Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside '61 Mouton Rothschild, Lafite, LaMissioin HB and Petrus in a tasting/dininer preceeded by 19 vintages of Ramonet Montrachet. Needless to say, my palate may not be 100% up to par. Although not bought on release this bottle is the last bottle of a case and has been in my cellar for more than 50 years. Wow wine to me. Tobacco, dark fruits on the nose. It shines on the palate with layers of rich fruit, soft tannins. Very long lingering finish. Best of the flight for me without question.
My first time with this wine. High shoulder fill. Cork was mostly soaked through. Surprisingly dark in color. Closed on the nose for 10min then it really got going. Dark fruit, tobacco, coffee. Some sweeter red fruit came out with time. What I loved was the balance and symmetry. Incredibly round and silky. Regal and majestic are definitely appropriate descriptors. And this was so youthful yet with details and flavors that only time can produce. We drank this way too fast…90min out of a decanter. Hope to try it again and give it a few more hours.
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After decanting for a few hours, this wine is regal. It is one of the best older vintages we’ve had. Cedar and herbs in the nose, sandlewood and a litttle fruit still on the palate. Color was somewhat brick but relatively clear. Cork came out whole. My first ‘61…illuminating.
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Tasted blind as part of a 82, 61, 59, 45 series, This wine had a deep red/purple center with just a touch of tan at the rim (shockingly strong for its age). The medium+ intensity nose emanated plums, cherries, minerals, and some Provencal herbs.
In the mouth, this was ripe and rich with great length and rounded tannin. This particular bottle was really just coming around and was not showing as much as some other bottles.
However, I could easily sense it majesty. This is a great wine and well stored bottles need a lot of time in the decanter to show their best. This bottle could well have added a point or two with more time in the cellar.
Opened in Courchevel. Decanted quickly and drank over dinner.
Beware of bottles with labels from Alexis Lichine, as unfortunately this was probably another fake. This was from the same collection as the bottle we had 2 weeks ago, and it wasn't bad wine (in fact it was pretty good), but it definitely wasn't 1961 Latour.
No rating as such, and a real shame. Wine fraud really is a thing...
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Unfortunately, I think we got Rudi-ed with this wine, or something to that effect. The notes simply were not what you would expect from an aged Bordeaux, let alone something that is meant to be as aristocratic and concentrated as this legendary wine - it tasted (and the colour looked) like a recent Bordeaux / Rhone blend.
Looking forward to trying what I hope to be a real one next time!
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It’s really hard to rate this bottle even though it is objectively very nice. The problem is that it was recorked in 2000 as indicated on the label. Clearly though it was topped up with very young wine which has not yet integrated despite the 23 years. The final concoction tastes about 25-30 years old. And even so it’s tasty and black fruity but quite simple. A decent drink to be sure but ‘61 Latour it ain’t.
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Latour, Latour, Latour (WineWatch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): Another major disappointment for what should have a masterpiece. It’s not spoiled but it is definitely off. There was a lot of coffee in the bouquet but not much else. Medium weight but seemed even older than it was. Lacking the kernel of blackcurrant the better examples have. Interesting but not giving much pleasure.
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Incredible wine! No brown to the wine and a wonderful nose. A perfect balance of tannin and fruit. Reminds me of the 59 which I had so many years ago. Paired with filet mignon Perfection in a bottle
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A wine that defies it's age. Dense, powerful, and stupendous. The wine of the trio (45, 55, 61) for three of the four, but I ranked it 2nd to the 1945. An outstanding trio and a terrific evening.
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A generous friend brought this to a dinner to match up with my ‘03 Montrose. Both awesome wines, the Latour edged out the Montrose. This opened pretty quickly. Ultra smooth leather, pencil lead, earth and strawberry. Medium plus finish of 10-15 secs. Surprisingly youthful, deep ruby core with minimal bricking. Not the most profound or powerful wine I’ve ever drank, to be honest, and the finish could have been longer, but incredibly smooth. 96-97
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Beautiful French btl in my fathers cellar since 1970. Decided it was time and drank it for his 90th. Good old aged color, nose was leather, spice and cedar. Still some fruit and the flavor was awesome on the palate and a long finish. Glad we drank now😎
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That's not a wine, that's 1961 Latour, which means this is in a class all by itself. The wine is incredibly powerful, dense, and intense. There is so much concentration here, your palate is coated with its layers of rocks, stones, gravel, spice, earth, and chewy, red fruits. There is a refined quality to the waves of black and red currants that you cannot find in other wines. The finish starts strong and amazingly, it builds, expands and adds complexities as it lingers, long after the wine has left the glass.
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This wine had a deep red center with with tawny/yellow rims. It looked a bit more advanced than other bottles I have had, which was surprising because the fill was good. The medium+ intensity nose of roasted meat, mocha, minerals, and tan spices was attractive.
In the mouth, this wine was rich but somewhat angular and slightly dry at first but it developed over several hours of air. While it improved substantially, it still had some angularity to the tannin underneath excellent, complex fruit.
This bottle was best consumed now while others I have had are barely coming into the drinking zone.
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61s at 61 (Bourbon Steak, Aventura, Florida): Arguably the most revered wine of the vintage, the 1961 Latour can certainly be a monumental bottle of wine and this one was very close. Deep red ruby, minimal orange. Really, really intense which somehow is not just due to concentration, something rare and only found in the greatest of wines. Statuesque and regal. Pleasure divided equally to the intellect and the palate. The reason why you want to lay down certain wines for your grandchildren. Bordeaux at its finest. Tied for Wine of the Night for the group.
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Pungent nose, incredibly floral, violets thick black walnut, a hint of iodine, then iron. Mouthwatering and amazing how much fruit is present, pure black currant with an iron component Beautifully balanced acidity, significantly resolved, but still with a core of tannin in the background. Stunning and timeless; this will outlive all of us. Constantly changing over the course of two hours, next tart dark cherry and after 2.5 hours, it almost took on some rich Napa like characteristics (in a good way). While as intellectually challenging a wine as one could imagine, this wine is delicious and could be served to anyone with great enjoyment.
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Rezek Society Honors Hugo (Casino Club): The wine sadly showed clear oxidative notes in both the aromas and flavor profile. Still the wine had many redeeming qualities with rich dark fruit elements good spice, and excellent balance. A second bottle opened along side showed considerably better, but had just a small taste. Thinking this was more of a bottle issue. Provence was said to be excellent likely bought on release, thus probably a decaying cork issue sadly. Rezek Society honering Hugo.
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Had it with - 59 and - 44. Those wines would have been great on there own, but the - 61 stole the show. It was still wery fresh and you could keep it probably still for another 30-50 years. Fantastic!!
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South Beach Jeff’s bottle. What is so amazing about the the ‘61 version of Latour is the incredibly concentrated cassis beating heart core of the wine. It’s as if the rest of wine is allowed to age, albeit slowly, but the center is not. Therefore, the sum is that of extreme youth and middle age. The tannins are firm yet not at all bitter and the acidity is perfect. While the ‘59 is warm, the ‘61 is icy. Stunning.
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A darker rendition of this wine. Trending more towards dark soil and cocoa versus the dark red fruit and zip that some bottles have. Admittedly, I enjoyed this somewhat less than my dining companions. 94-95
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Tasted blind, this wine had a purple red center with tan rims. It looked shockingly young. The nose started off at a medium- intensity and developed to medium+ intensity over the course of 8 hours in a decanter. It showed tan soil, minerals, plums, blackberries, walnuts, and some tobacco.
In the mouth, this wine was super ripe and rich with noteworthy rounded tannin, fine-grained acidity, and incredible length.
As usual, this wine was mind bending. It is so great now and yet it is clear it will improve with 10-20 more years and last decades beyond that. A block buster and candidate for perfection.
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From a magnum, this bottle was riveting from start to finish. The ethereal nose, with all its tobacco, cigar box, cedar, smoke, barbecue, campfire ember, black currant, mesquite, tree bark and cherry scents fired you up. Still powerful, full-bodied, concentrated, assertive and intense, the wine has a backbone, structure and a stoic, regal character to its fruit that gets your attention. The cassis, earth, cigar, herb and spice finish past the 60-second mark without trouble, and keph on going. I am sure well-stored bottles and large formats will pass the 100 year mark easily.
