintages. This is old-style Bordeaux at its best, powerful and satisfying. Impressive in its refusal to fade. If this bottle is representative, there is at least 15 more years of life in this '70. The bottle was of excellent appearance, top shoulder fill, purchased from the Chicago Wine Company at least a dozen years ago.
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Hugh’s bottle. Open now. Classic. Very Latour, distinctive and pleasing. Firm attack. Austere and reserved. Outstanding focus. Unfortunately the finish is marred by excess acidity which this wine has so far evaded. Good though, in spite of this flaw.
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Chicago Wine Company bottle. Tasted at the Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts dinner in Chicago. Beautiful condition and appearance. Amber. Remarkably soft and gentle bottle for the first time for this vintage. Tannins are completely resolved. I would mistake this for the ‘70 Palmer. Atypical, but disarmingly lovely.
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Had a cork that failed and pushed into the bottle on opening attempt. Initially had off odor, but nice mouthfeel. After two hours odor was gone with characteristic Latour with muted lead, slight green pepper. Tannins are almost full resolve and the finish is really long. Great with the tenderloin steak.
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Wow. Still slightly tannic and tight. Starting to get a little amber around the edges, but very enjoyable with a great nose and mouth feel. It seems to be getting closer to resolving, but it’s going to last forever. Try again in 2005.
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Jim’s bottle. Old style uncompromising Latour. Massive, leathery and earthy. Not fruity in the usual sense. No danger of collapse in the foreseeable future. Not easing up a bit yet.
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Dark red. Not too much brown rim-stuff going on here. But an unmistakable scent of mature wine..... this time around a very pleasant barn-scent. Happy animals living in this barn! WOW. A gorgeous scent. Developing by the minute. Sweet berries and lots of peppar coming out of the glass. A full, seamless mouthful, beatiful feel, and really just having all that a wine (in my opinion) should have. A ton of secondary nuances continually developing. Looooong aftertaste. Goes on for minutes. Close to a perfect wine. I rated it 95-96 pts which is probably very conservative. Other people had as high as 98 pts. A pristine bottle.
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Hugh’s bottle. Not as spectacular as the last one but still exceedingly good. It took a couple of hours to open up. Then, classic Latour gravel. Very youthful still. Very intense. Black currant. Great wine, great future.
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Marin Wine Cellar bottle. Bottom neck level. Firm, moist cork. Finally a truly great example of this variable wine. Huge blast of black cherry soars from the bottle. Balanced mature but youthful massively fruity monster. Suave. Masculine, not coarse. Incredible balance for size. Great now and for at least the next 20 years.
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Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle (now defunct). No aroma. Massive on the palate though. Tannins of a foregone era. A little brutal. The fruit is buried in there. Healthy acidity. Chewy. But clean. Will still develop but will it ever soften?
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Harvey’s bottle. Very dark. Classic gravelly Latour. Not an svelte wine. Old-fashioned in a good sense. Plenty of meat and muscle. Somehow stylish anyway. Not too tannic. Is it worth the current tariff ($500)? Yes, if you crave Latour.
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Tasted at unblinded Latour vertical at the Belgian Lion. Medium ruby with red rim. Elegant, supple nose of cherry, cedar and mushroom. Big, tannic wine with blackberries, raspberries and chocolate on palate. Long and slightly tannic finish. A blockbuster that is undoubtedly still improving but incredible now.
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Mike’s half bottle. Almost black. Immediate blast of mineral Latour aroma. A heavyweight but not heavy. Yes, it’s a contradiction. Still youthful. The complexity of age combined with the vigor of youth. Nineteen seventy Latour is really impressive when it’s on form.
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My favorite of the 19 examples of 1970s Bordeaux tasting. Notes of eucalyptus and mint, very pleasing. Huge fruit. Ready but years of life to go. Undeniably great.
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Medium deep, mature rim, darker than the flight of old Ridge Monte Bello this Latour was opened for comparison. Faint non-descript nose. There is depth but no beauty. Too austere.
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With MPL at S&F survey of '70s Claret. Darkest wine so far. Excellent color. Nose hints at deep fruit, but it is pretty closed now. On the palate, this quite a wine. Big, bold, with lots of fruit, it still needs to open up. Needs time--potential is there, but not really yet. 5-10-16-8: 89/100.
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Backward and complex bouquet. A little mature, but a lot of good tannin. Exquisite with a lot of power. Very Pauillac! Can be laid down for many years and will probably gain several points.
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3/30/2024 - kecggf wrote:
Trying this on marks bday…
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3/21/2024 - Olidoli7 wrote: flawed
Cork
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3/3/2024 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
blind, side by side with 1971
Everybody at the table preferred surprisingly the 71. Someone detect because of the walnut perfume correctly the winery but we were much younger. The 70 was edgy and not that balanced as the 71. Missing the fruit, some tobacco notes. 94-95
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3/2/2024 - ippon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank with a friend for his 54 th birthday. Lived up to its reputation perfect color of course soft tannins but the fruit held up beautifully
Loved the long finish
Also opened a Forts Latour same year that was also beautiful but without the complexity rate that 90
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1/27/2024 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Much better than the last bottle. Great fill and only a small amount of sediment. Balanced and great complexity. Had alongside a bottle of '59 Latour. I liked the '59 better, but this was still terrific!
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1/10/2024 - RGardner wrote:
BD Gift to MTZ 53rd BD
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12/7/2023 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clear class, but under a fair amount of rusticity and barnyard. I can even be partial to those things but this wine was up next to some extremely stiff competition at an all first growth dinner and the 1990 next to it blew it away. A few picked it as their #2 of the night but I preferred a few of the Margaux, 90/96 Latour and 96 Mouton/Lafite.
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12/7/2023 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Holiday Dinner - Mostly Bordeaux (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Too much Brett, dirty damp cellar. WOTN for a couple of participants.
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12/3/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 97 Points
The first bottle was reserved, black-fruited, and brooding but the second was positively electric, full of verve. Blackcurrant, blackberry, pencil, coak, squid ink. Utterly compelling; full of density and zip. Revving. A good example of this consistently inconsistent wine.
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12/2/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: 96 Points
California Wine Weekend; 12/1/2023-12/3/2023 (Mos Eisley Cantina & Waterhouse Restaurant): The first bottle was black-fruited, tannic and unyielding. A wall of blackcurrant, cassis and coal. However, a backup was pulled and it just stunned the table. Blackcurrant, blackberry, pencil, and squid ink and graphite that just produce fireworks on the palate. Everything in its place.
Notoriously variable this wine was picked by our host to be the foil for the Judgement of Peterborough flight. Table had the 78 Clos du Val winning.
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11/15/2023 - Goodwine4ever wrote: 96 Points
Quelle jeunesse ce Latour 70 !
Rouge foncé, le nez est jeune et typiquement Bordelais de haute voltige.
Fruits noirs, graphite, thym, le vin présente une bonne minéralité, tout est en harmonie/équilibre, longue finale, vraiment un grand vin !
Les notes secondaires sont a peine perceptibles, un vin qui va tenir la route encore 15-20 ans.
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11/10/2023 - svdheijden wrote: 96 Points
Perfect bottle, level base of neck. Opened 10 hours before serving, double decanted one hour before. Incredibly young appearance, full ruby color, hardly any aging on the rim. Classic and complex though not particularly elegant Bordeaux nose, still showing healthy balance between (black) fruit and tannines. On the palate every inch a Latour. Powerful. masculine with great balance, especially for a 1970. Fourth encounter of the wine in 20 years and this was probably the most youthful bottle. Will the 1970 Latour ever fade away?
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10/8/2023 - LWI wrote: 95 Points
Vinøs hyttetur 2023: Ørlite brett, mint, mørke bær, kompleks nese. I munnen er det fullt trøkk, kompleks finish. Svært ungdommelig, og nok best om 15-40 år.
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9/11/2023 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking young. Plenty left in the tank. A lovely Latour.
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8/6/2023 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fully soaked cork, and a mid-shoulder fill. Maybe not in ideal shape- I get the feeling maybe some minor heat damage in its life.
Color is still strong; a dense ruby core, but obviously showing its age around the edge. Good clarity. Nose is full of tobacco and mushrooms, lashings of mint. Orange zest. Complex, but not as powerful as some Latours.
The texture of the wine is incredible. It's thick and silky; almost souplike. Dry as a bone, plenty of body. Tannins perhaps drying a little, but overall the structure is remarkable.
This wine is finally moving into its geriatric phase, but the second half of the bottle, after two days in the fridge, is still marvellous, which suggests there is no rush. A more pristine example might have even longer to go.
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7/4/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Of course, with wines of this age, it is all about the bottle, and this bottle was gorgeous. Concentrated, powerful, intense, vibrant, full, and long, the deep, chewy finish was loaded with currants, tobacco, spice, and herbs. Drink from 2023-2032.
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7/3/2023 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely old Bordeaux. Graphite, earth and forest floor flavors that were balanced, smooth and incredibly long on the palate.
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4/25/2023 - Wine Kat Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lucky to have another bottle of this almost 3 years later. Still great clarity and color. Notes have softened a bit, but still woodsy and leathery with a hint of mint.
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2/16/2023 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent. Wow. As good as a 1970 can get I think. Leather tobacco mint. So youthful. Highly recommended
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1/21/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote: 98 Points
1970 Themed Bordeaux Dinner: Base of neck fill. This pours medium ruby with very light bricking. The nose is absolutely profound showing dark cherry, cassis, light roast coffee, cedar, peonies, rose petal, blood orange, sandalwood, crushed rocks, and pipe tobacco. The palate is stunning and extremely elegant prominently featuring blood orange and cherry with a seamless velvet texture. The finish is very long replaying all of the nose on a wonderfully long and kaleidoscopic finish. Just profound stuff and easily the best Bordeaux I've had in 5+ years. While this is drinking incredibly well right now it's also amazing how the aging curve is gliding along so gracefully. It's the kind of wine that's timeless and was probably great 20 years ago and will be just as profound in 50 years. What a great experience and a reminder of just how great Bordeaux can be in the hands of the best producers. This bottle in particular was in absolutely perfect condition so I really can't imagine a better showing.
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1/7/2023 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
Latour, Latour, Latour (WineWatch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): Nineteen-seventy Latour has always been a candidate for Wine of the Vintage, especially at this age. It still has the meaty, masculine intensity and concentration that only old Montrose seems to rival. From an era where modern levels of selection and vinification were unknown it shows a certain sternness and leather that are very imposing. The epitome of “masculine” Pauillac character.
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12/30/2022 - t.c.green Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful wine although it is beginning to show it's age with some loss of fruit. Well matched to a steak with lovely tannins
Had with family/friends for my 70th bday
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12/30/2022 - soyhead wrote:
very tertiary as might be expected at age 52 with notes of shoe leather, smoke, and spicebox. enjoyable and improved with air my only quibble is that it has lost almost all its fruit.
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7/30/2022 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 97 Points
One of the most interesting wine experiences I have ever had, this bottle was in aesthetically rough shape, with a barely legible label and completely oxidized capsule. Used the Durand to attempt to get the cork out, and for the first time ever it popped right into the bottle with very little nudging. This was immediately worrisome, but that was quickly allayed when I took a sniff. Classic Pauillac in all the best ways, barnyard, leather, cedar, cooked black fruit, black tea. Lacking a decanter the contents went right into the glass and I was shocked to find the wine a bit tart and tannic at first. I was shocked that a 52 year old wine could drink young, but this one did right out of the gate. With some time, all of that faded away and what emerged was a wonderful mature wine with all the right stuffing. Full bodied and showing tertiary characteristics, this was so well balanced and a complete pleasure to taste over the course of 2 hours.
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7/3/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 96 Points
The 1970 Latour is an appealing if idiosyncratic wine - yes, classically Latour aromatically, but balancing masculine and feminine, both with rugged raw leather, walnut, and shiitake as well as rose and succulent red fruit with a pop of fresh green. Dense, long, muscled.
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6/11/2022 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice, resolved, and strong core fruit. Still drinking at peak. 92-93
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3/19/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Surprisingly popular with the group but to me too diffuse. All tertiary now, not surprising at age 52, but there should be more brightness and focus. Some dark earth, sure, but lacks the characteristic black licorice the best old vintages of Latour still have. Perhaps just slightly low in acidity.
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2/21/2022 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 98 Points
Deep ruby centre with an ageing orange rim. Nose of a well aged claret, comprised of light earthy and cedar notes.