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High shoulder fill. Orange crust under a slightly bulging capsule. The cork was weak and came out in pieces but it all came out without any dropping inside the bottle. Double decanted 3 hours before dinner with a short hold in the decanter. A small initial sample ensured it was good. Still plenty of color, not thinned out at the edge. I think cigar box is an apt descriptor for the herbal character overlaying the reserved cherry/cassis fruit. So smooth, so balanced. Each sip a pleasure. Outstanding!
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From magnum. Good fill but cork fell in. Despite that, very good but not great, although entire bottle was eagerly consumed. Wine had seen a little air at some point
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During an exuberant wash down the 2020 Covid year with some good Bordeaux Lunch&Dinner. Offered by the generous host, auction bottle. Well you never know post Rudy what is in these Unicorn bottles. Glad to see that the cork was for real, properly soaked and the nose was right of the bat very Latour-esque with wet forest floor, mineralic elements, pine, peat, licorice. Elegant palate, strict tannins with ripe fruit to support it, excellent balance, Very grand! If this was a fake, it was at least filled with top class Claret, that is for sure. 99-100
Is 98 too harsh? Should this be 100? Dark ruby to garnet. Served blind, and noticeable cigar, lead, graphite, spice and chocolate. This was big and strong. So much structure left. Medium tannins. I guessed 82 bordeaux... A SIXTY ONE!! Total shock. Just amazing. How can this be nearly 60?! Wow. What a treat. Shared by BV. Whilst not at the perfection of an 82 Lafite I had a month earlier, this was just as magical.
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From a so-so looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red/purple center and light red rims (I bought it because the color was great). The medium+ intensity nose displayed black cherries, plums, walnuts, anise, and minerals.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe with huge fruit and substantial round tannin. It had crisp acidity and stunning length. Amazingly enough, this wine was still a touch closed even after 5+ hours in a decanter.
Fortunately, this bottle showed extremely well. It is hard to imagine a classier, more complete wine. It really needs another 10-20 years in the cellar or about 8 hours in a decanter. I have given it an extra point here for seemingly guaranteed potential.
From the same case. Slow oxed for 90 mins. Unfortunately, this bottle was medicinal with autumn leave, earth and sweet plum. Tasted like an old barolo. Massive bummer...
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The most regal of the '61's tonight and finally becoming open and giving after a long slumber. Majestic, deep and chiseled with classic notes of black fruits and walnuts. Very complex, crisp and concentrated with an endless finish. This will reach peak long after I'm in the ground so bury me with it please! 98+
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An evening of vinous gems (Benoit): Not a very expressive nose. An impeccable classic structure. Jammy dark fruit balanced by beautiful fresh acidity. True class.
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From a bottle that came directly from the chateau, this was a beauty! The iron edge to the bright cassis was complicated by the tobacco leaf, cigar box, dark chocolate, cedar and sprig of mint on the nose. On the palate, the perfect melange of power, austerity, regal character and freshness carried through to the bright, sweet, earthy, stony red fruits. Here you find elegance married to power. What a wine and what a treat! The 61 was the product of the lowest yields in the history of the estate at only 15 hectoliters per hectare. Interestingly, the wine spent 3 years in barrel before bottling.
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1961 in Florida (Cafe Maxx, Pompano Beach, Florida): Oh my, it’s Latour and it’s 1961, a sublime combination. This bottle, sourced recently from the local wine merchant, is indisputably genuine at a time when so many of them are fakes. Great deep maroon color to the rim. Phenomenal aroma of black licorice, cassis and chestnut. Amazingly deep. Fine tannins. Both elegant and powerful. Not even a remote hint of fatigue, it seems 20 or 30 years old but too mysterious for an mere adolescent. A notch above the other ‘61s on this night. “Aristocratic” is a much abused term for Latour, but if you get a chance to taste this one, you understand why. A masterpiece.
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From magnum. Young and still wearing the vanilla from wood, there is a lot of ripe dark fruit here and lots of energy. At least 15-20 years required in this format. 97+
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Hinoki, cedar shaving aromatics. Quite unique and very enjoyable. Freshness and lightness of texture a nice contrast to serious intensity of fruit. Can keep going.
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An incredible birthday dinner: Cherry liqueur, blackcurrant, string olive tapenade notes and blackcurrant. Structured and quite unyielding with firm tannins, but still certainly has the fruit power to stand up. Behind the stunning showing of the 1959 tonight but still excellent in its own right.
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1961 Bordeaux: Dead or Alive? (Plantation, Florida): This bottle looked totally legitimate and in good condition, too. At first, very disappointing though, too acidic and lacking freshness, too simple, too tired, too old, not close to what the best bottles can be. But like a Phoenix, it gradually arise from the dead to display amazing depth and complexity. Lots of leather, ash, minerals, beyond fruit, although never displaying the sweetness of the greatest old Bordeaux. Still, remarkable and deeply satisfying, even thrilling. What a ride.
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1961 Bordeaux: Dead or Alive? (Plantation, Florida): This bottle was sold to me recently at a reduced price because the merchant thought it might be fake. Indeed, there were problems with the label and the capsule, especially noted was the vintage in black font instead of red. When opened though, it was definite at a minimum that the capsule and cork (labeled Latour 1961) were very old. First impression was that the wine was correct for Bordeaux of this age, including aroma, color and taste. Unfortunately it quickly became apparent after a brief exposure to air it was heavily oxidized, all prunes and raisins, to the point that it was impossible to assess. Frustrating and disappointing since I will never know what it was.
Château Latour Vertical (Vaucluse): Cigar box and dark tobacco. Brooding relative to the ‘59. Palate is excellent with a developed mouthful of secondary red and black berry fruits. Tannic structure is still present in a big way. Always impressed with how robust this wine is. Consistently a hedonistic and towering piece of work.
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Latour and Sine Qua Non weekend; 11/2/2017-11/3/2017 (Edina, MN): Wow! Medium-dark red. Medium body. Tannins still resolving. Deep and intense palate. Fruit is still there. Long, long, layered finish. Changed fairly quickly in the glass. Lost some of its lustre after ~15-20 mins, but the next pour from the bottle was fresh again. Had it developed more positively over time this may have been my first perfect 100.
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While somewhat atypical, this showed good depth of fruit. Did not have the soaring spice on the nose and complexity of fruit that more developed bottles can display
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Third time is the charm! Always some fears of fake bottles, but this was AMAZING! Cassis, wax, ridiculous 1961 sweetness, candied sugar, coal, still lots of tannin left, amazing length and richness.
Ridonculous!
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Well...this might be the best wine I have ever had. Running neck and neck with '59 Haut Brion and '80 Romanee Conte. The nose is the essence of red and black current fruit and this perfect liquid mineral edge. The fruit is sooo sweet. The palate goes on forever - richness, sweetness and depth. I don't have the words. Thanks, Chuck, for sharing this monumental bottle. (100)
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World's Greatest - Night II (Daniel): Somehow this wine remains so young. Have had the luck to have had this a few times now and it always shows brawny and bold. Some more air brings out developing red and black fruit with traces of earth and terroir coming out. Palate is intensely dark with a big tannic structure. Consistently a beast.
A categorically consistent bottle with perhaps a little more wood on the nose, and a light plastic note to the initial nose that blew off. A good but not great bottle of this wine, not displaying the level of depth of the best of them
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Wine Monuments Man Chapter 2 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Zwei Legenden kamen dann auf den Tisch:Latour 1961 vs Palmer 1961. Es ist jetzt müssig über Punkte zu sprechen. Beide zusammen ergeben mindestens 199 Punkte. Darin war sich der Tisch einig. Nicht ganz einig waren wir uns, welcher uns besser gefiel. Für mich hatte der Palmer die Nase ganz knapp vor, weil er zurückhaltender und eleganter am Gaumen wirkte. Unglaublich feine Süße und Schmelz. Wenn man so will margauxtypische Seidigkeit. Nicht endender Abgang (100P). Das "Problem" beim Latour war, dass wir ihn nicht dekantiert hatten. Er war noch so von der Primärfrucht dominiert, dass seine unglaubliche Komplexizität fast unterging. Der Wein hat noch mindestens 30 Jahre vor sich. Wenn es noch einmal ein nächstes Mal geben sollte, würde ich ihn dekantieren (99+). Die Noten nach Schwarzem Tee und Minze, die mich beim letzten Mal so in den Bann gezogen hatten, waren noch gar nicht zugegegen. So was von jung. Unglaublich.
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Slow oxed for 3 hours. Complex nose with iron, blood, dried flowers, meat, pencil, cedar, and red fruit. Palate is so deep and complex with secondary. In its 4th hour, it gained even more weight and freshness. This is an insane and complete wine. The wine just kept evolving every 10 mins and its so deep and complex. No doubt, it still has at least 15-20 years left based on this bottle's condition
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1961 Bordeaux tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): The second most impressive wine of the night. Still appears quite young, with a dark ruby color. A fantastic nose of black currant, leather, cedar, dried flowers, tobacco, and sous bois. A beautiful mouthfeel, very elegant. Really gained impressive weight in the glass. Nicely structured, with the tannins in perfect balance. Acidity was also in harmony on the finish. While fully mature, this should continue to drink at this level for a very long time.
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This was my dreamwine (beside Krug 1928). It was unbelievable. Perfect bottle. Very etherical at the beginning, mint, eucalyptus, tobacco leaves, so fresh, razorsharp acidity, subtle fruit of cassis, developing every half hour, after two hours in the glass you smell intensively black tea leaves, never ending finish. It can't be better. The best red wine I had so far. 101 points
This bottle had everything it needed and should have, lacking just the last increment of consistency and tanginess of acid on the palate of the freshest bottles. Still, this one had a lot of life left in it. 96-97
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Great wine. We had it alongside a magic Latour 1947, but the 61 was even more magical. The next morning the leftover was still going strong. Stunningly great.
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Weekend with Eddie - Part 2 (Bouley, NYC): Expressive nose displaying intense slightly dry black fruits, cassis, a hint of mint, eucalyptus, port, leather smoke and cedar. Unbelievably concentrated, so unctuous that you can eat this, layers up layers of intense dark fruits, a hint of port like sweetness, perfect amount of acidity, mineral a la earth and deeply toned seamless finish with a hint of fully mature port as the end note. Freakishly big and ripe. Impressive monumental immortal wine. If you are a claret lover, you would prefer the older brother, 59. Wow!
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It started off sluggish, unfocused nose and simple palate. Fortunately, after a several minutes of air, it composed itself and took off into that special region of the stratosphere reserved for Latour. More cassis and black licorice than any fruit in the orchard, there was an intense core of blackness with the mysterious level of complexity that only comes with great age. Very special indeed.
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Possessed all of the constituent parts expected of this great wine but without the final two levels of intensity and sparkle. Blackberry and black plum with woodsmoke, black truffle, dark dry earth, cedar shavings, and spice notes on the backnose. Balanced on the palate, and with still sufficient acid, this bottle was in cruise control versus the full throttled exuberance that the best bottles have
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At Robert Parker "Matter of Taste" Latour vertical dinner at Daniel in NYC. '03, '01, '00, '96, '82, '61 ex chateau. And the food wasn't bad either!!
What an evening. This vertical was about as good as it gets and enjoyed the evening with old friends and some new ones too. Robert Parker was as gracious as ever as was Daniel Boulud.
Of course each of these wines was outstanding I was particularly impressed with the '01 (for an off year) and the '82 was mind bending. But when '61 was served and compared it was an emotional experience to say the least. As Parker put it "this is an immortal wine". The only sad part of the experience is knowing that there is less of this in the world today and I wonder if it will ever be duplicated. You must search this out.
Perfect fills. From a full case of Nicolas bottling, purchased prior to the days of rampant faked wines. The nose shows harmonious power, classic minty and lead pencils. This is a special wine, a real treat, a once in a year experience - certainly not a wine that one would causally have two nights running! That would be gauche, clearly déclassé. (PL)
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A slight mustiness on the edges of both the nose and the palate detracted from the experience but this was quite obviously a brilliant wine underneath. Unfortunately did not come close to what this wine should be. Paired acceptably with beef. I would have appreciated this more had I not anticipated what this wine can be. UK market bottle
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Château Latour vertical tasting ((Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)): This incredible vertical tasting started with the famed 1961 Château Latour. Unfortunately, this did not appear to be a good representation of this wine, and it appeared a bit oxidized. Amber/brown color. Pruney fruits, dried raisins, leather, herbs, and damp forest floor. A nice mouthfeel, and still adequate structure. A bit flat on the finish. I won’t render much of an opinion here (nor rate it), and will defer until the next 1961.
it doesn't get much better than this. deep dark still trying to be king of the table and probably was. a delicious mix of wood/cedar and earth just holding on fruit. very good bottle
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Was served this blind and all the guesses were '80s St. Julien... Somehow this wine seemed young still. Latour is a brute and this 55-year-old was no exception, delivering immense red cedar and mature black cherry and currant on the palate, supported by damp mineral-laden earth. Powerful nose of damp hay and red clay. Tingling minerality on the palate and red cedar tannin still hanging on. Quite amazing to see how hard this wine was still kicking.
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Dusty aromas with some etheral notes. Weak structure, and definitely on its way to the grave, this bottle. According to all the 100 point scores my bottle must have been an exception. But I have heard others too saying the Latour 61 is not of the same greatnes as it used to be.
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Richter Raritäten Degu Volume III (Restaurant Farnsburg, Switzerland): The bottle was genuine, but had a very low level, you could feel that this was monumental with the amazing 1961 sweetness, but there was some oxidative notes that prevented this from being extraordinary. So no score given. If I had to it would have been a 90 point wine
My 4th time with Latour 1961 and this bottle I drink along with 1945 Mouton Rothschild.
Mouton is great 2nd Growth, a lot of sediment lying underneath (unfilter ??) and this plenty of chip-sediment made the wine very powerful and must be the most special Mouton ever made. Aftertaste is like a great Burgundy. Nothing's movin' but powerful still. 100/100
But when drink along with Chateau Latour 1961, First Growth is First Growth, it gets over Mouton 1945 very easy. The nose opens 95% but the texture is pure and the structure is perfect.
Finish is amazing great, super long with directions. Only great wine can make this kind of aftertaste. Feel like walking in the air, up into the sky. No doubt the No.1 best wine in the world.
If I am lucky enough, I will have a chance to drink it again in May. Cross my fingers !!!
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"20 Vintages of Latour at Daniel." I've been fortunate enough to taste this wine 4 times in the past 2 years and this was the best bottle so far. Just incredible depth, breed and class to this wine that no other vintage could come close to matching tonight. There are full dark fruit flavors with wonderful notes of tobacco, dark spices, minerals and voluptuous earth all presented in a chiseled package with such incredible precision of flavors. The ultra-long finish showed a very fine complexity just beginning to emerge from this monumental wine. Like drinking liquid black onyx. Based on this tasting, this has to be a candidate for greatest red wine ever made. 100+
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Absolutely spectacular and a strong candidate for the best wine that I've ever had. Tar, cherry, blackberry, damp earth, coffee grounds, and cigar box. A lot going on here! Tannins provide good texture in the mouth but are very fine at this point. Based on this tasting, this wine could last another 30 years.
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A Weekend Of Aged First-Growths At Beau-Rivage in Geneva II: Incredible dark ruby color. With swirling and time in the glass, the earthy, nutty, cedar nose of Latour begins to show itself. On the palate, the breed and class this wine exudes is just amazing. With a texture like silken granite, this very young wine shows wonderful flavors of dark fruits, cedar and walnut with leathers and spices and an incredible depth that hints at the glories to come as this wine approaches maturity over the next 50 years! Deeply concentrated on the laser-like finish, this wine shows such precision and focus that virtually guarantees it will reach 100 pts. as soon as the secondary flavor development moves further along. Stunning for its depth, class and youthfulness. 98++ Geneva 2/14
The color was still deep, intensive red. the color looks much younger than its age, you rather think of +/- 20 years but not 52 years old. Amazing flavors of currant, licorice and tobacco, spice. The wine has an enormous length and power, but at the same time is so elegant and smooth. The taste of black tea, sweet berries, black truffles and leather emerge. So highly complex. This wine still has enough tannins to last for a few more decades. Kind of a more mature 1986. Just amazing.