Palate dominated by these aged tertiary and earthy notes but some red fruit still poking through. Complex structure enhanced by a slight smokey cedar/tobacco and a certain stoney minerality. This had a refreshing acidity making it feel surprisingly youthful, to the extent that I guessed the wine was almost 20 years younger than it was!
Extremely supple and rather light with beautifully integrated tanins. Such wonderful balance and harmony with a good, rather complex finish which develops and shows off the various layers of tertiary flavour. Absolutely lovely and I can see this continuing to give pleasure.
Double decanted and stopped before serving. Blossomed for two hours before beginning to fade.
What an honour to try such an aged, traditional era First Growth - and with great company and food too.
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1/1/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cedar and plummy blackberry; robust and strong; sweet balance and long finish; still has many years ahead.
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12/12/2021 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
Lovely cigar box perfume, sapid on the palate, one of those late phase but really hanging on. It’s actually still fresh on the palate, and only late into the finish does one get the sense that the wine is fading. A pleasure.
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11/28/2021 - Old Vino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pleasantly surprised wine was not past its prime. Delicious.
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11/21/2021 - LWI wrote: 95 Points
Some brett, very fresh and wonderfully long. This bottle was perhaps wanting a bit in concentration and complexity, youthful, long.
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10/29/2021 - Vmaster007 Likes this wine: 96 Points
an amazing wine with torréfaction notes, the wine is still in an amazing shape.
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10/10/2021 - somadoc wrote:
Had alongside 2009 vintage. Both are incredible. Can’t believe the fruit still present.
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9/12/2021 - postiglioni Likes this wine: 94 Points
I had this legendarywine some months ago. It held up very well to it’s supreme reputation, even (especially?) at this age. The fruit was still present though softer. It was like playing a Stradivarius. It was telling me how to experience it. It expressed so many subtleties and colors it was mind boggling. It most definitely strutted it’s royal lineage. What an experience!
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8/30/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Obviously, as wines age, especially once they are over 20, let alone 50 years old, there are no great wines, only great bottles. This is by far, the best bottle of 1970 Latour I have ever tasted. Just sublime in every way. Full-bodied, concentrated, ripe, sweet, fresh, earthy, and packed to the gills with sweet cassis, black currants, cedar, tobacco leaf, cigar box, herbs, forest leaf, and spice. The perfect blend of regal, refined, and austere, with a seemingly, non-stop finish. Decanted maybe 10-20 minutes, and enjoyed for as long as it lasted in our glasses.
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7/17/2021 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
From a bottle purchased from Premier Cru 16 years ago with very top shoulder ullage this one performed superbly. There’s brown at the edge but the center is healthy dark maroon. At first, coarse and rustic with aggressive tannins but miraculously evolved after a five hour decant and air in the glass. Faded fruit, smooth, completely integrated tannins, enormously complex and interesting. Challenging and demands introspection but no shortage of pleasure for the palate as well as the intellect. A great study in old fashioned Bordeaux.
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6/30/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote:
A Multi Birthday Celebration (Tocco - Winnetka IL): In vertical. Another older vintage I've enjoyed before, but tonight's bottle was very tired.
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5/15/2021 - mye wrote:
Pop/Decant for sediment. Bottle stood up for 3 weeks prior. Initially a bit of funk/mold but that quickly blows off. Earthy, herbaceous for the most part. For a 15-30 min window there were some lovely mellow fruit, but that faded quickly into mostly a tertiary flavor driven wine.
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3/7/2021 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Disappointing. While still drinkable, this bottle is clearly on the downside. Drink up.
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1/27/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
Pitted against 1970 Les Forts de Latour in a fascinating double blind. On the first pour this has the superior bouquet with smouldering embers, smoky and dense earth and forest floor, plummy fruit and tomato paste. Booming at first but quickly began to show a more stewed character that detracted from the wine's size and power. Palate is firmly secondary, a little rough around the edges and has some unresolved tannin and rusticity. More advanced than the Forts. Still completely enjoyable and a terrific compliment to have side by side. Each wine made the other more interesting. I incorrectly called this the Les Forts on the theory that the 'lesser' vines / grapes would sooner fall off into this more tertiary and tired zone. Very interesting and a terrific wine in any case. 93 - 94.
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1/16/2021 - Thoughtful Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stored in a cold cellar since early 80's. Fill just below neck. Cork broke. Subdued bouquet of cedar wood. Excellent colour. Good fruit, with tannins almost resolved. Nice balance but lacks finesse and complexity. A reminder perhaps that 1970 was very good but not great. Though maybe great for a difficult epoch. Times have changed. For condition at 50 years 100!
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1/10/2021 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: A-/A Palate: B+
My #5, Group's #8 (73 pts). Tasted blind.
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12/25/2020 - MM29 wrote: 100 Points
Absolut faszinierend - das pure Gegenteil vom Margaux 1970...keine negativen Anzeichen des Alters...der hält wohl ewig...für mich in jeder Hinsicht grossartig und einzigartig...ich verstehe die verhaltenen Kommentare nicht...nach 4 Stunden karaffieren singt dieser Vogel endlos lang...
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11/4/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Minerally nose, expanding slightly over about an hour to include more red fruit and gravel but always a touch taciturn. Better on the palate; broader and more impactful if not inspirational.
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10/23/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
My scores for this seem to go up and down quite a bit, which I am sure has more to do with storage for the past several decades than not. That being said, this bottle was a gem. Powerful, intense, long, stoic, stern, and yet refined, this is showing true Pauillac character with all its layers of cassis, currants, tobacco, crushed rocks, cedar and cigar box notes.
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10/11/2020 - Ozen Likes this wine: 96 Points
morituri te salutant! But what an aristocrat of a wine this has been and even on its last legs... is. I have always praised the 1970 over the years for its delicacy, refinement and aristocratic richness. This truly has been a grand vin. I used to rate it close to perfection for its utter refinement. Today it is losing its grandeur and becoming a most admired grand Duchesse, for its light footed, delicate beauty. I can only say: thank you Madam! in reality its a 94 wine now, but I pay my respect by a score of 96 for everything this wine has given over the years.
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10/10/2020 - Peech Likes this wine: 96 Points
served 4 hours and 15 minutes after opening, without decanting. Smoke, mint, pencil lead notes on the nose. Really beautiful and perfect. Exactly what I wanted out of a Latour.
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9/29/2020 - JonnyG wrote: 86 Points
A Casual Warm-Up to a Friend's Upcoming 50th (Los Olivos, CA): A distinct musty smell was off-putting, but gradually dissipated. I didn't derive too much pleasure from this bottle, though others found it thought-provoking, if not delicious. Not dead, but at this point the fruit had subsided to where it was unable to balance the VA-like notes. Hard to complain, of course.
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8/7/2020 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine:
Dark ruby core, with garnet rims, but turned almost black with more time in the glass. It was quite incredible how much weight this added with air. Dry tannins, still very structured, some green pepper. You can't help but be impressed with wine that successfully ages for 50 years!
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8/7/2020 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Medium red, dark for 50 yr old wine, from a magnum, on the nose iron, sous bous, mature, very nice, just a bit abrupt at the backend
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7/22/2020 - grapenomad wrote: 94 Points
I have the fortune to say - "this is the best Latour I've ever tried" - after tasting only 3 vintages. Deep garnet color with ruby hues still hanging around the rims. The nose is showing development, but there's still more to go. Incredible. Notes of plums, dried fig, cigar tobacco, coffee. Palate is rich, but beautifully elegant and smooth. Tannins are fully resolved and the acid is blended nicely with them. Long-lasting finish. A style of Bordeaux I'd much love to come back to.
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7/18/2020 - vulgar little monkey wrote: 92 Points
With the 1971 as part of a birthday celebration. This was maybe not a great bottle but it wasn't flawed. Dried dark fruit and earthy leathery notes with underlying graphite but the main sense is of desiccated fruit and underbrush. This is certainly on the gradual slope towards senescence but aren't we all.
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6/19/2020 - VenturePlanet Likes this wine: 96 Points
Blimey! Just enjoyed this over the past 90 minutes (Bday prezzi)...cork needed a bit of working, but the wine was gor-geous! Unfolded with scents of camp fire, grilled meats, jerky, caramel, leather, and stewed plum. For a 50 year old wine, this still had plenty of legs, with little bricking. Great body and mouthfeel. Was at its best the last 20 minutes. Truly fortunate.
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5/22/2020 - Wine Kat Likes this wine: 95 Points
Good to open at our anniversary. Not as soft as I would have thought, still with hauntingly long lingering notes of tobacco and soft berries. Color was what you would expect. Cork came out whole, but reversed into the bottle due to how hard it was. Some sediment, but lovely palate of soft fruit, tobacco, and mushroom.
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4/26/2020 - markcic Likes this wine: 98 Points
At my shelter at home birthday dinner. I didn't feel a year older and either did this wine. We ended with a cheese course so I decided to pop this half bottle. I has been sitting my my cellar for over 40 years so I figured why not. The fill was high neck, the cork broke upon extraction and I decanted through a vinturi into a half bottle decanter. A few swirls and it was open for business. The nose was fruit and tobacco. The palate was dark plums, coffee and tobacco. Tobacco dominated the finsh which was beautiful. Drinking magnicently at 50 years of age. I can see why there is such a high percentage in cellars. Wish I had more. A perfect ending to my birthday dinner. Rating 98++
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3/21/2020 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fine Wine Dinner #1 (Barsac Wine Bar, Gothenburg): Still very dark colour with just hints of bricking. Classic nose with cassis, light tobacco, pencil, smoke and lead. Not unlike a recently fired rifle. On the palate still dense fruit. Wonderfull concentration. Still a good amount of tannin. Epitome of left bank Bdx. Long finish with cassis, iron filings and hints of blood. Very, very good. 50 years old but feels like it has several decades of life left.
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2/20/2020 - peternelson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Cork soaked but otherwise in one piece and good fill; Pale dark ruby with cloudy slight black core with sediment; macerated cassis-old black cherry, cherry pit; slight walnut and x-mas spices nuances, cellar must, mushrooms, slight band-aid; silky, nearly fully resolved tannins, wet musty earth, mullberry on the palate, showing its age but still characterful, good old wine. Probably 5-10 years past its prime. Lawry's Dirty Dozen Blind. 91-92
Second day: 92+. Drank the last 4-5 oz the next night with lots of sediment--good roundness, very pretty with old strawberry-cherry notes, sauteed shrooms, good concentration leaving a good dose of sediment at the bottom of the glass. Very enjoyable. I always like drinking the remains of an old bottle the next day. Maybe it's the heavy concentration of tannins near the end of the bottle, the softness from letting it breathe overnight, the dropping out of more sediment, or the joy of drinking something special not in competition with 13 other spectacular bottles. Had this next to the '94 Leoville Las Cases which was surprisingly (or not considering the vintage) a little harder, a little more austere and earthy.
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2/1/2020 - sdr wrote: 90 Points
Quite interesting because it’s old but you have to be very tolerant of the lack of any fruit to actually enjoy it. Tawny color, age appropriate. Lots of gnarled old leather and smoke. High acid has preserved it more than tannins. I respect it but don’t love it even though I usually enjoy old wine. It was better 10 or more years ago.
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1/18/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: flawed
Oof - slightly madeirized nose. Some good Latourish fruit and walnuts on the palate, it tough to see far past the taint. Rough, wooly tannins (remarkably so).
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1/15/2020 - seattlecook Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aging well still with life left. Paired beautifully with wagyu beef.
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1/14/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine: 97 Points
A good condition bottle with level in the neck bought in auction a year or so ago. Decanted at home and funnelled back into the cleaned bottle (reusing the previous nights 09 Dom Chevalier cork) to take to the restaurant to take advantage of no corkage charges on a Monday. More of an excuse really to meet up with Paul who would appreciate the wine. Lots of thick sediment left behind. Cork was in good condition for its age, although broke at the bottom. In 1994 I had a bottle and wrote 'massive fruit, closed, long, all potential. Will be 5/5 from 2010.' Now at twice the age the nose was complex and changed over time, from fruit to oak, a touch of barnyard at one point then anise and finally violets. Medium bodied and tannins as smooth as silk. A wine you could drink by the pint! Good finish. Fully mature. Well kept bottles will still be good for a decade.
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12/21/2019 - HENNO1 wrote: 95 Points
Simply stunning and with time on its side as there is still a lot of fruit. A real treat to drink a 50 year old bottle that is this good
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11/29/2019 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 92 Points
Riesling and ripe Bordeaux (Restaurant Brunnenstube, Beinstein): All wines in this flight tasted blind. Latour and LHB was known, third bottle pirate. Popped and poured, not decanted. Different stemware used.