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Rich, delicious, full-bodied black cherry fruit, excellent structure, good acid, round, leathery flavors, great wine, 2nd best wine of evening in line up including 1959 Mouton and 1949 Leoville-las-cases
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To my mind, absolute perfection. Amazingly pure and complex and as smooth as cashmere. Tobacco leaves and forest floor with ample fruit. Dare I say this wine has another 10 to 15 years of life left. Of course, I am partial as 61 was my birth year but this was a superb wine nonetheless.
I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to enjoy this with family and friends.
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Flickinger "Significant Cellar" Tasting (Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Big start with good dollop of fruit and braised meat spice with some tobacco. Long, powerful and dense black fruit start-to-finish. Very good balance.
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"A Significant Cellar" tasting at Flickinger (Chicago, IL): Even riper than the '59, there was loads of fruit and spice on this wine. This bottle seemed a lot cleaner as well (not so much funk and perhaps a bit more mineral quality).
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Night of the titans (Onda Mezzanine, Oslo): Klar, mørksvart, dyp rød med innslag av oransje. Dyp, nobel og mørk nese med en underliggende kraft og eleganse som dessverre aldri kommer helt frem. Intens, tett, konsis og (for alderen) ungdommelig frukt med et elegant preg. Frisk , presis og saftig syre. Tørre tanniner i finish. Tørrer mer ut med tid i glasset. Flott vin etter de fleste standarder, men dessverre ikke optimal flaske for være denne vinen.
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Anti Bag in Box Dinner: Deep and complex, but so very unfortunately: a bit oxidative leaning towards plummy on the nose. In the mouth it is much better than on the nose, has lots of power, tight, could have been more complex. Not an optimal bottle.
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Very poor level and bouquet was quite musty suggesting that the wine was corked quite badly. After breathing for an hour this became less of an issue but this bottle had seen better days. However the wine was still quite impressive and all present enjoyed the experience of drinking this a fine piece of history. I drank the final glass full about 6 hours after opening and it was excellent despite the obvious fault.
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This incredibly youthful bottle was in outstanding condition - level just below neck, excellent color, moist cork which almost came out intact. As soon as I started to pour it into the decanter, I got a blast of mint, but that quickly blew off, leaving behind it an obviously mature and complex secondary aromatics, which unfortunately faded after 30 minutes. But the palate presence was outstanding, with velvety texture, dark berry and wet earth notes with notes with perhaps a bit of minerals. Medium finish, but clearly a superb wine to drink now.
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The White Club private tasting and dinner (Basel): Surprisingly not the wine of the night for me (78 La Chappelle), but that's not to say that it was not ridiculously good. Leather, super super concentrated in the palate, huge tannin structure, very long and extremely elegant. Interestingly enough I smelled chestnuts next to all those still great fruit and berry notes.
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This bottle was high shoulder and cork was marginal, that is why my frined decided to open it as it does not look it will keep. Not giving much in the glass after 30mins, so in the decanter it went, an hour later, much better, very complex nose with delicate floral notes, VERY long finnish, over 1min+, if the bottle was in good shape belive this could easily be 96-99pts wine.
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Fortunate enough to have a bottle of this wine for my Birthday on the 20th. Dark purple core fading to red rim. Clean, clear and beautiful. Nose was incredibly complex and full of intense aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries and licorice. Tannins were still strong and the wine was exceptionally well balanced. Rich and full flavours of black fruit, cedar with a slight smoky round flavor. This wine just kept on giving. Amazing!
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I can't remember where I purchased this bottle many years ago. The label was very tattered and the cork was tight and moist all the way through. I was worried about the mid shoulder level, but as so often happens with well stored bottles, the level is almost irrelevant. The color was that of a 25 year old; beautiful deep garnet with a hint of orange at the rim, but no brown. The initial bouquet was stunning in its beauty and complexity. Still plenty of earthy fruit, sweet pipe tobacco and damp rain forest floor with a few flowers sprouting. Lovely middle weight, surprising energy without muscle. The finish was perfect; not especially long but clean and fresh. So often these very old wines start out well but end with too much acid, tannin or dryness. Not this one. I was hoping for a bit more evolution in the glass but it stayed resolutely the same over two hours or perhaps lost a bit of the complexity of aroma it had when I first opened it. I'm not complaining, though.
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1961 Latour offers a regal perfume of tobacco leaf, cassis, iron, cedar, spice, truffle and forest floor notes. Powerful, full bodied, intense and deep, this concentrated wine takes over your palate with multiple layers of rich, ripe, spicy black fruits that fill your mouth and coat your palate. This wine personifies the term "iron fist in a velvet glove." This is elegance meshed with power. The long, spicy, dark berry and cassis filled finish remains in your mouth for close to 60 seconds.
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The Tenth Annual Stonefields Dinner (Guelph, ON, Canada): My first encounter with 1961 Latour, a wine on my must try before I die list. What a thrill….such power and elegance. The nose was stunning….ripe primary black currants, cherry, and cassis transition to secondary notes of forest floor, spice, cedar, plums, sweet pipe tobacco and an almost truffle element. The finish is mesmerizing….waves of flavours coat the palate. This is stunning! I’m speechless! Never ending. Wow!
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Robert Parker - up close & personal dinner (Petrus, Hong Kong): Perfect bottle. My first ever 100pts... If this isn't then I don't know what is. Sweet, fruit still strong and the finish is forever. Tobacco leaf, earth, plums and raspberry. And this is from regular bottle, magnum will last 30yrs+!
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Excellent bottle in great condition. Still very youthful, it was a bit closed at first and needed a couple of hours to fully open up. Nose of smoked bacon, figs, lemon zest, with a port-like character. Dark brick red with only slight browning at edges. Medium body with Drying tannins still very present, indicating this has plenty of time left. Only issue is that it needs more time!
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MNSC (The Pawn): initially a little tight and unyielding, with notes of graphite and lead pencil. great structure and concentration. opened up a bit more with second pour becoming sweeter and more fragrant, but still got blown away by the Mouton.
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Vertical of 15 vintages Latour followed by a 3* Michelin dinner and 11 magnums. (@ the Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands.): This is my 10,000th tasting note in Cellartracker and I kept a few notes behind for that purpose. But Latour 1961 will be the one; the 3rd wine ever I scored the perfect 100. Tasted blind without knowing the vintage. Still a dark, almost black core, but also a slightly orange rim. Beautiful and complex bouquet; primary, secondary as well as tertiary. There are ripe fruits like plums, cassis and figs, but also licorice, cedar and caramel. Sniffing is almost enough. So complex and pleasurable. On the palate almost explosive, but also so soft. Cassis still!!! Massive. Beautiful acidity. Cassis again. Perfect tannin. Cedar. Leather. So complex, so powerful, but also so soft. A superb beauty now, but in 10 or 20 years from now this is still a true feast; if you are lucky enough to have a perfect bottle like we had tonight. This was a dream I will never forget. My third wine I give the perfect score and it was so different from the other two: Petrus 89 which was so luscious and creamy and so perfectly balanced. And Chateaux Margaux which I tasted several times and scored it 100 once because of its youthful beauty. Anyway, if it was possible this Latour 1961 would beat them both; with its age of 50 years it gave an extra dimension. I am still stunned. A 101 or 102 score seems alright as well. Sorry for my enthousiasm…..(If you read my other notes, you can see this is an extreme exception!)
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Verticaal Latour (De Librije, Zwolle): Kleur: Meer geëvolueerd, bruin-oranje Aroma / bouquet: Groots-tertiair, ook in de neus meer geëvolueerd, een absolute snuffelwijn die bij elk snuifje zich van een nieuwe kant toont, maggi, indruk van jodium, zoethout, cederhout, vleugje karamel, Smaak / Afdronk: Boterzachte concentratie, een vuistslag met een fluwelen handschoen, maximaal harmonieus, prachtig zuur zonder hint van hardheid, prachtig gerijpte tannines, nog steeds een bite maar zonder hardheid, werkelijk superieure lengte Algemeen / potentieel: Mooier kan Bordeaux niet worden. Prachtig tertiair maar nog volop power. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
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From an excellent looking bottle for Murray's 50th, this wine looked very strong with a purple/red center and just a bit of orange at the rim. The high- intensity nose of black fruit, brown spices, soil, anise, and dried thyme was captivating. Its nuances seemed to shift with each smell, as the great wines often do.
As this wine entered my mouth, I was hit by waves of ripe fruit complexity. Huge, ripe, and rich, this wine had it all, despite still being a bit too young. It was powerful with notable rounded tannin and firm acidity. However, these structural components were buried in ripe, complex fruit.
This wine is just entering its drinking window and appears to need 3+ hours of air to show its best. However, it is really still too young! I would give it a 98+ for drinking now but, given the class and balance of this wine, it is a no brainer to hit triple digits. It should last another 40 years.
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Tasting ‘Chateau Latour’ at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival: decanted before the tasting; rubin red color; started with a slightly restrained earthy bouquet and suddenly truffles, truffles, truffles (Alba and Perigord: yes, yes, yes :-); when swirled the truffle note gave way to red and black berries but once the surface calmed down the truffles flavor took back the lead; smooth, almost lush on the palate with pepper notes; medium/full body; long truffle finish.
So this was the wine many experienced tasters consider the number one of all time. And I mere mortal have to agree. One of my life time wine experiences and definitely not a fake bottle.
Superficially it was truffles dunked in red wine. But there was much more. This bottle of 1961 Latour was in top shape. Nothing reminded of the 50 years. Literally a best ager with a long, extraordinary life ahead. That evening I awarded 98 points, maybe that’s not enough ...
Deep dark inky purple in colour. Thick in texture. Lead pencil and hints of cassis but still very primary and conservatively closed. Black fruits interlaced with earthiness in the mouth. Wine is still way too young. Will be amazing once it's fully ready.
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Deep ruby in color, the nose sang with tobacco, cassis, truffle, smoke, earth forest floor notes. Big, rich and polished, the wine finished with a large mouthful of cassis, chocolate and steel that faded far too quickly in the glass. What should have an awesome wine was damaged by a lack or provenance. This was an outstanding fully mature Bordeaux, but not a great 61 Latour. Once again, while there is no such thing as a great older wine, there are only great older bottles. 95 Pts
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Bordeaux Dinner - Societe Mondiale du Vin (Dallas, TX): Impressive fruit on the nose at first tasting that slowly faded to leather and port. Dark red with bricking. Certainly has some life left. Very gentle, silk texture. Good structure still, plenty of mineral notes. Over the course of the evening, more and more port flavors emerged.
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Brick red/ruby. Astounding nose displaying purely defined aromas of cedar, truffle and rich cigar box. Liquid velvet with an immense and regal palate presence and an eternal finish. Essence of Cabernet. Paired beautifully with beef wellington and white asparagus. Lost for words.
This is one of those '61s that refuses to age. No wrinkles, no slowing down. The color is almost purple all the way to the rim. Powerful and intense on nose and palate. Black current, blackberry, mineral. No tobacco, no smoke. Superb mouth feel. Even more powerful on the finish. A masterpiece.
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The '61 Latour is amazingly consistent for its age. The rock solid core of minerally dark berry fruit and toasted walnuts or hazelnuts is nothing short of amazing. Compared with the '59 we had along side it, the '61 was more intense, more focused and more delicious.
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Very dark...somewhat closed at first. After an hour in the glass, it started to open with lots of cigar box and currant aromas. Big on the palate as expected but quite balanced. Not as good as the 61 La Mission we had a couple of weeks ago.
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Deep and exotic dark ruby colour. From the sight, I bet, no one knows that this is 50 years old wine.
Moreover, This is so fresh in nosing, no sign of bad smell. The very very beautiful fruit jumps out of the glass. So sad that nothing's showing much in terroir even flowers or mineral, just only the fruit-bomb..
So different from the last bottle in Dec 2007. For this good kept bottle...only 1st BIG sip is taking my breath away. I can not move for 15 mins. The aftertaste continueusly robust super long...tears covers my eyes...another part is going deep down bit by bit until fullfilled all over every tiny space in my heart then stays long...long...but not finished yet...it beautifully spread out and go up again...softly...I have to say the same word....Endless Aftertaste....
...The most sensational aftertaste in my life...
So sad again, after 2.30 hours, it seems like closing down and open up again in the aggressive way.
Is it going to sleep again after 48 years old ?
At 4th hour, quite tannic, this is telling us something...a long way to last its live...new experience for me because last bottle was getting old...very peak...
Mmm...anyway, it is far beyond those 100/100 wines. The Legend !!!
Drink now - 2031.....if I could turn back time....I will open it 1.15 hours and finished it within 2.30 hours....
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Served out of magnum. A beautiful concentration of fabulous fruit. Totally explosive and lush, but still really young and tight. I would have never ever guessed '61. Obviously going to be a spectacular wine, but needs more time to develop.
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After hours in the glass, the wine continued putting on weight and evolving in the glass. Absolutely amazing! This huge wine was packed and stacked with countless layers of rich, ripe, Cabernet fruit. The walnut laden perfume with it’s layers of cassis, cedar and truffles was off the charts. It tasted incredibly young and will continue to improve for decades.
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Story of this bottle, a man got this bottle 30 years ago from a big wine shop in Copenhagen, Denmark. He kept it in his celler down there until he died in 2000. His son found the wine in 2005 and see the name of the shop under the label. Then he bring to sell it back.
How lucky I am ? The next day, unfortunately, I went to that shop and the maneger told me the story of the mid-shoulder level Latour 1961 with special offer. The great wine that nevers go anywhere...how can I refuse ?
Til' Tuesday, today, my brother brings Petrus 1982 to rock but never roll.
The colour of Latour 1961 is still very deep and very very dark ruby like the wine from mid 90's
This is not the aroma of typical Latour such as 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978. It's perfume !!! after 2 hours, it represents the most wonderful nose that I never met before. Sweet cassis combined with perfect fruits, licorice, very mild leather, layers upon layers and upon layers again. many beautiful scents intermixed...earth, honeydew, smoke, the nature. All those things is getting better and better...only putting my nose into the glass is heaven...I'm in heaven.
In the mouth, it clearly declares itself...I am what I am... Latour is the Greatest Bordeaux Wine !!! lovely spiciness, acidity, balance and most complex. How can it be P E R F E C T like this. Unutterable !!! Oh..La..La...
Aftertaste : IMO, the finished of the wine will get the score by its performance. For Latour 1961, it's totally different from any wine, many many layers.( tasting note from the Chateau said " Latour 1961 is ENDLESS AFTERTASTE "...now I get it...heaven 17...
After last night, it's absolutely..automatically.. be No.1 the best wine in my life...
Latour 1961...If I could, I would give it 103/100....
ps. The only one thing which tells me the age of this wine is the finish...after swallow the wine...a scent of 46 years old shows up...just only one second then fresh...fresh....B..o..o..m....fly me to the moon....
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Drank to celebrate the birth of my son. I realized, as I was drinking this, that I was tasting greatness. This is a singularly amazing wine...a full medium red, incredible complexity on the nose, particularly after about 45 minutes in the decanter when the cedar came out...graphite, cedar, tobacco and currants on the nose...incredible complexity and seamless tannins and fruit on the palate...syrupy...so intense...just amazing. Sadly, no more bottles in the cellar. It almost makes me want to have another child so I'll have an excuse to find another one...what keeps this from 100? I have a preference for fruit over tobacco...but really, we're picking nits...this is in the stratosphere.
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A dark mulberry colour. A bit closed on the nose: I find some cinnamon notes, though others are talking about coconut, which I can’t find. On the palate, this is showing its class in spades. Deep, elegant and wondering why on earth we’ve woken it up so soon in its life. Excellent.
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The Grand Finale with Leve at the French Laundry (Yountville, Napa Valley, CA): Oh my, this is like Syrup of Bordeaux, black in the glass with smells of beef blood and dusky black fruit. With a lot of air the cedar comes out to play, and amazingly the wine is getting darker and heavier in the glass. Wow, there is just so much weight on this wine. I was very sad to see my last sips go on this wine that amazingly still seems far too young?!?