Clear, deep ruby color. Youngest of all three wines. Nose with some unripe, green notes, barn, a bit unbalanced. Does not get better with air.
Quite youthful, a bit green (stems), barn, red fruit. Dense and with an interesting tension. But also a bid rough and unbalanced. Good length. 92+
This shall be Latour? Hmmm…. Surprise. My biggest "disappointment" this night (on a very high level).
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11/5/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Obituary: 1970 Bordeaux: Very nice, even if not up to the best examples. Great color, more like something from the eighties. Weighty tannins that are burly but not obtrusive. Medium concentration. More about the dirt that the berry. Old fashioned Pauillac that’s obviously mature but doesn’t need to be consumed ASAP.
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9/19/2019 - salil wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at Nico Osteria: Loved this (perhaps more than a few others at the table) - just an amazing fragrance, and this is a wine I could have sat and smelled all night. Layers of red fruit, graphite, tobacco, walnut, and more tertiary earthiness all come together into an intoxicating scent that only builds with air. The palate doesn't show quite the same freshness or depth initially, but perks up with more air and the whole package is compelling to follow.
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9/19/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Nico Osteria (Chicago, IL): The nose initially was a little bit dirty, but air cleaned that out. Then you got to the classic Pauillac nose of pencil shavings and graphite (and it's an intense aroma that never faded even as the night went on). The nose, however, I thought was a lot better than the palate, which seemed a little thin and not as complex. However, that's not to say that this wasn't a brilliant bottle of wine -- it just didn't quite live up to the complexity promised on the nose.
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9/2/2019 - wprev Likes this wine: 95 Points
this was perfect after 20 years; it still is after quite 50 years; still full power, not overripe at all, soft tannins, immense concentration, wonderful
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3/5/2019 - logos Likes this wine: 88 Points
still dark and deep with profound, brooding nose of tobacco-laced dense, refined dark fruits. palate a bit pruney at first but freshens to sappy, densely earthy, succulent, classy flavour with great, long aftertaste; finely wrought, classic Pauillac with outstanding balance, but still a bit of slightly harsh tannin. could improve
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2/1/2019 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 92 Points
I have a soft spot for the 1970 Latour. As a youngster around 1990 I went to a 1970 first growth tasting at Imperial College in one of the chemistry labs. Latour was the only wine that shone. But on this occasion it was remarkably shy. A very good wine underneath, with exquisite balance, it was inexpressive on the night. Almost as if it had stage fright. Faint truffle and autumnal notes.
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12/29/2018 - Purple Tooth wrote: 91 Points
I think this has a high Parker rating, but to me its way more tired than his review. Maybe a miss bottle, still good, but lacking any power at all...its totally resolved and a bit raisiny...Not worth the price even at a good price..I'd rather spend a little more and get the Latour experience..I don't give a shit about the label. This was the second time with this vintage...DRINK
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12/8/2018 - Wine_Bear Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wine was properly stored from purchase upon release until consumed.
Opened jus before drinking. Color was deep burgundy, pleasant initial nose. It took at least 15 minutes to start to open, so this wine has time left before it fades. The bouquet developed in the glass to a classic cassis-based Bordeaux nose. Lovely fruit, various other fruits emerged over time.
To keep a Latour this long, one must love older Bordeaux. We have drunk this vintage younger and it was more assertive, certainly had bigger fruit. But the pleasure of drinking a 48 year old wine is worth occasionally letting them age like this.
Drunk with a 3-star meal and helped make it memorable.
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12/8/2018 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Purchased in 1989 and meticulously cellared. Still considerable tannin but it starts to diminish over time in the glass. Bacon, dried fruit, coffee; rich but just a little awkward. May hold up for another decade but not sure it will get any better.
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12/6/2018 - t.c.green Likes this wine: 91 Points
Typical old Latour, now with finesse and elegance, has lost much of its fruit. Surprising, but I think it is now past it's peak. Excellent with prime tenderloin
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12/4/2018 - steinersing wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing bottle, bit tired - still ok but not at its best anymore
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6/29/2018 - Quiet Lion wrote: 92 Points
Mid shoulder, got a good deal on this at auction. Decanted and served. Started off a little sweet with a strange banana note in the nose. Evolved to have a bit of Earth and a touch of chocolate but really didn't show any complexity.
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6/22/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant Bak, Amsterdam, NL): An elegant but masculine Latour, powerful and playful at the same time, cedary, firm and structured yet refined, silky texture, beautiful ripe Cabernet fruit, perfectly formed, opens up wonderfully, nutty depth, balanced and harmonious, excellent length. At peak, time in hand.
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6/12/2018 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
Latour Big Vintages (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): I had this wine a few times, from Magnum much fresher, more reluctant than 1978 in the same flight, red and black berries, precise and too young. It is a tannic monster. Casssis and tocacco leaves in the late palate. 96+
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5/27/2018 - mhudes Likes this wine: 96 Points
At the Wolf restaurant in Oakland, this and another red wine were served to us blind by Michael. Both bottles decanted by Michael a few hours earlier. Darkish red in color, the nose was very pleasant Bordeaux like, but not as flamboyant as the "other" red. On the palate there is cassis, red berry, cedar tobacco and a touch of mocha. On the mid palate, lots of herb mineral complexity. Elegant with still some tannin left. This wine got even better as the evening progressed (seemingly attempting to "catch up" with the "other" red.). I'm thinking perhaps a 1990 big Bordeaux, or more likely, one of those brooding Bordeauxs from the 1989 vintage. Well, right region and essentially 2 decades off. This wine may have another 10 years. (BTW, the "other" red wine was a 1970 Yverdon Cabernet. Yes, I know.)
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1/30/2018 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fireworks for January: plethora of top wines with great friends (Black Salt Restaurant, Washington D.C.): Certainly fresher than the Haut Brion 1970, tasted just before. A sweeter nose and more pure. There is a succulence to this wine. Something like the 1990 but not as focused or as concentrated. Recently having had the Palmer 1970, and this has more verve and more grip. It is really drinking nicely, but just not as pleasurable as the 1990.
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1/6/2018 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazing, bottle was 5 days open, still nice drinkable, a lot of earthy notes, black tea and tobacco leaves, no more fruits left after this Long time of opening. 92-93
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12/9/2017 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at The Grill in NYC. This wine is still going strong! Plenty of life ahead of it. I found that this improved over the course of the hour we drank it. Very elegant yet still holding on to some tannic backbone, it’s amazing how old this is relative to how well it’s drinking.
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11/15/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
Château Latour Vertical (Vaucluse): The nose here is surprising in that is is soft and elegant for Bordeaux, let alone Latour. Sweeter red berry fruit, strawberry. Highly nuanced with nice smoke and dry leather notes. Soft red berry and strawberry palate. Nice and mature.
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10/20/2017 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
A lost Friday afternoon gathering – 75 Trotanoy, 07 Roumier BM and 10 Jobard Les Tillets that we all guessed at the Roulot. (Blacksalt, Washington DC): Fully mature but energetic nose displaying classic old school Pauillac nose, subtle black fruit, cassis, a hint of ash, lead pencil, cedar, wet tobacco, a hint of not so clean old damp cellar and earth. Fully integrated palate, subtle slightly dry black fruit and lead pencil driven palate impression, bright acidity, strong earthy mineral and a long subtle black fruit and lead pencil driven finish. Very youthful example but the fruit is a bit shy. Excellent showing.
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9/24/2017 - JackCMac Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cedar nose. Tobacco cigar nose. No defects. No oxidation. Obviously well stored. Soft tannins. Long finish. Ripe fruit. Currants.
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8/1/2017 - Purple Grillz Likes this wine: 97 Points
Any rumors of this wine's demise or decline must be absolutely ignored for well kept bottles. Just coravined 100 ml from a beautiful 750 and color is stunning. It looks and swims like a 96. The bouquet was tight at first but after an hour ripe plums, a hint of fennel and fresh pencil shavings are jumping across the table. Every sip is harmonious, everything is in balance, there is still abundant black cherry, milk chocolate, and a beautiful background of pipe tobacco smoke and white pepper. I've never had a Latour older than 1998 before and now I really get it. I am dumbfounded how this is a 47 year old bottle of grape juice. The winemakers of this world are magicians.
This would be a perfect wine for me but there are some drying tannins in the finish and the finish is somewhat clipped. My skin is crawling complaining about anything this wine does but just had to give the full report. So happy I picked up the Coravin because I have 6 more glasses to enjoy over the next year!
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7/13/2017 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
Last pour from a coravined magnum at 67 Pall Mall. Much darker colour than the 47 lafite. Absolutely classic Latour. Lots of cedar and regal, dark fruits. A point but I suspect it could add some more complexity and charm as the decades pass from here, certainly in magnum format.
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6/19/2017 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 93 Points
I picked the worst of the four bottles: mid-shoulder fill, obvious signs of leakage. Double decanted four hours prior to tasting.
Deep color, little signs of browning.
On day one, the nose was totally dominated by cedary notes. My suspicion was that more subtle notes has been lost to a very slow oxygenation. The tannin structure was firm but tannins were of excellent ripeness. As expected, this wine fits into the category of traditional long-term cellaring Latour wines.
On day 2, the aromas had expanded significantly and the tannins has softened further. More earthy and evolved cassis aromas appeared, cigar box. Overall more complexity.
Beautifully balanced palate with sufficient acidity, soft (now) but very substantial tannins. Long, spicy finish. Very classy wines....
The other bottles should improve further. Perhaps 5-10 years...
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5/29/2017 - dbjohnson wrote: flawed
Must breathe at least six hours
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4/25/2017 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Popped and poured.
Dried fruit, prune, raisin, and fresh tobacco.
Silky and delicious.
Well integrated and good to go now, though it probably has another 5-10 years before really declining.
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3/28/2017 - dchain Likes this wine: 93 Points
At Acker HK auction. Deep ruby. Looks like a wine from the early 90s! Very interesting nose. This was probably one of the best bottles of Latour 70 I have had- cassis/cherry fruit with a nut (toasted pecan?), chocolate, leather, tobacco undertone. Quite burly and massive on the nose and almost intimidating, showing off the power of Latour. Power rather than beauty! On the palate it is still a bit tight, tannins are still present and there is that serious structure that just is a bit unforgiving. Impressive for the vintage and perhaps still needs more time! An impressive wine but I enjoyed drinking the Beychevelle 1989 more!!
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3/10/2017 - fclarity wrote: 96 Points
From a good looking bottle with a VHS fill, this wine had a very deep red center with oranging rims. The nose started out a bit funky but overall pretty restrained. However, it evolved over 4 hours to show currants, smoked meat, gravel, clove, and a hint of honey.
In the mouth, this wine was rather tight and refined at first. After extended air it impressed me with its awesome balance. It showed lovely fruit, moderate rounded tannin, solid acidity, and excellent length. The richness and fine grained texture really developed after hour 3 which elevated the wine. It also lost a slight rustic element and moved into an elite level.
This is an excellent wine in its prime. While it will easily last for another couple decades, I do not believe it will get better, only different, with time.
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2/20/2017 - tinybubbles wrote: 89 Points
Fading bottle. Typical nose if somewhat subdued. Lack of energy or refinement on the palate. While still clear what this is, not the best expression of it
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2/1/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 91 Points
1970s Bordeaux tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): Having tasted this three times in the past year, I can tell you that the 1970 Latour is a tired wine. Again, it was one of the least impressive wines of the evening. The nose has cassis, mint, leather, and cedar. A bit of Brett as well. Very soft mouthfeel, but a bit flat on the palate. Pretty good freshness, but everything just doesn't really come together. As one of my least favorite Latour vintages, I certainly won't buy any for my cellar.
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12/15/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 99 Points
Achim's Magnum Tasting 2016 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): a masterpiece, a giant from magnum,
still primary fruit notes, minimal secundary and tertiary notes, a black currant bomb, fine and firm tannins, great acidity backbone, very enjoyable now but will be pleasant over the next 30 years, three hours of double decantation was not enough, 99+
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11/19/2016 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
This presented slightly musty and earthy at opening, but came around the reveal damp cellar notes, browned crust, cigar leaf, cardamom, and even a bitter chocolate souffle aspect! Super silky, dusty fine tannins, rich and kind of creamy but clearly old, with a super nice long and balanced finish. It seems as if this has gone through all of a wines stages of life and has collected them in this bottle, like an aristocratic wise old man at the end of his life. Nothing more to add, but very intriguing and delightful conversation. Very enjoyable. Drink now.