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61/82 Bordeaux Dinner (Luxor in Marunouchi): Strong deep color, almost solid throughout – a harbinger of youthfulness to come on nose and palate. Beautiful but tightly wound initial nose of pure cassis, graphite, and faint vanillin. As it opens up, it blossoms into ripe fruit, coffee, and Moroccan spice. The palate also has a prominent streak of graphite throughout, with sweet velvety cassis and berry in front and lovely hints of cinnamon on the finish. Beyond the lushness of the initial entry, this shows like a laser beam – a thin defined line – on the mid-palate and finish until it has passed over an hour in the glass. Only then does it begin to show its real strength and weight as it expands to fill the mid-palate with roasted coffee, ripe fruit and chocolate, all of a body and richness that is impressive but never clumsy. The finish is misnamed as it just won’t finish, evolving from the cinnamon into tobacco with both supported by more sweet fruit. I’m three years younger than the wine, but it almost certainly has more years left than I do.
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Hugh's bottle, purchased many years ago. In the excellent trio of '55/'61/'70 we tasted that night, the '61 easily showed its great breed and concentration, although the '70 was not too far behind. But this healthy and lively '61 showed that intense core of fruit that simply refused to fade and gives the best wines of this great vintage such amazing length. Cinnamon, cedar, blackcurrent and black licorice are all in there, topped off by a distinct element of smoke. A great wine without a doubt, but as good as it was, this bottle was not as transcendant as the very best bottles of '61 Latour can be.
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Dinner at Jeff and Sarah's (NYC): Fresh if not young. Layers on layers. Smooth with nice Bordeaux age, band aid. Lots and lots of herbs. Subtle. Mellow. Not massive, but smooth. Compelling. Very complex, very very long. A pleasure. A
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Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle. Finally after a string of subpar bottles, a great one to restore my confidence. An indisputable masterpiece worthy of the accolades. Moist firm cork. Top shoulder ullage. Incredibly dark, no trace of orange. Essence of Latour Cabernet Sauvignon terroir. Power to burn yet not brutal. Balanced tannins. Fills the mouth and every corner of the palate. Persists forever. Masculine and regal, the King of Bordeaux. The clear star of the impressive Latour vertical at Café Maxx including ‘70, ‘61, ‘59 and ‘49. Wow.
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Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle. Top shoulder level. Good color, orange rim. Tight and clenched. Still tannic but now ready. Very firm. Dark fruits, bark and figs. Not pruney or raisiny, though. Chewy. Held very well in the glass for over 2 hours but never really relaxed.
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Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle. Two bottles. The first definitely off, the second much better but still not stellar. Mature healthy color. Interesting mint/basil top note. Good weight and texture. Lacks zip.
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Jim’s bottle. Atypical. Light, modest and short. Recognizably Latour, though. Outclassed by all the other vintages of Latour we brought to Ocean Grand.
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Off the list at Bex Miami South Beach ($429, retail now is $1200). Mid shoulder ullage is not encouraging. To me, definitely madeirized but not to Jim or Hugh.
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Tasted at unblinded Latour vertical at the Belgian Lion. Deep ruby with red rim. Intense nose of blackberries, cherry, chocolate, cedar, plum and leather. Complex, full-bodied palate with similar flavors. The wine is indeed syrup-like in its texture. Remarkably youthful. It is hard to believe that this wine is 35 years old at this point. To date, it is the best wine that I have ever tasted (or will likely ever taste during my lifetime). This wine is undoubtedly still improving and should last another half-century!
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Very dark color. Very fresh, very youthful. Good acidity and backbone. Immense core of ripe fruit. Needs 5 more years to reach its apogee. Much better than the ‘59 Latour tasted alongside it. Superb endless future.
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Jim’s bottle. Somewhat disappointing. Good dark color, no sign of age. Nose is dense, hidden, unfocused. Powerful mineral fruit is slightly muddled. Almost outstanding. Not showing today it is one of the wines of the century, which on another day it is.
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Very dark, no fading, looks 10-15 years old. Still tight and closed. Eventually the classic mineral Latour expression of Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon emerges. Enormous reserve of fruit will surely outlive the tannins. Needs another 5 years. Absolutely great wine.
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The group’s favorite of the “59 vs. ‘61 First Growth” tasting at Café St. Honoré blind tasting. Huge, massive, inky and black. Meaty and smoky (I thought it was the LMHB). Not hot but seems to have a lot of alcohol which of course it doesn’t. Impeccable balance for this behemoth. Long powerful finish. Some of the experts think this will last a century and now I can see why.
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Hors classé in this giant vertical back to ‘42. Simply gorgeous bouquet of great complexity including flowers, black fruits and cassis. Moderate depth. Not an enormous Latour. Excellent finish. Light to medium fully resolved “sophisticated “ tannins. Proof that great wine, even a Pauillac, does not have to be heavy. And that vintages really do matter.
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4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote: 98 Points
Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside '61 Mouton Rothschild, Lafite, LaMissioin HB and Petrus in a tasting/dininer preceeded by 19 vintages of Ramonet Montrachet. Needless to say, my palate may not be 100% up to par. Although not bought on release this bottle is the last bottle of a case and has been in my cellar for more than 50 years. Wow wine to me. Tobacco, dark fruits on the nose. It shines on the palate with layers of rich fruit, soft tannins. Very long lingering finish. Best of the flight for me without question.
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4/29/2024 - ricknat1 wrote: 98 Points
The only way Latoya gets better is great older vintages. Both these bottles were looking young and fresh and were well balanced and fruity
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4/20/2024 - johnh1001 wrote: 97 Points
My first time with this wine. High shoulder fill. Cork was mostly soaked through. Surprisingly dark in color. Closed on the nose for 10min then it really got going. Dark fruit, tobacco, coffee. Some sweeter red fruit came out with time. What I loved was the balance and symmetry. Incredibly round and silky. Regal and majestic are definitely appropriate descriptors. And this was so youthful yet with details and flavors that only time can produce. We drank this way too fast…90min out of a decanter. Hope to try it again and give it a few more hours.
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2/17/2024 - sdr Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Sadly only a brief ray of sunshine then turned sullen. Underfruited and too dry. Ullage to high shoulder; tawny with brown edge.
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8/18/2023 - Wine Kat Likes this wine: 93 Points
After decanting for a few hours, this wine is regal. It is one of the best older vintages we’ve had. Cedar and herbs in the nose, sandlewood and a litttle fruit still on the palate. Color was somewhat brick but relatively clear. Cork came out whole. My first ‘61…illuminating.
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6/3/2023 - fcxj wrote: flawed
Corked from 375ml.
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6/3/2023 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Salty, not an ideal bottle.
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5/22/2023 - fclarity wrote: 97 Points
Tasted blind as part of a 82, 61, 59, 45 series, This wine had a deep red/purple center with just a touch of tan at the rim (shockingly strong for its age). The medium+ intensity nose emanated plums, cherries, minerals, and some Provencal herbs.
In the mouth, this was ripe and rich with great length and rounded tannin. This particular bottle was really just coming around and was not showing as much as some other bottles.
However, I could easily sense it majesty. This is a great wine and well stored bottles need a lot of time in the decanter to show their best. This bottle could well have added a point or two with more time in the cellar.
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3/31/2023 - Burgnick wrote:
Good to revisit this. Not the best kept bottle but it still shows the richness and reglaness.
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3/20/2023 - oxwombat wrote:
Opened in Courchevel. Decanted quickly and drank over dinner.
Beware of bottles with labels from Alexis Lichine, as unfortunately this was probably another fake. This was from the same collection as the bottle we had 2 weeks ago, and it wasn't bad wine (in fact it was pretty good), but it definitely wasn't 1961 Latour.
No rating as such, and a real shame. Wine fraud really is a thing...
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3/4/2023 - oxwombat wrote:
Opened in Courchevel. Decanted but drank quickly.
Unfortunately, I think we got Rudi-ed with this wine, or something to that effect. The notes simply were not what you would expect from an aged Bordeaux, let alone something that is meant to be as aristocratic and concentrated as this legendary wine - it tasted (and the colour looked) like a recent Bordeaux / Rhone blend.