Ultra Rare Bordeaux Tasting-Class at Monopole.
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11/16/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
The colour was "younger" than the 1990 beside. A "feminin" wine for Latour with fine grained ripe tannins, still some cassis and dark berries, cedarwood, discreet cigarbox, even after two hours charming nose, now some leather and tar, reminding more to a Burgundy, seems to be reaching his best time
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11/14/2016 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 Points
50th bd
Wine no 13. A lovely classic nose of iron, truffles with a delicious palate.
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11/13/2016 - Lord Rayas wrote: 94 Points
popped and poured. lovely classic Latour nose of tobacco, cassis and leather. much better bottle than previous with richer finish. in a great place now.
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10/26/2016 - sdr Likes this wine: 88 Points
While technically sound, this bottle showed a tired example of '70 Latour. On the positive side, the texture is pleasing and both the aroma and taste are very complex. But it's thin and the fruit was nowhere to be found. The '70 Lynch Bages was much more lively today. Enjoyed by the group more than me.
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10/21/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich red fruit, dried berries, white pepper, dry soil tones, and a slight background mustiness on the nose. More of the same on the palate with a hint of pencil shavings. Rather youthful tannin and acid profile on the palate in this bottle
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9/23/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 92 Points
Château Latour vertical tasting (1937 to 2003) ((Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)): I don't know what it is about the 1970 Château Latour, but it always disappoints me. Perhaps it's because I always try this in a vertical tasting with superior vintages. But on this night, it was one of the least impressive wines. The nose has lots of ripe fruits, with black currant and cherry. Very soft mouthfeel, but a bit thin on the palate. Reserved on the mid-palate. A charming finish, with very good freshness. I would love to drink this any night of the week, but there are simply better Latours out there.
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8/12/2016 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
I opened this bottle because I noticed that the cork had slipped down the neck and the level was mid shoulder. I was even more concerned when the cork slipped even further down the neck at the slightest touch. However, the color looked solid with a red/purple center and tawny rims.
The medium+ intensity nose offered up currants, walnuts, brown spices, blackberries, minerals, and clay soil. In the mouth, this wine was pretty well balanced with substantial rounded tannin and firm acidity. In fact, the acidity was slightly firmer than ideal.
As a side note, I have owned bottles of this wine since the early 80's. It did not start dropping sediment until around 1990! When I drank a bottle in 1997 it was so powerful I thought it was going to melt the glass ;>) Thus, I had not felt this wine was likely ready to drink yet until this bottle forced my hand.
I am not sure if this bottle was representative given its debatable condition. However, despite this, it continued to improve over 5+ hours of air. It is a masculine wine that will still benefit from time in the cellar. That said, it can be drunk with extended air. Based on my prior experiences, this wine can score a point or so higher.
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8/11/2016 - TimBWE Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank with Paul195 on the hottest night of the year in NYC, but couldn't have been more enjoyable. A truly memorable bottle that others who tasted it guessed to be from the late 1980s. Silky, resolved tannins but still deep in color and possessing some gorgeous primary red fruit, mingling with dried spice and a hint of barnyard funk. Easily has 20 years left on it but it was by no means too young to be a wine of the month.
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8/11/2016 - paul195 wrote: 95 Points
Still a dark core with lightening rim. Initial funk quickly was replaced by sweet cassis and red berry fruit, after 15 minutes or so hints of cedar and spice and earth joined in. On the palate this still shows fresh fruit, nice texture, lively intensity and firmness. Impressive length and finish for a 1970, showing no current signs of decline. In fact the wine continued to improve over the next couple of hours. Easy to see why many consider it one of the best wines of the vintage. Just a delicious bottle of Latour
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5/20/2016 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
Drank at 67 Pall Mall
Nose of pencil shavings, tobacco, cedar, earth and spice. Definitely latour with a clear linear palate of depth.
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5/2/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Red plum, white pepper, hints of cedar. A youthful bottle. 94+
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5/2/2016 - rbpeirce Likes this wine: 90 Points
Disappointing! Great structure, fruit and flavor but not exceptional. I was expecting much more. Could be the bottle was off or the wine is getting too old. Also possible that technology has advanced so much in the last 45 years that formerly exceptional wines are now just great. The fact that it has held together so well this long is a plus.
I have a couple more bottles along with a few other 70s, It will be interesting to see how they present themselves. Certainly, it is time to drink them.
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4/30/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank it side by side against Latour 1971. The nose is very intensive after cassis and cigar box but with time getting more reluctant. In the palate elegant with red ripe red fruits, especially black currant, some pencil and cedar and cigar box. clear winner
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4/16/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Note, I have tasted better bottles, but it is what it is. Still, there was something going worth paying attention to. The rustic, firm, slightly strict masculine, yet refined Pauillac sensibility was all there. Tobacco, cassis, cedar, lead pencil, earth, smoke and cigar wrapper notes turned the nose into the best part of the wine.
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3/18/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
A private tasting and dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Tasted blind. Double decanted. Deep colour, an essence of mature and classical claret, warm but firm and tannic, rich and ripe, masculine but harmonious and generous, quite clearly the outstanding wine on the left bank in this vintage. Thank you, Steven!
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1/31/2016 - texag96 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still has some life left in it, improved about an hour after opening. Seemed to firm up a bit as we pretty thin when opened. Still good color and lots of fruit, but still have some life left in it. Don't rush to drink it.
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1/28/2016 - RayOB wrote: flawed
Drank in Hong Kong
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1/22/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 90 Points
Château Latour vertical tasting ((Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)): The 1970 Château Latour was the least impressive of the tasting. Still had a surprisingly ripe nose, with black currant, some cherry, and fig. Very soft mouthfeel, but a bit thin on the palate. Reserved on the attack and lacked punch on the mid-palate. Hint of bitterness on the finish. Overall, the 1970 did not impress tonight.
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12/26/2015 - Ianthemac wrote: 95 Points
Forgot about this review! A gift from my brother in law. Only decanted for four hours which was an error. The darkest wine I have ever seen. Inky black. Evolved beautiful throughout drinking as only an exceptional wine can. Cassis and tobacco the main features with a medium, refined finish that made you want more.
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12/17/2015 - Francophile1 wrote: flawed
Unfortunately, this was oxidized. Hard to pour this down the drain.
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12/16/2015 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Nose was a touch odd, but cleared up. Nice concentration still and length. Good bottle but less fun than the 1970 Pichon Lalande we drank together. Surprising.
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12/15/2015 - esh44 wrote:
Quite nice aged Latour nose, but this was grumpy and hard as nails. A huge wall of tannins that was austere enough to cloud over anything else. Might have been an off bottle.
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12/15/2015 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
[Magnum] Leathery cherry and cranberry - a great spot for Bordeaux - damp earth driven but with strong fruit present. Tremendous on the palate - Huge but tannin mostly resolved. Great to drink right now. Nose fell off a bit towards the end of the night but still awesome and alive on palate. Little dusty - library books. Very enjoyable. Cool cellar, tertiary.
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11/21/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
A good bottle with mature red and black fruit, white pepper, dry porcini, rich dry soil, and a hint of mustiness. 93-94
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10/20/2015 - elamasters Likes this wine: 92 Points
Chateau Latour Vertical Tasting - TWG (Des Moines): Dark garnet color, with a bit of bricking at the rim. Leathery and dusty. Not much fruit left. Seems older that the '62 it followed. Still enjoyable, but on the downhill slide in my opinion.
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9/15/2015 - reichken wrote: 90 Points
Medium color and some bricking Nose had some pencil and cedar but not a very strong nose, medium in the mouth, not a compelling bottle just good
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8/2/2015 - Wine_Bear Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wine was properly stored from purchase upon release until consumed; Still has lots of life left. Beautiful classic bordeaux bouquet, fruit and cassis, complex and lovely.
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7/30/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Bottle variation is to be expected with wines that are 45 years of age. We were more than lucky with this bottle as it was the best example of 1970 Latour tasted in ages. Cedar, tobacco, cassis, cigar box and ash aromatics were all over the place. The wine was still fresh, the tannins were resolved and the finish combined hints of rusticity with elegance, it was long and the fruit was sweet.
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6/27/2015 - Old Vino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Impressive nose. When it comes to palate, this is now showing signs of fatigue. At end of, or just past, drinking window. Sour cherry. Tertiary notes developed. A little hollow on mid-palate. I had a 1966 bottle which was solid and full-bodied. Not 1970. Drink up.
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5/27/2015 - dream wrote: 90 Points
A full-bodied, old style Latour with flavors of tar and gravel along with intense dark fruits. A bit rustic and not showing well compared to the '71 and '66 drunk alongside. This continues to be a disappointment although it is possible it could emerge from its tight and unforgiving nature at some point. Not sure I'm betting on it. At Rarities, Cafe Boulud.
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5/26/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
White pepper, dark earth, cigar box and cedar, blood and a background steeliness, light dark fruit on the nose. A somewhat musty backpalate with noticeable alchohol. 92+
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4/27/2015 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow what a powerful wine, and it still has not woken out of its shell as yet. This was so coiled up and recalcitrant. It took a full 2 hours before it started showing anything. The color is still very youthful and with severe tannins even at this age. Textbook old school Latour here. Vibrant, powerful and brooding, yet with a fine luxurious feel. Dark berries, with cedar and graphite. Sounds crazy but this is still a baby. Needs more time for its transformation.
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4/19/2015 - joshbryer wrote:
Nice and fresh, easy drinking, showed a bit dilute. This may not have been the best example as it didn't show as anything memorable. Using this bottle as a guide, drink now.
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4/11/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of the better bottles that I have had in recent years. Dry mushroom, faint dark berries, old leather and light bell pepper on the nose. Faint raspberry, cellar mustiness, light spice and leather on the palate. Good out of the blocks but the palate thinned considerably and the finish deteriorated after 45 minutes.
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2/26/2015 - luckywine Likes this wine:
Opened bottle two hours before serving. Cork was stained. Decanted an hour before serving. Quite good. Having tasted along the way it opens nicely. Powerful with cassis, tobacco, & just a hint of leather.
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2/11/2015 - conviction buy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bt dcanted an hour, color darkens to deep garnet with bricking rims. Nose of earthy dried leaves, plum, hint of cassis. Plush in mouth, gd conc, cedar, tobacco. Tannin largely resolved altho slightly grippy. Seems still going strong, alas this is my last btl.
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1/7/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
There is a fresh and lively quality to crisp, crunchy cassis fruit that I quite like, But there is a stern quality to the tannins, coupled with an austere quality to the leafy, tapenade and red fruit in the finish that detracts. I think this was probably not a perfect bottle, as it was good, but more old school than I recall based on how the last bottle I tasted showed.
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12/27/2014 - sdr wrote: flawed
Horribly corked.
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11/13/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
"20 Vintages of Latour at Daniel." To me, always an overrated vintage of Latour and I preferred it in its youth. Nevertheless, it was smooth and tasty tonight. A bit rustic with softening tannins and fine flavors of Latour dirt, it seems just about fully mature to me and was slightly inferior to the '71 tasted alongside.
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11/11/2014 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
White pepper, black raspberry, and slight mustiness on the back of the nose. A hint of spice emerges with air time, cinnamon perhaps. A good bottle of this wine, although I liked it more than others at the table.
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10/31/2014 - G_H Likes this wine: 93 Points
My first Latour 1970. Very dense, very long, some herbs, leather, torf, some barnyard. Very good but not spectacular
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10/23/2014 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 96 Points
The 1970 Château Latour was as brilliant as I had hoped, bursting from the glass with an utterly classic bouquet of walnuts, black fruit and wet gravel, with some subtle hints of cigar box. Still a beautifully saturated ruby-black, this wine is still young but very fun to drink: very concentrated, beautifully focused and seamless on the palate, it is the quintessential Latour, and by some margin superior to the 1990 which I had a few weeks ago. It just grew and grew in the decanter and glass. Bottles like this one should cruise along in the cellar for another two decades, as the fruit is pure and vibrant.
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10/21/2014 - walkerjfw wrote: 96 Points
Dinner in Zurich with CVA and Andrew - Moevenpick 20/20: In Zurich with CVA and Andrew. CVA was very generous to share this -- drank this next to a 1990 Dominus, 1971 Grange and 1997 Pahlmeyer.
Decanted over 30 minutes, drank over 2 hours. Well stored, near perfect cork on this bottle. Nose wasn't giving much out of the bottle, really benefited from the air. Color is still dense red, some cloudiness and discoloration at the rim. Nose is classic Bordeaux, dark berry, herbs, pencil shavings, tobacco, cedar, truffles. Palate of black currant, dark fruits, plums, cassis. As expected, elegant and layered (medium) finish
Fully mature, still has a strong backbone, seems like it will go at this level for several more years. Really special wine, classic old school Bordeaux
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9/5/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 96 Points
Dark core with only the slightest discolouration. Lovely, regal nose with dark berry fruit, lots of forest notes, tobacco, leather, herbs, pencil shavings. Almost youthful, firm structure, grippy, herbal, very good length. Powerful and masculine. Has still many years ahead of it. Ein Dank dem edlen Spender. 95-96+
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9/5/2014 - Mr. Ladurée Likes this wine: 96 Points
compared to other 70s tasted along that eve, ts-in bottle, dense, dark-red, ink-like colour and upon pulling the cork rather unaccessible nose; serious decanting necessary. Evolves with those cedar, leather, tobacco notes, subtle truffles, masculine on the palate, yet harmoniously balanced, ripe tannins (these must have been gripping 25-ys ago), not a charmer rather an impressive earthy character with chewy bits to it and long lasting aftertaste. Pure Pauillac power and Medoc terroir at its best; When M. Broadbent wrote in 2007 "many more years in hand", he was spot on. 95-97+
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7/13/2014 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 96 Points
Extraordinary nose, tobacco, bonfire and liquorice. The applet is fresh blackcurrant, soft, pastry, great balance, so easy to drink, I have to admit to it being the first wine that brought a tear to my eye! Big thanks to a very generous friend who bought this bottle along to lunch at Boisdales in Victoria, London.
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7/12/2014 - rnellans wrote: 96 Points
I bought on release ( price on the bottle $33.95). Cedar, tobacco, spice, herbs and dark fruits on the nose. Lots of depth and fruit on the palate. Still quite alive and well. This is really in the pocket for drinking now. Loved it and my favorite of the flight.
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7/12/2014 - cct wrote: 96 Points
Where the 55 may have been fading, this stood front and center commanding your attention. beautiful, powerful, and poised. Cassis, graphite, Pauillac dirt, with tremendous depth, and better balance. Deep and very long. This is fantastic wine and it knows it. One of the best wines I've had this year. Fantastic, and way better than my previous experience with this wine. At peak. Thank you RN! WOTN in strong company. 96 pts
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5/17/2014 - vine farmer wrote:
From a bottle with a low shoulder fill and bulging cork... However, the wine was in much better shape than expected. Seemed to be fading somewhat, although still an excellent nose of earth, leather, cigar, and faded blackcurrants. Silky mouthfeel with luminous color and little sediment. Well integrated tannins and an overall pleasurable wine. Not powerful, but harmonious and a great food wine in it's present state.
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5/12/2014 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank contemplatively over two evenings. Near-perfect cork. Minimal decanting. Plush velvet ruby colour with an orange tint, semi- transparent. Nose is beautifully mellow and rounded red plum and berry fruits with some fresh high notes of freshly sharpened pencil lead. Palate is full of fresh and vibrant acidity together with wonderfully poised and harmonized red/ black berry fruits, graphite and still firm tannin frame. Slightly lean but still drinking beautifully. Wonderful. Thanks so much, Herald for your birthday present.
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4/13/2014 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
The 1970 Latour is the ultimate old Bordeaux experience. This bottle in fabulous shape, almost to neck level, firm moist cork. It's the opposite side of the spectrum from Aussie or California fruit bombs. In fact, there's no fruit at all it's so deep in the tertiary phase. More about cranberries, dried herbs, especially thyme. High acidity holds it all together. Begs for meat; it's almost undrinkable by itself.
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3/12/2014 - ziavino wrote: 91 Points
What a treat. Bottle condition was questionable, with a low shoulder, but the nose wasn't oxidized. In fact, the nose showed lots of saddle leather and cigar box. The palate was the same, with a nice mouthfeel. The fruit has completely faded, but still a terrific bottle and I can only imagine how it would have showed in perfect conditions.
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2/12/2014 - Veritas 53 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Latour Grand vin Tasting 62, 70, 72, 86, 89, 90 & 1929
Appearance ; clear, garnet-red water edges,
Nose; sea foam, dark fruit, truffle sweet
Palate; soft round tannins, truffle , dark fruits, balanced multi layer, nice finish
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12/20/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: flawed
Latour Vertical Tasting; 12/19/2013-12/20/2013 (Switzerland): Unfortunately an oxidized bottle. Likely stored too warm.
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10/19/2013 - nortonnose wrote: 94 Points
Stood this 750ml for two days. See my previous TN. Similar, yet this bottle was a bit lacking its predecessor's "wow" factor. Plenty of cedar, leather and tobacco here. Slightly less pure than last yr's bottle, and a bit shorter in the finish. Still a luxury of riches - what's not to love here? Drink up sooner than later.
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10/15/2013 - -E- wrote: 95 Points
Klar, mørk, tett rød med lett bruning. Noe lukket på nese, men mildt parfymert med underliggende, forførende, røde bærtoner. Tett, massiv, intens og kompakt frukt. Knusktørr og strukturert. Frisk syre. Tørre og faste, nesten bitende tanniner i utgang med svakt hint av varme. Sitter svært lenge i. La ligge.
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10/15/2013 - LWI wrote: 95 Points
27 Vintages of Latour: Bottle 2. IN fill. Wonderful, ‘linear’ fruit – but at the same time deep and nuanced. Tight and surprisingly rich. A very good, but not splendid 1970.
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10/15/2013 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
27 Vintages of Latour: Bottle 1. TS fill. Forest floor with dark berry fruit (at the tipping point between primary and tertiary notes); spice and balsamico; fresh in the mouth, a bit one dimensional.
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10/2/2013 - Le Musigny wrote:
Elegance int a glass. Needs a fair amount of time in the decanter to open up.
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9/25/2013 - AtoZ wrote: 91 Points
Nice wine. Score is hurt by what it is worth which is way more than anyone should pay for a wine that tastes like this. Enjoyable but not a wow wine or a memorable wine. Neither large nor long.
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9/21/2013 - tooch wrote: 94 Points
HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago, IL): A beautiful '70 Latour. Aromas of spice, tea, cedar, dark fruits and floral notes jumped out of the glass. Palate was elegant and very claret-like. Fruit was dark and elegant and it was surrounded by earthy, cedary notes. Really really good.
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9/21/2013 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Some lead pencil shavings on the nose. Paired incredibly well with a dijon-roasted tenderloin. Slight peppery note on the palate, but this is incredibly balanced with vibrant fruit and lovely secondary characteristics. Excellent.
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9/8/2013 - potates Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very clear, dense ruby red color with a faint brown edge.
Very forward body, almost chewy, with major cassis, and licorice, and some tobacco and cedar as well.
Great finish with long, lingering fruit....A great wine, stored in my cellar since 1975 undisturbed.
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9/7/2013 - potates Likes this wine: 95 Points
Well stored in my cellar since 1975 (paid $17.95/bottle). Deep ruby color with only faint brown edge. Rich nose with raspberry, cassis, licorice, and tobacco. Full fruity body with great legs .Long lingering fruity finish.
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8/9/2013 - Old Vino Likes this wine: 95 Points
per previous note
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7/27/2013 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is an example of the glory of aged Bordeaux. Level almost up to neck, great color, obviously stored by someone very carefully, since it was a recent purchase for me from Wine Watch. The best part was the tremendous perfume of cassis and black truffle. Then, medium weight, lots of minerals, autumn leaves, gravel and dense. Deep into its secondary phase, and not as fruity as the nose would suggest yet very satisfying. Then the typical high acid finish of the vintage makes it fresh rather than tart.
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6/22/2013 - m_arcon wrote: 92 Points
Colour: Very youthful, betrays its reserves already in coulour. Dark core with cherry-red brightening on the rims.
Nose: Primal a very reserved & closed nose, with some time in the glass notes of truffle, leather, a case of spices, dark chocolate and walnut shell. After about one hour in the glass the fruit appears more & more. More dark, earthy fruits like Black-Cherry and cassis.
Palate: Good mouthfeel. Power & elegance in a great combination. Still reserves left. The acidity & tannins are quite present.
My first Latour ever, maybe I expected too much. Was a bit disappointed by the nose. The palate was very good.
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6/16/2013 - LWI wrote: 96 Points
Sunday Night Wines II: BN fill. Dark and not much development on color; Herbal, deep dark fruit, ash; Lots of power, structured and tannic, ash again, dark berries, dark chocolate. This was pop-and-pour. My bad. After several hours in the glass a slight sweetness emerged. Still a bit too young.
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5/18/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 92 Points
lovely mature nose. a little tired on palate.
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5/18/2013 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
"A Significant Cellar" tasting at Flickinger (Chicago, IL): From half bottle. Slightly stemmy and still green -- a bit vegetal on the palate. Starting to dry out and on its way downhill (perhaps due to the format). Drink up.
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5/1/2013 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle slightly underperformed although still wonderful. Just lacking a bit of that black fruity and mineral essence it has at its very best. Yet this still was a wonderful wine, great harmony and balance and strong finish. I was worried when I first opened it that it might be corked, but it emphatically was not, just some bottle funk. This bottle, from Acker auctions, was in superb condition, ullage almost in the neck.
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4/28/2013 - Old Vino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 20 minutes to reduce sediment. Clear color. Brown rim. Awesome nose. Not a bit of heat on palate. Still with some fruits left but also tertiary notes. Medium plus finish. This still has many years to go.
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4/19/2013 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Dinner with Paul Goldschmidt, the proprietor of Chateau Vray Croix de Gay at Ripple (Ripple Restaurant in DC): Terribly corked. My bad luck with the 70 Latour continues.
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4/14/2013 - Tad GW Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very reticent on the nose initially but then opened up more and gained in intensity. Still it only gave light scents of prunes, cloves, nutmeg and cedar. But to the taste it was more fresh and fruity, with red and blue berries predominating with the generous, but fine, tannins that coated the palate. Like a fading photograph of a beautiful woman, this wine was still beautiful and harmonious but clearly more inspiring to the imagination than the senses.
50+5+12+17+8=92
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4/13/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
Drank over 4 hours. Fully mature nose of smoke, tobacco, black and red fruit, earth and leather. Some wet stone as well. Palate was extremely smooth, layered and balanced. This did not have the ashtray notes that the last bottle I had did. Some green herbs amidst the dark fruit and earth. This is in a great place right now and I expect it will hold. Long smooth finish.
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3/27/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
One of the best bottles I've tasted in years, the developed nose offers wet earth, tobacco, burning wood, cedar, stone, cassis, cigar wrapper and cherries. There is a slight tart edge to the fruit with some herb, cedar and forest floor notes that tasters who do not truly enjoy old school Bordeaux at its best, could find off putting. There is probably no real reason to hold this wine any longer, even though there is no hurry to drink it.
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3/23/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
A (Mostly) Burgundy Dinner after HDH Burgundy Auction (Naha - Chicago IL): Alluring cigar box aromas with some leather, black fruit and cassis. Very elegant to start on palate with great textures, more power on finish along with good spice.
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3/10/2013 - Biglama Likes this wine: 98 Points
super, levendig, klassieke geur, sigarenkistje komt meteen naar boven, leer, grafiet, smaak is breed en nog zo jeugdig en vers, intens, diepte, alles is in balans, mooie zachte tannines, maakt veel indruk, top Latour
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2/22/2013 - pjaines Likes this wine:
I like it but would i pay £450 for it? Firm structure with cab sav leafy notes and high acidity cut through with red fruit and fores floor. Tight palate with iron and metallic feel on the finish.
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1/6/2013 - Soundcaresser wrote: 93 Points
Feeling like we caught this at the tail end of its life cycle. Very cloudy in color, graphite, dirt (funk lessened over time), and dusty. 2 bottles were quite different, one more refined and one a hair oxidized. Still very solid (is a Latour after all) but felt like some of the usual support/balance was missing.
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12/21/2012 - Zweder wrote:
Beautiful and complex bouquet with luxurious oak, smoke, cedar, dust and also some rose hips. On the palate a fully mature wine and compared to the Latour 1970 I tasted last year a little disappointing. Still a classical wine with a good dose of acidity, but the beauty faded in the glass. Overall: Especially the bouquet in the start was a feast. No score.