Looking forward to trying what I hope to be a real one next time!
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1/22/2023 - aquacongas wrote: flawed
Unfortunately over his hill
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1/14/2023 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
It’s really hard to rate this bottle even though it is objectively very nice. The problem is that it was recorked in 2000 as indicated on the label. Clearly though it was topped up with very young wine which has not yet integrated despite the 23 years. The final concoction tastes about 25-30 years old. And even so it’s tasty and black fruity but quite simple. A decent drink to be sure but ‘61 Latour it ain’t.
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1/7/2023 - sdr Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Latour, Latour, Latour (WineWatch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): Another major disappointment for what should have a masterpiece. It’s not spoiled but it is definitely off. There was a lot of coffee in the bouquet but not much else. Medium weight but seemed even older than it was. Lacking the kernel of blackcurrant the better examples have. Interesting but not giving much pleasure.
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10/9/2022 - t.c.green Likes this wine: 98 Points
Incredible wine! No brown to the wine and a wonderful nose. A perfect balance of tannin and fruit. Reminds me of the 59 which I had so many years ago.
Paired with filet mignon
Perfection in a bottle
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9/1/2022 - BradE wrote:
A wine that defies it's age. Dense, powerful, and stupendous. The wine of the trio (45, 55, 61) for three of the four, but I ranked it 2nd to the 1945. An outstanding trio and a terrific evening.
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6/12/2022 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 96 Points
A generous friend brought this to a dinner to match up with my ‘03 Montrose. Both awesome wines, the Latour edged out the Montrose. This opened pretty quickly. Ultra smooth leather, pencil lead, earth and strawberry. Medium plus finish of 10-15 secs. Surprisingly youthful, deep ruby core with minimal bricking. Not the most profound or powerful wine I’ve ever drank, to be honest, and the finish could have been longer, but incredibly smooth. 96-97
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5/10/2022 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 98 Points
Beautiful French btl in my fathers cellar since 1970. Decided it was time and drank it for his 90th. Good old aged color, nose was leather, spice and cedar. Still some fruit and the flavor was awesome on the palate and a long finish. Glad we drank now😎
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4/6/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
That's not a wine, that's 1961 Latour, which means this is in a class all by itself. The wine is incredibly powerful, dense, and intense. There is so much concentration here, your palate is coated with its layers of rocks, stones, gravel, spice, earth, and chewy, red fruits. There is a refined quality to the waves of black and red currants that you cannot find in other wines. The finish starts strong and amazingly, it builds, expands and adds complexities as it lingers, long after the wine has left the glass.
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3/26/2022 - fclarity wrote: 97 Points
This wine had a deep red center with with tawny/yellow rims. It looked a bit more advanced than other bottles I have had, which was surprising because the fill was good. The medium+ intensity nose of roasted meat, mocha, minerals, and tan spices was attractive.
In the mouth, this wine was rich but somewhat angular and slightly dry at first but it developed over several hours of air. While it improved substantially, it still had some angularity to the tannin underneath excellent, complex fruit.
This bottle was best consumed now while others I have had are barely coming into the drinking zone.
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2/5/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
61s at 61 (Bourbon Steak, Aventura, Florida): Arguably the most revered wine of the vintage, the 1961 Latour can certainly be a monumental bottle of wine and this one was very close. Deep red ruby, minimal orange. Really, really intense which somehow is not just due to concentration, something rare and only found in the greatest of wines. Statuesque and regal. Pleasure divided equally to the intellect and the palate. The reason why you want to lay down certain wines for your grandchildren. Bordeaux at its finest. Tied for Wine of the Night for the group.
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1/14/2022 - cos65 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Pungent nose, incredibly floral, violets thick black walnut, a hint of iodine, then iron.
Mouthwatering and amazing how much fruit is present, pure black currant with an iron component Beautifully balanced acidity, significantly resolved, but still with a core of tannin in the background.
Stunning and timeless; this will outlive all of us.
Constantly changing over the course of two hours, next tart dark cherry and after 2.5 hours, it almost took on some rich Napa like characteristics (in a good way). While as intellectually challenging a wine as one could imagine, this wine is delicious and could be served to anyone with great enjoyment.
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11/17/2021 - KenK wrote: flawed
Rezek Society Honors Hugo (Casino Club): The wine sadly showed clear oxidative notes in both the aromas and flavor profile. Still the wine had many redeeming qualities with rich dark fruit elements good spice, and excellent balance. A second bottle opened along side showed considerably better, but had just a small taste. Thinking this was more of a bottle issue. Provence was said to be excellent likely bought on release, thus probably a decaying cork issue sadly. Rezek Society honering Hugo.
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11/15/2021 - Ilkkaw wrote: 99 Points
Had it with - 59 and - 44. Those wines would have been great on there own, but the - 61 stole the show. It was still wery fresh and you could keep it probably still for another 30-50 years. Fantastic!!
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11/9/2021 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
South Beach Jeff’s bottle. What is so amazing about the the ‘61 version of Latour is the incredibly concentrated cassis beating heart core of the wine. It’s as if the rest of wine is allowed to age, albeit slowly, but the center is not. Therefore, the sum is that of extreme youth and middle age. The tannins are firm yet not at all bitter and the acidity is perfect. While the ‘59 is warm, the ‘61 is icy. Stunning.
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8/26/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 97 Points
A complete bottle with good energy. Still a bit away from peak maturity.
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8/7/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 97 Points
Well balanced, deep and overall quite composed. Very good bottle.
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7/25/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
A darker rendition of this wine. Trending more towards dark soil and cocoa versus the dark red fruit and zip that some bottles have. Admittedly, I enjoyed this somewhat less than my dining companions. 94-95
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5/23/2021 - fclarity wrote: 99 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a purple red center with tan rims. It looked shockingly young. The nose started off at a medium- intensity and developed to medium+ intensity over the course of 8 hours in a decanter. It showed tan soil, minerals, plums, blackberries, walnuts, and some tobacco.
In the mouth, this wine was super ripe and rich with noteworthy rounded tannin, fine-grained acidity, and incredible length.
As usual, this wine was mind bending. It is so great now and yet it is clear it will improve with 10-20 more years and last decades beyond that. A block buster and candidate for perfection.
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3/25/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
From a magnum, this bottle was riveting from start to finish. The ethereal nose, with all its tobacco, cigar box, cedar, smoke, barbecue, campfire ember, black currant, mesquite, tree bark and cherry scents fired you up. Still powerful, full-bodied, concentrated, assertive and intense, the wine has a backbone, structure and a stoic, regal character to its fruit that gets your attention. The cassis, earth, cigar, herb and spice finish past the 60-second mark without trouble, and keph on going. I am sure well-stored bottles and large formats will pass the 100 year mark easily.
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3/12/2021 - racerchris Likes this wine: 97 Points
High shoulder fill. Orange crust under a slightly bulging capsule. The cork was weak and came out in pieces but it all came out without any dropping inside the bottle.
Double decanted 3 hours before dinner with a short hold in the decanter. A small initial sample ensured it was good. Still plenty of color, not thinned out at the edge.
I think cigar box is an apt descriptor for the herbal character overlaying the reserved cherry/cassis fruit. So smooth, so balanced. Each sip a pleasure. Outstanding!
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1/8/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine:
From magnum. Good fill but cork fell in. Despite that, very good but not great, although entire bottle was eagerly consumed. Wine had seen a little air at some point
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12/21/2020 - Collector1855 wrote: 99 Points
During an exuberant wash down the 2020 Covid year with some good Bordeaux Lunch&Dinner. Offered by the generous host, auction bottle. Well you never know post Rudy what is in these Unicorn bottles. Glad to see that the cork was for real, properly soaked and the nose was right of the bat very Latour-esque with wet forest floor, mineralic elements, pine, peat, licorice. Elegant palate, strict tannins with ripe fruit to support it, excellent balance, Very grand! If this was a fake, it was at least filled with top class Claret, that is for sure. 99-100
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10/17/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep and complex, with a shade less definition than the best bottles.