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12/1/2012 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 95 Points
D.eep, rich dark purple color with pleasant black cherry, chocolate and cedar and a hint of spice; great wine
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11/25/2012 - Bhuygen wrote: 94 Points
This wine has a lot of color for its age, viewing it i my thoughts were; looks more like a 20year old. The nose is complex a lot of blackberry, leather and pepper. Also some notes of balsam and a nutty scent. The taste is full, round not much sweetness but enough to balance the palate in the right way. There is a lot of fruit still here mainly dark and red- of the preserved kind. Also there is more than enough tannins present this wine could hold its own for quite a lot of years to come if it weren't for the acids that seem to be more of an aged kind (aside from the normal ones every wine has, but this may be only limited to this bottle) the finish is good, even big, nice composition of the things, present at the start of the tasting. It lasts more then a minute( make that about 2 minutes) this isa real masculin wine indeed.
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11/22/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Once again that chestnut of wisdom rang true, “After 20 years, there are no great wines, just great bottles.” I’ve enjoyed better bottles of 1970 Latour and I’ve tasted worse examples, this was in the middle. Still dark in color with bricking around the edges, the nose was packed with cedar, gravel, tar, blackberry, earth, cassis and tobacco scents. While the wine was powerful and concentrated, there was a touch of bitterness in the tannic finish. Was it the wine, or the bottle? There’s only one way to know for sure and that’s to pop another bottle.
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11/2/2012 - MauriceE wrote: 100 Points
Stunning, great, fresh, long. Best bottle yet. Ok: the full 20 points for a brilliant bottle
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10/30/2012 - KenK wrote: 89 Points
Grapes for Great Causes (Goosefoot Restaurant, Chicago): From Magnum: Dark beefy nose, sleek and masuline. Dry dusty, slightly rustic.
Dry black fruits, touch of charcoal, iron quality, slight brown leaf.
Lean, dusty with underlying quality that gives whiff of real breed. Afraid this likely saw better days.
I was told cork fell into bottle during opening.
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10/15/2012 - nortonnose wrote: 96 Points
From 750, V/TS fill. No formal tasting notes; I mean, why keep formal notes on 1970 Latour when it's the very first taste of Latour that you've ever had in your life!?! Pshaw :) Served alongside 82 Talbot, 83 & 85 P-L, and 85 Mouton over steaks and MNF, no big whoop. (!) The 70 Latour blew them away. Sure, it's 'supposed' to but, wonderful that it lived up to/almost exceeded expectations. One never knows what to expect from 40+ yr old bottles, no matter how well they're stored. This screamed for a decant, so we obliged (only one among those five that we decanted). It took about 20-30 minutes to stretch but, man this was impressive. Descriptors from below accounts are all on point. Brooding color, nearly black (bricking?! ha!) - just awesome. Cedar, grilled meat, amazing structure, purity of fruit. I guess it's not bullsh** that this might well last - let alone show wonderfully! - for another couple decades. We are blessed, aren't we?! Lord, please let my other two bottles perform as well in the future....Amen
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9/18/2012 - igaf wrote:
Tasted blind. Gorgeously looking, deep, shiny dark cherry colour with hardly any age sign. Rather rich, complex nose with dark tart cherry and old wood, quite nuanced. Med+ body, still rather tannic. Sour cherry on the palate, hints of tar, good acidity, blueberries, balsamico notes. Completely ready, rather elegant, maybe a bit short on the midpalate, if such nitpicking is allowed.
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8/26/2012 - Tad GW wrote: 94 Points
Opened slowly in the bottle and the bouquet grew with passing time. Dark masculine tobacco and leather scents were noticeable among dark fruits. The taste was a little tannic and lean and elegant, balanced and harmonious and very mineral (crushed stone and metallic aftertaste). The fruits were secondary to the other tastes, perhaps an indication that this beautiful wine is fading.
50+5+12+18+9=94
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8/25/2012 - InflationHedge wrote: 97 Points
Superb! Drank from magnum with dual decanting. Incredibly dark and dense with only faint bricking. After 42 years of dust blew off (~30 min) the depth was incredible...dark fruits, tobacco, spice, with great length and clarity. A powerful, yet silky texture fills the palate and the finish is Lon and complex. Loving this!
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7/27/2012 - thenapalist wrote: 94 Points
Amazingly dark in color with absolutely no bricking. Took about 15-20 minutes to open but when it did.....OH BOY! This wine has the spine, power and fruit to go another 20+ years. Beautiful rich dark fruit with beautiful tertiary notes of cedar and tobacco with soft round tannins. This was obviously a well stored bottle and it showed like a wine twenty years it's youth. This is the second time I've tried this wine (from different sources) and it's shown consistently well. This is the star of the vintage in my book.
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7/25/2012 - prof b wrote: 96 Points
Kahns "Look What We Found" Tasting Event (Seasons 52, Indianapolis): Minerals, dry earth, herbes de provance, and a hint of fresh mushrooms. a wonderfully complex wine with plenty of acid and clear structure to go quote a bit longer.
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6/4/2012 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 95 Points
Dark garnet core with brown rim. It was shy at first but slowly expanded and getting more intense in the glass with more air. Lovely mature bouquet of blackcurrant, plum and savory note. Cedar, sweet tobacco, graphite, ink and earth. All wrapped in a powerful yet elegant package. Medium bodied. Still so much lively with excellent harmony. I especially love the energy of this wine, with layer of fruits, cedar, dark floral, grilled meat as well as sweet herbs and tobacco. Large scale, boosted with finesse and class with long lingering finished with some firm tannin bite and juicy sweet dark fruits that doesn't want to let go. Breathtaking!
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5/5/2012 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 97 Points
12% ABV. Having a hard time pinning down this wine- it has so many facets. Bought this bottle a while back and while checking on my wine found the cork was a little loose under the capsule, so had to crack it open. Thus, it was paired with mac + cheese! What a treat. Bottle was vts, and it was the cork from hell. Eventually got most of it out but decanted it through a cheese cloth. Probably only had 20 mins in the decanter before serving.
The first amazing thing about this wine was the color. Almost an inky black with maybe the faintest trace of garnet around the edge. No bricking to speak of. For a 40 year old wine that seems incredible, but there is no mistaking its age when you stick your nose in it and inhale its utterly glorious scent. Some cranberry-ish fruit, some apple, even a little green broccoli note, but a huge wave of tertiary aromas too. Soil and , meat and mushrooms all the way. Menthol too, but not overpoweringly so. It's almost as if you took the vinegar part out of balsamic vinegar, leaving the intense flavor behind.
The wine is astonishingly full-bodied- a marked contrast to a recent Cheval Blanc with a similar (though less complex) aromatic profile but no depth or concentration. Tannins are fully resolved. 40+ second beautiful finish- just sensational from start to finish. It's hard to imagine this wine will get better, but there's no way it's on the slide yet. It oozes first growth quality and class. I am stunned given how bad that cork was!
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5/3/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Cedar wood, tobacco, forest floor, cigar box, black currant, iron and truffle started off the mature aromatics. Full bodied, concentrated and showing depth of flavor, the wine ended with a refined, masculine, classic, long, spicy cassis finish.
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4/30/2012 - canan wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 1961 - Mini Horisontal (Le Sommelier, Copenhagen): Quite a funky nose with blackberry fruit and cabbage and the alcohol is really shining through.
Elegant but unfortunately a little weak on the palate but it does still seem quite young.
With more air it does seem to open up nicely and presents itself with authority and presence. Almost aristocratic.
Still an impressive wine that with even more air could merit a higher score.
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4/21/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 93 Points
Dreamtasting #4 (Restaurant de Watermolen, Kasterlee): (*) Splendid, mild, soft, eloquent nose wafting hints of coffee, leather, strawberries, rosehips and some iron or blood. Very pure, bright, precise, graceful and tertiairy, slightly drying finish containing some old acidity. Although it starts to fade after 15 minutes in the glass, this is a magnificant and joyous 1970, and it isn't cranky, nor rustic or bretty. A totally cool, neat wine. 18-18.5/20
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3/8/2012 - Sotto325 wrote: 95 Points
At tasting. Wonderful very typical mature latour. Purple, regal, youthful in color. Very rich red robe of thick velvet infused with purple violet scented dark red fruit with that masculine tannic balance that is just right on t he mark. But oddly we felt it not as complex as anticipated. A great wine to be sure but not as fully expressive as the 61, 66, 52 or 82. Drink now.
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3/4/2012 - steffenpelz wrote:
33rd Austin Wine Salon - Bordeaux (Max's Underground): Great bottle and easily my WOTT. Flawless, supple texture, incredible sweetness of fruit, wonderful balance. Earth, truffle and animale. This one had it all. Close to perfection in a bottle.
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2/27/2012 - dicehk wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at dinner alongside a 1970 Mouton. The 70 Latour was opened and drank straight with no decanting. The bottle was in perfect condition. Initial bouquet was a gentle waft of cherries, berries laced with a hint of leather. The initial taste was one of mild elegance that has been refined over the years in the bottle. The waves of flavours is one that rolls over your tongue as opposed to hitting you with power. Cherries, plum and tobacco seemed to elegantly dance around on your palette and your within your mouth.
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2/14/2012 - parsetdx Likes this wine: 98 Points
The most amazing bottle I have ever experienced. I would assign the 100, but I can't be sure there aren't more deserving bottles out there so I will stick with a 98. These notes are in a general progression as it opened up in the glass. Nose: menthol, eucalyptus, shoe polish, barnyard, hay, manure, varnish, kirsch, cherry brandy, Dr. pepper, Worcestershire, gasoline vapor, leather, dried berries - cranberry, rawhide, earthy, dried bark, forest in Fall. Taste: green pepper up front, barnyard throughout, fades into fire roasted plum and prune with a warming fortified wine / brandy note on the finish - cherry flambe, licorice, leather and rawhide, smooth and silky with tannins hiding in the background but still present, assertive grip on the very end with a slight menthol note on the finish. Continued to develop and change about every single minute it was open - an absolutely spectacular wine.
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12/9/2011 - Dbrane wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Very seductive secondary aromas on the nose. You know you are definitely in Pauillac. Unfortunately the palate did not hold up as well. The flavors were a little tired and lean although you could still detect the essence of the terroir. With some air the profile improved and was actually quite a nice drink but ultimately a little disappointing for this famed Château. The first time I had this 2-3 years ago was showing better.
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12/8/2011 - Coollawyer wrote: 92 Points
This came from a bottle which was in great condition. When we opened the bottle the waft is just an incredible nose of flowers. The palate was very tight and refused to give up its secrets. But we could taste the potential and had tastes of cherries black pepper with a touch of cassis. The grip is still very good and the wine stills tastes fresh.
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11/7/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Depending on how the wine in question shows, bottle variation is either part of the fun, or the most frustrating aspect of the hobby. In this case, is the 1970 Latour a tannic, masculine, asutere styled wine? Or is it a powerful, refined Bordeaux with true Pauillac character? Bacchus was with us, because this was the best 1970 Latour I've had in ages! Crushed gravel, cassis, tobacco, smoke, truffle, blackberry, walnuts, forest floor and 5 Spice aromas were all over the place. Big, dense and chewy, this powerful Bordeaux wine commanded your attention. Most of the tannins have faded and this wine has developed wonderful complexities. It's not shy. Instead, it's power with refinement in a glass. Depending on the bottle, this could improve with age.
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11/5/2011 - la turque wrote: 97 Points
My last bottle; brilliant!
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10/22/2011 - ilee wrote: 90 Points
Hairy crab dinner chez Thomas: Perfect looking bottle, VTS level that I picked up off the FV website a year ago, out of curiosity more than anything else. It turned out just about OK. In fact, with the gentle bouquet and lively dark fruit with cedar and lead pencil notes, it could have passed off as a mid-1980's Latour from a good but not great vintage. I'm sure there are some truly fantastic bottles still out there, but considering how much this wine costs, I can think of many other wines I'd like to buy with my scarce wine budget dollars. (PS: this wine also does not go too well with steamed hairy crabs, but thanks very much TH for hosting a most enjoyable evening)
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10/18/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Acker Merrall 1996 Left Bank Bordeaux Dinner (Balsan - Chicago IL): Tasted blind, showed much younger than 40 years old. Black fruit still quite prominent with some cherry liqueur and aromas of leather. Background hints of tobacco. Intricate fruit nuances come through on the palate with delicate, almost lacy, fruit and textures. Really elegant fruit and spice on the finish, complemented by some mushroom elements. Not a powerhouse but a very impressive wine.
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10/15/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 84 Points
A sharp, pencilly nose. On the palate, this is very disjointed and lacking any happiness or love. Weedy and unbalanced. I can only hope that this was a bottle character as others' notes are generallly positive.
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9/9/2011 - Zweder Likes this wine: 98 Points
Vertical of 15 vintages Latour followed by a 3* Michelin dinner and 11 magnums. (@ the Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands.): Dark carmine red with a slightly brown rim. Beautiful mature and classical bouquet with earthy impressions, cedar, cassis still and some spiciness. Very intense and complex. On the palate juicy thanks to a touch of sweetness, graphite and other minerals and beautifully soft tannin with a pleasant bite. The wine still developed in the glass and had an enormous length. This was a perfect and beautiful bottle, everything in perfect harmony and balance. Powerful but also very elegant. Just great!
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9/9/2011 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 100 Points
Verticaal Latour (De Librije, Zwolle): Kleur: Robijnrood, aan de rand wat oranjebruin Aroma / bouquet: Prachtig bouquet, iets meer gesloten, ook hier prachtige tertiare tonen, champignons, leer, cederhout, daarnaast ook cassis en ceder en wat tabak. Smaak / Afdronk: Wow-wijn, ook dit glas biedt een superieure balans, alles klopt, zuurgraad, een wat stenige mineraliteit, concentratie met subtiliteit, doet iets 'gemakkelijker' aan door een indruk van zoet. Enorme lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Niets op af te dingen, wat ' gemakkelijker' glas, maar net zo perfect. En bovendien een glas met een enorme toekomst. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
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7/1/2011 - mattjohnson_78 wrote: 92 Points
i was a little worried after reading some of the tasting notes here, but luckily, this bottle was great. very mature, but with outstanging color. nose of sweet red fruit, graphite, and barnyard. juicy palate with more sweet red fruit, and a medium plus finish. i see no reason to rush to drink these if you have them.
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6/11/2011 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
A good but not exciting example of this variable wine. Excellent appearance (from Acker retail); VTS level, medium garnet, soft, moist cork which came out in two pieces. Not much happening on the nose and the palate was gentle and supple. Obviously completely mature and well balanced without the intrusive acidity some '70s have. I kept hoping for more flavor interest, but there was no change over a 2 hour period.
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3/2/2011 - Fatty Cat wrote: 93 Points
Tasting ‘Chateau Latour’ at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival: decanted before the tasting; rubin red color; red and black berries, some lead pencil; well-integrated tannins on the palate; medium/full body; well-balanced texture; long finish.
The 1970 Latour was a subtitute for the flawed 1972 bottle from flight I. Excellent wine with plenty of tannins to offer. Therefore my guess there is still some room for further improvement and longevity guaranteed.
Flight IV: 1937 - 1953 - 1961 - 1966 - 1970 - 1971
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2/15/2011 - tooch wrote: 89 Points
First Growth Dinner (plus some La Mission) (Ruths Chris - Washington, DC): Many at the table didn't think this bottle was correct - wasn't flawed, but wasn't where it should have been. Having no previous experience with the wine, I figured I'd give it a go anyways. I thought that the nose was delicate with nice cranberry and red floral components. Palate had a nice cherry tobacco edge to it with roasted herbs and mushrooms. I found the palate to be quite nice (I think I was an outlier in this regard).
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12/1/2010 - gutt22 wrote:
Holding up impressively well. Excellent fill to the bottle. Glorious ruby red color, with bricking at the rim of the glass. Compelling bouquet of black fruit, flowers, mushrooms, earth, tobacco, and spice. In the mouth, elegant but forceful, with power behind the pretty black fruit and an endless array of tricks to the complexity, which just keeps unfolding in layer after layer. A gloriously long finish. A
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12/1/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Deep ruby color. Exotic oriental spice. coffee, cedar, mocha, leather, soy and intense mineral essences topped off with sweet caramel flowed from the glass. This wine is huge, balanced, masculine in style, but dapper as well. This mature claret offers a big, juicy mouthful of rich, ripe cassis, black cherry and iron. A slight bitter note hits the back of the mouth in the finish.
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9/20/2010 - kmforster wrote: 92 Points
Looks like there may be some bottle variation on this one. Ours was quite soft, tannis definitely well integrated, seemed like it was on a downslope. Nose and palate both something less than usual for a Latour, but the finish was amazing.
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9/11/2010 - dream wrote: 91 Points
Really excellent color with slight fading. I've had numerous bottles of this wine and it has been variable but this is clearly a perfect bottle. It smells just like an old Latour should - roasted walnuts and deep graphite earth. On the palate, this shows wonderful aged flavors of Bordeaux with a silky texture but the tannins are stubbornly rustic. Will that wear off and make this a profound wine in 20 years? I don't know but it keeps this wine short of its potential today.
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8/14/2010 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Up against a Lafite '95 - oh dear
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6/22/2010 - Peech wrote: 93 Points
drank pretty well. It was so classic... smoke, spicy, peppery and minty on the nose. Actually spicy on the palate, too, with a very long finish.
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5/13/2010 - noppakit s. wrote: 99 Points
On my birthday. This is very beautiful wine. Very dramatic that's getting close to 1961 and 1982. Medium to full-bodied, silky and elegant. I think I'm very lucky to drink it at this moment of its 40 years old wine. Aftertaste is like an angel sings and very long sensational finished, I can not finish the bottle.
Day later, still very beautiful at lunch time, I should focus on looking for it.
Drink now - 2025+ ......................99+/100.......................
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5/5/2010 - atl20 wrote: 93 Points
Still showing very well. Red fruit, earth, truffle, some spice. Lasted a good hour and a half. Wonderful wine.
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2/4/2010 - Le Musigny wrote: 95 Points
One of the wines of the night. G reat nose and palet. Tannins have integrated well with good fruit coming throough/
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1/17/2010 - Khamen wrote: 93 Points
Mature but monolithic. No decant. This is a big wine in every sense. Powerful evolved nose of earth, graphite and cedar wood is unable to drown out the chunky and still vigorous fruit. Hard to tell this has nearly 40 years under its belt. Exceptional length. Of course you can drink this now, but no need to panic about drinking up for a while yet.
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1/15/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Wow, nothing hits the spot like a great, mature Bordeaux. Dark, ruby with light edges. Notes of tobacco, cherries, cassis, wood, spice and earth fill your senses. Great mouth feel and texture. Long, slightly dusty finish in the beefy wine.
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12/1/2009 - balassis wrote: 96 Points
Deep ruby with a brownish rim.
After some aeration into the glasses, I was surprised by the high level of red ripe fruits.
This Latour is still a baby!
Medium bodied on the palate, with sweet and well integrated tannins.
Cherries, Kirsh liqueur, plums, berries, currants, charcoal, tobacco leaves, mushrooms, licorice and earth, both on the nose and palate.
To drink now or to keep for at least two decades.
It could be the ideal companion for a realy special occasion
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11/11/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 95 Points
Cloudy red in color with classic bordeaux aromas. Great mouthfeel and extremely balanced. Slight mint mid palate? Terrific wine with a lot more time in it.
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9/28/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Very serious juice! It had a huge nose of black fruits, cassis, cedar and walnuts. It was fat, rich and had a finish that wouldn't quit. Still young, vibrant and full of life. Great wine!
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9/4/2009 - BradE wrote:
Light Lumber in Minneapolis: For me, one of the most interesting wines of the night, as I can't recall having had this before. Quintessential claret. Doesn't hit you over the head as a wow wine, but subtle and very good. Really liked it.
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9/3/2009 - Siggy wrote: 95 Points
Lumber Comes To Minneapolis (La Belle Vie Lounge, Minneapolis): Someone at the table described this as an "English claret personified," which perfectly captures this wine's personality. This has a more soil-driven than fruit-driven personality -- there is plenty of complex red fruit here, but it doesn't jump from the glass. Layered secondary and tertiary flavors of saddle leather, smoke, and earth in a seamlessly integrated package. Mellow tannins (which no doubt were fierce in this wine's youth). Really delicious and interesting.
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8/11/2009 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 88 Points
I think everyone else liked this more than me. This is the only one of the '70s that strikes me as noticeably tannic to the point where it actually feels still unready to drink. It's not a hard, coarse tannin a la 1975 but just feels a little cobwebbed to the point that you don't get the most vivid picture of what this is supposed to be. It sweetens up as it sits in the glass and picks up a typical walnut-and-cocoa-dust scent but never gets as expressive on the palate as I would have hoped for.
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6/4/2009 - kenv wrote: 95 Points
WCC First Growth Bordeaux Tasting @ Provence (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted 21 hours before the tasting.] Another huge wine. Excellent length. Wow! Very similar to the one above, but somewhat more resolved.
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6/4/2009 - kenv wrote: 96 Points
WCC First Growth Bordeaux Tasting @ Provence (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted at 3pm.] Big tight earth mulch nose. Very young and tannic. I cannot believe this is almost 40 years old. This bottle needs 10 years! 95-? points.
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4/28/2009 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
93rd Rezek Dinner (Kendall College): Full ruby crimson color. Wonderful nose of cedar briar red fruit. Mmnn, lovely bright red fruit with spice and cedar carrying through on the palate. Always fun to drink a mature wine of this pedigree. Would have easily been WOTN except that one of the three bottles served was off so the votes were skewed. 94+ pts.
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4/28/2009 - jlgnml wrote: 95 Points
93rd Dinner for the GEORGE H. REZAK SOCIETY (Kendall College Chicago IL): Wine of the night for most. One off bottle kept it out of first place. Great nose and depth on the palate. Muted tanin and just outstanding in the glass over a period of time.
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4/25/2009 - Jossik wrote: 94 Points
Festa Winesnob 2009 (Pizzeria di Giulio a Roma): Anche questo giovanissimo molto concentrato e morbido in bocca. Poco complesso al naso, anche se molto rigoroso, tutto sul cuoio e tabacco. Molto nitido e pieno
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4/18/2009 - tbabes wrote: 94 Points
The fill was high shoulder and the cork -- which came out easily enough and had a good seal -- was soaked 80% through. A suprisingly youthful appearance, with a dark ruby core, turning to amber at the rim. A boldly scented wine, offering up notes of cedary dark fruits, leather, and earth. More impressive in the mouth than on the nose. Rather full-bodied, with outstanding concentration, impressive depth, and a velvety mouthfeel. Classic structure and grip on the long and satisfying finish. Perhaps I am being too stringent, but I felt the bouquet lacked just a bit in complexity, and while displaying impressive concentration and mouthfeel, needed a touch more delineation and focus on the palate to be truly sublime. I am sure bottles with better fills would rate higher. Nevertheless, a fine wine and, for my taste, on par with the '70 Ducru, slightly ahead of the '70 Montrose and '70 Lynch Bages, but a notch below the '70 Mouton.
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1/11/2009 - jordanj wrote: 94 Points
Dark center and lighter at the edge. Clear sign of bricking and age. Not as powerful as the last bottle but this was from another source but with a great fill. I think what makes this wine so nice is the detail in the nose and on the palate. It has that aged bordeaux feel to it where all the things you smell and taste smell or taste aged. Aged leather, aged cedar, dirty red fruit. Good complexity and unreal focus. This bottle, unlike the last, didn't have the structure in the mouth. The finish however went on forever. Still an excellent value for mature Latour-although I suspect from reading notes there is a lot of bottle variation. This was of the better bottles just perhaps cellared in less than perfect conditions at some point.
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12/12/2008 - jlgnml wrote: 96 Points
Dinner with friends (Their home): The initial nose was all bordeaux. Permeated the room it was so strong. Very well stored. Deep dark color, like prune without the smell. This is at its peak and will stay there for some time. WOW
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12/8/2008 - sdr wrote: 90 Points
The bottle sourced from an Acker auction, was in impeccable condition. We double-decanted it right before service. Mature garnet as expected. A surprising blast of mint escaped from the bottle for just a minute or two, then vanished. (Oddly enough, the same thing happened with the '66 that night). This was a very good example of the '70 Latour, but not up to the best bottles since the fruit had faded more than some. Nevertheless, there was plenty of enjoyment to be had in submerging the palate in its old wine character of leather, spice and hint of blackberry. At this age, it's more about complexity than depth of fruit and on that score, it was just fine. Thre's considerable bottle variation in well-stored examples of '70 Latour, even given its age. Held up very well in the glass although surpassed at the finish line by the '66 Latour this night.
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7/13/2008 - tbabes wrote: flawed
Too bad; this bottle had a mid-shoulder fill, and was oxidized and undrinkable. The top of the bottle actually cracked as I was removing the cork!
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5/24/2008 - Jeff W wrote:
Sadly corked, but thanks to Keith for his generosity. I drank it all the same, and underneath there was a youthful, elegant and balanced wine.
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5/9/2008 - sdr wrote:
Very surprisingly, this Latour was lost in the (low) trees in the blind tasting of 1970 Bordeaux at the Cataldo Bordeaux night tasting. I took no notes and do not remember it.
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4/4/2008 - jordanj wrote: 98 Points
Poker Night at my place (My house): Amazing! Medium mahogany from center to the edge. Clean and brilliant looking in the glass! This wine is pure class . Very old world nose of old saddle leather coupled with a tar like smell that made it remind me of a oiled old baseball glove. There was a hint of sweaty socks and some vegtible aromas along with cigar ash. The nose on this wine rocked. One of the most foused and detailed bouquets i have every had the pleasure to know. In the mouth the wine soft and still plush and no hard edges. This did not drink like a 1970. One of the better latours I have had, the best 1970, and this bottle was great.-drinking at its peak but can go on for 5-10 more years with ease.
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3/29/2008 - sdr wrote: 88 Points
This was Hugh's bottle, purchased many years ago. Although decanted well in advance there was a surprising change after pouring it in the glass - first sweet, soft and fragrant for a few minutes, then closing down, then very gradually opening again, but never quite reaching the height of the first impression. Quite a bit of acidity in the background, which dominates the structure more than the tannins. After re-sampling it leasurely over the next 3 hours, I concluded this was not one of the better examples of '70 Latour, which shows a fair amount of bottle variation, not surprising at age 38.
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2/14/2008 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Underrated by some pro wine critics, this is the beautiful wine, fully balanced with certain sweetness to it.
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2/10/2008 - Totatalitarian wrote:
The leather, fruit and loam were very appealing. A good bottle of this wine, which isn't always a favorite of mine.
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12/10/2007 - asiabear wrote: 96 Points
Pearl Harbo(u)r Day Lunch 2007 at Le Gavroche with CO, DF, JD, RC. Rich deep purple color and very good berry nose but not overwhelming. Slightly youthful(!) but still a sense that this is exactly what one wants an old claret to be like. Did not fade. My sense was that this wine could last another ten years or more easily, especially en magnum as it was here. Great great claret.
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8/10/2007 - Pacherant wrote: 95 Points
Drunk at Lucques. Decanted for 1 hour and left in bottle for 1 before drinking. Bricking at edges but holding together well. This had great dry savoury flavours- cedar, leather in a warm medium bodied style. Classy stuff- not mind blowing but very well pu together.
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4/21/2007 - sdr wrote: 96 Points
This Acker purchase from last year surprised with its extraordinary youthful brilliance at the "Latour by Four" tasting we did at Cafe Boulud. Clearly besting the '66 this night, it was deeply colored and concentrated, but oh so well balanced. Pure pleasure. Very full and flavorful in the black fruity Latour way, multilayed and long. Interestingly, this is the one I was concerned about when I decanted it 4 hours ahead of time because I thought I detected a bit of excess VA, but the acidity was just right to focus this beauty.
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3/31/2007 - sdr wrote:
Brought to Charlie Palmer Steak for Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts DC 2007. Yet another terrific example of '70 Latour. Very fruity and lively.
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12/13/2006 - sdr wrote: 94 Points
This bottle, from Premier Cru (top shoulder level, firm moist cork that came out in one piece), was one the the very best examples of '70 Latour I have ever had. Doesn't shout Latour since it's a gentle giant, but the gorgeous bouquet of blackberry and dark cherry is superb and refuses to fade in the glass. (I had double decanted this for 2 hours.) Lovely middleweight, soft as an easy chair, great purity and finesse, perfect stage of maturity, no hint of fatigue, medium perfectly long clean finish. Unlike some examples, this bottle had no hint of coarseness or rusticity.This is one of those bottles you want to selfishly consume all yourself.
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10/30/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Chateau Latour vertical at Danube (Danube restaurant in NYC): Soft, gorgeous, with lively fruit. Not punchy, but smooth.
A--
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9/8/2006 - Dubliner wrote: 92 Points
Still young; a good 10-15 years left for this baby to peak. Great color; tannic grip on the back end. Unfortunately I only let this breathe in bottle for about 2-3 hours; next time I'll give it 8-10 hours and see what difference there is.
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8/26/2006 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
When this Latour is on, as it was tonight, it's a lovely but gentle example of the property. (This bottle was purchased from the Chicago Wine Company many years ago.) There's a distinctive cinnamon and cooking spice fragrance that I have never encountered in any other Latour. Almost soft in the mouth but harmonious and flavorful. It's well into the secondary stage with echoes of cedar and earth, but not fading. A bit of acidity in the finish detracts just slightly.
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7/27/2006 - trankin wrote: flawed
The 1970 Claret Vintage (John G's): CORKED!!! DQ
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7/20/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Sydney Offline: Birthyear Wines: The nose is deep and rich with graphite, menthol, roasted meats, blackcurrant and some mulchy and cheesy characters. The palate is youthful and shows aggressive tannins along with reasonably good length. Didn't live up to reputation and probably suffered from coming after the legendary Peppermint Patty
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4/8/2006 - Eric wrote: 89 Points
First growth Bordeaux at Michael Gordon's (Bellevue, WA): Some tar on the nose. Big and tannic with black fruit, mineral. Very powerful. Very tannic. Will this ever resolve?
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3/30/2006 - sdr wrote: 90 Points
Lovely showing at the One Market Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts pre-convention dinner. Soft, fragrant, gently spicy. Faded after a couple of hours. It sounds more like a Cheval Blanc than a typical Latour, but so it was.
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3/4/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
ERI Pre-Auction Tasting (Chicago IL): Poor fill, nose smelled of rotten fruit. Heat damage?
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2/11/2006 - sdr wrote: 88 Points
Bottle variation is to be expected of course for wines of this age and this bottle was one of the less successful examples of '70 Latour. I believe this bottle originated from Chicago Wine Company many years ago; the level was top shoulder and the cork was firm and moist and came out cleanly. Deep amber color with a definite orange rim, which is usual for this wine. Potent mix of hard red cranberry fruit and solid cedar backbone gives it good structure without being too tannic. Even after a 3 hour decant, it evolved in the glass and unfortunately became harder, more leathery and drier. Not close to the wonderful '66 we compared it to at Johnny V with Greg.
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11/18/2005 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
Showing very well tonight in a trio of '55/'61/'70 Latour. I purchased this bottle from The Chicago Wine Company about 15 years ago. Decanted for 3 hours. Immediately after opening there was some bottle stink and a sample tasted a bit acidic. But by the time we opened it at Marks Las Olas, there was fortunately a positive transformation. Full color for age, top shoulder level. Strong nose of cinnamon and cedar. Not the utmost in complexity but deep, poweful and long. Not that far behind the '61 tonight. An old fashioned style of wine well into its secondary phase, but really lively and should go on for 10 - 20 years.
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5/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Really nice rich youngish for its age. 5/05
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2/19/2005 - sdr wrote: 95 Points
A spectacular showing for this somewhat variable wine. Remarkably, it deepened in color after 5 hours in the decanter. What's more, the bouquet became more focused and more intense. Really profound on the palate, with a suggestion of dark small berry skins and cedar on a background of iron. Very firm finish, but not endless. The tannins are now well integrated and fine, but not as velvety as more modern vintages. This is old-style Bordeaux at its best, powerful and satisfying. Impressive in its refusal to fade. If this bottle is representative, there is at least 15 more years of life in this '70. The bottle was of excellent appearance, top shoulder fill, purchased from the Chicago Wine Company at least a dozen years ago.
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12/1/2004 - sdr wrote: 88 Points
Hugh’s bottle. Open now. Classic. Very Latour, distinctive and pleasing. Firm attack. Austere and reserved. Outstanding focus. Unfortunately the finish is marred by excess acidity which this wine has so far evaded. Good though, in spite of this flaw.
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5/1/2004 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Chicago Wine Company bottle. Tasted at the Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts dinner in Chicago. Beautiful condition and appearance. Amber. Remarkably soft and gentle bottle for the first time for this vintage. Tannins are completely resolved. I would mistake this for the ‘70 Palmer. Atypical, but disarmingly lovely.
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1/18/2004 - JeffJo wrote: 93 Points
Had a cork that failed and pushed into the bottle on opening attempt. Initially had off odor, but nice mouthfeel. After two hours odor was gone with characteristic Latour with muted lead, slight green pepper. Tannins are almost full resolve and the finish is really long. Great with the tenderloin steak.
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6/29/2002 - JeffJo wrote: 93 Points
Wow. Still slightly tannic and tight. Starting to get a little amber around the edges, but very enjoyable with a great nose and mouth feel. It seems to be getting closer to resolving, but it’s going to last forever. Try again in 2005.
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6/1/2002 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Jim’s bottle. Old style uncompromising Latour. Massive, leathery and earthy. Not fruity in the usual sense. No danger of collapse in the foreseeable future. Not easing up a bit yet.
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12/20/2001 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 96 Points
Dark red. Not too much brown rim-stuff going on here. But an unmistakable scent of mature wine..... this time around a very pleasant barn-scent. Happy animals living in this barn! WOW. A gorgeous scent. Developing by the minute. Sweet berries and lots of peppar coming out of the glass. A full, seamless mouthful, beatiful feel, and really just having all that a wine (in my opinion) should have. A ton of secondary nuances continually developing. Looooong aftertaste. Goes on for minutes. Close to a perfect wine. I rated it 95-96 pts which is probably very conservative. Other people had as high as 98 pts. A pristine bottle.
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11/1/2001 - sdr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Hugh’s bottle. Not as spectacular as the last one but still exceedingly good. It took a couple of hours to open up. Then, classic Latour gravel. Very youthful still. Very intense. Black currant. Great wine, great future.
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9/1/2001 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
Marin Wine Cellar bottle. Bottom neck level. Firm, moist cork. Finally a truly great example of this variable wine. Huge blast of black cherry soars from the bottle. Balanced mature but youthful massively fruity monster. Suave. Masculine, not coarse. Incredible balance for size. Great now and for at least the next 20 years.
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9/1/1999 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle (now defunct). No aroma. Massive on the palate though. Tannins of a foregone era. A little brutal. The fruit is buried in there. Healthy acidity. Chewy. But clean. Will still develop but will it ever soften?
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3/28/1999 - JeffJo wrote: 94 Points
Amazing. Lots of fruit, yet smooth with a finish that starts in the middle of your tongue and expands. A bit more subdued with subtle textures.
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12/1/1997 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mike’s bottle. Very dark. Powerful even for Latour. A bruiser. Huge and mouth-filling. Just about mature. Fine.
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1/1/1997 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Harvey’s bottle. Very dark. Classic gravelly Latour. Not an svelte wine. Old-fashioned in a good sense. Plenty of meat and muscle. Somehow stylish anyway. Not too tannic. Is it worth the current tariff ($500)? Yes, if you crave Latour.
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5/11/1996 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at unblinded Latour vertical at the Belgian Lion. Medium ruby with red rim. Elegant, supple nose of cherry, cedar and mushroom. Big, tannic wine with blackberries, raspberries and chocolate on palate. Long and slightly tannic finish. A blockbuster that is undoubtedly still improving but incredible now.
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3/1/1996 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mike’s half bottle. Almost black. Immediate blast of mineral Latour aroma. A heavyweight but not heavy. Yes, it’s a contradiction. Still youthful. The complexity of age combined with the vigor of youth. Nineteen seventy Latour is really impressive when it’s on form.
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9/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 95 Points
My favorite of the 19 examples of 1970s Bordeaux tasting. Notes of eucalyptus and mint, very pleasing. Huge fruit. Ready but years of life to go. Undeniably great.
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1/1/1994 - sdr wrote: flawed
Marin Wine Cellar bottle. Corked.
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3/1/1993 - sdr Does not like this wine: 78 Points
Medium deep, mature rim, darker than the flight of old Ridge Monte Bello this Latour was opened for comparison. Faint non-descript nose. There is depth but no beauty. Too austere.
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9/22/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 89 Points
With MPL at S&F survey of '70s Claret. Darkest wine so far. Excellent color. Nose hints at deep fruit, but it is pretty closed now. On the palate, this quite a wine. Big, bold, with lots of fruit, it still needs to open up. Needs time--potential is there, but not really yet. 5-10-16-8: 89/100.
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4/12/1988 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Backward and complex bouquet. A little mature, but a lot of good tannin. Exquisite with a lot of power. Very Pauillac! Can be laid down for many years and will probably gain several points.
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5/19/1987 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Shy bouquet. Extraordinary dark color, no amber. More advanced on the palate than the color suggests. Medium depth. Delicious and enjoyable.
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