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5/24/2020 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 98 Points
Is 98 too harsh? Should this be 100? Dark ruby to garnet. Served blind, and noticeable cigar, lead, graphite, spice and chocolate. This was big and strong. So much structure left. Medium tannins. I guessed 82 bordeaux... A SIXTY ONE!! Total shock. Just amazing. How can this be nearly 60?! Wow. What a treat. Shared by BV. Whilst not at the perfection of an 82 Lafite I had a month earlier, this was just as magical.
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9/7/2019 - fclarity wrote: 99 Points
From a so-so looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red/purple center and light red rims (I bought it because the color was great). The medium+ intensity nose displayed black cherries, plums, walnuts, anise, and minerals.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe with huge fruit and substantial round tannin. It had crisp acidity and stunning length. Amazingly enough, this wine was still a touch closed even after 5+ hours in a decanter.
Fortunately, this bottle showed extremely well. It is hard to imagine a classier, more complete wine. It really needs another 10-20 years in the cellar or about 8 hours in a decanter. I have given it an extra point here for seemingly guaranteed potential.
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2/28/2019 - Burgnick wrote:
From the same case. Slow oxed for 90 mins. Unfortunately, this bottle was medicinal with autumn leave, earth and sweet plum. Tasted like an old barolo. Massive bummer...
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2/22/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 98 Points
The most regal of the '61's tonight and finally becoming open and giving after a long slumber. Majestic, deep and chiseled with classic notes of black fruits and walnuts. Very complex, crisp and concentrated with an endless finish. This will reach peak long after I'm in the ground so bury me with it please! 98+
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2/20/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 97 Points
An evening of vinous gems (Benoit): Not a very expressive nose. An impeccable classic structure. Jammy dark fruit balanced by beautiful fresh acidity. True class.
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2/5/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
From a bottle that came directly from the chateau, this was a beauty! The iron edge to the bright cassis was complicated by the tobacco leaf, cigar box, dark chocolate, cedar and sprig of mint on the nose. On the palate, the perfect melange of power, austerity, regal character and freshness carried through to the bright, sweet, earthy, stony red fruits. Here you find elegance married to power. What a wine and what a treat! The 61 was the product of the lowest yields in the history of the estate at only 15 hectoliters per hectare. Interestingly, the wine spent 3 years in barrel before bottling.
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2/2/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
1961 in Florida (Cafe Maxx, Pompano Beach, Florida): Oh my, it’s Latour and it’s 1961, a sublime combination. This bottle, sourced recently from the local wine merchant, is indisputably genuine at a time when so many of them are fakes. Great deep maroon color to the rim. Phenomenal aroma of black licorice, cassis and chestnut. Amazingly deep. Fine tannins. Both elegant and powerful. Not even a remote hint of fatigue, it seems 20 or 30 years old but too mysterious for an mere adolescent. A notch above the other ‘61s on this night. “Aristocratic” is a much abused term for Latour, but if you get a chance to taste this one, you understand why. A masterpiece.
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11/15/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 97 Points
From magnum. Young and still wearing the vanilla from wood, there is a lot of ripe dark fruit here and lots of energy. At least 15-20 years required in this format. 97+
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9/26/2018 - fcxj wrote: 98 Points
Hinoki, cedar shaving aromatics. Quite unique and very enjoyable. Freshness and lightness of texture a nice contrast to serious intensity of fruit. Can keep going.
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9/15/2018 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
An incredible birthday dinner: Cherry liqueur, blackcurrant, string olive tapenade notes and blackcurrant. Structured and quite unyielding with firm tannins, but still certainly has the fruit power to stand up. Behind the stunning showing of the 1959 tonight but still excellent in its own right.
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8/21/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very good, but not perfect example. Short a half increment of energy and focus on the finish.
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5/25/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
1961 Bordeaux: Dead or Alive? (Plantation, Florida): This bottle looked totally legitimate and in good condition, too. At first, very disappointing though, too acidic and lacking freshness, too simple, too tired, too old, not close to what the best bottles can be. But like a Phoenix, it gradually arise from the dead to display amazing depth and complexity. Lots of leather, ash, minerals, beyond fruit, although never displaying the sweetness of the greatest old Bordeaux. Still, remarkable and deeply satisfying, even thrilling. What a ride.
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5/25/2018 - sdr wrote: flawed
1961 Bordeaux: Dead or Alive? (Plantation, Florida): This bottle was sold to me recently at a reduced price because the merchant thought it might be fake. Indeed, there were problems with the label and the capsule, especially noted was the vintage in black font instead of red. When opened though, it was definite at a minimum that the capsule and cork (labeled Latour 1961) were very old. First impression was that the wine was correct for Bordeaux of this age, including aroma, color and taste. Unfortunately it quickly became apparent after a brief exposure to air it was heavily oxidized, all prunes and raisins, to the point that it was impossible to assess. Frustrating and disappointing since I will never know what it was.
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4/1/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 98 Points
Soft cork, great bottle. Had yet to fully open when I finished my generous glass in a little more than an hour.
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2/21/2018 - tinybubbles wrote: 93 Points
Hard, closed, and less than perfect bottle.
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11/15/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 95 Points
Château Latour Vertical (Vaucluse): Cigar box and dark tobacco. Brooding relative to the ‘59. Palate is excellent with a developed mouthful of secondary red and black berry fruits. Tannic structure is still present in a big way. Always impressed with how robust this wine is. Consistently a hedonistic and towering piece of work.
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11/2/2017 - mattiasjansson wrote: 99 Points
Latour and Sine Qua Non weekend; 11/2/2017-11/3/2017 (Edina, MN): Wow! Medium-dark red. Medium body. Tannins still resolving. Deep and intense palate. Fruit is still there. Long, long, layered finish. Changed fairly quickly in the glass. Lost some of its lustre after ~15-20 mins, but the next pour from the bottle was fresh again. Had it developed more positively over time this may have been my first perfect 100.
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10/16/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
While somewhat atypical, this showed good depth of fruit. Did not have the soaring spice on the nose and complexity of fruit that more developed bottles can display
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10/14/2017 - G_H wrote: 100 Points
Third time is the charm! Always some fears of fake bottles, but this was AMAZING! Cassis, wax, ridiculous 1961 sweetness, candied sugar, coal, still lots of tannin left, amazing length and richness.
Ridonculous!
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8/12/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
On the younger side as far as this wine goes.
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6/21/2017 - dbkitc wrote: 100 Points
Well...this might be the best wine I have ever had. Running neck and neck with '59 Haut Brion and '80 Romanee Conte. The nose is the essence of red and black current fruit and this perfect liquid mineral edge. The fruit is sooo sweet. The palate goes on forever - richness, sweetness and depth. I don't have the words. Thanks, Chuck, for sharing this monumental bottle. (100)
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5/12/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 95 Points
World's Greatest - Night II (Daniel): Somehow this wine remains so young. Have had the luck to have had this a few times now and it always shows brawny and bold. Some more air brings out developing red and black fruit with traces of earth and terroir coming out. Palate is intensely dark with a big tannic structure. Consistently a beast.
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5/12/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
A categorically consistent bottle with perhaps a little more wood on the nose, and a light plastic note to the initial nose that blew off. A good but not great bottle of this wine, not displaying the level of depth of the best of them
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3/17/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wine Monuments Man Chapter 2 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Zwei Legenden kamen dann auf den Tisch:Latour 1961 vs Palmer 1961. Es ist jetzt müssig über Punkte zu sprechen. Beide zusammen ergeben mindestens 199 Punkte. Darin war sich der Tisch einig. Nicht ganz einig waren wir uns, welcher uns besser gefiel. Für mich hatte der Palmer die Nase ganz knapp vor, weil er zurückhaltender und eleganter am Gaumen wirkte. Unglaublich feine Süße und Schmelz. Wenn man so will margauxtypische Seidigkeit. Nicht endender Abgang (100P). Das "Problem" beim Latour war, dass wir ihn nicht dekantiert hatten. Er war noch so von der Primärfrucht dominiert, dass seine unglaubliche Komplexizität fast unterging. Der Wein hat noch mindestens 30 Jahre vor sich. Wenn es noch einmal ein nächstes Mal geben sollte, würde ich ihn dekantieren (99+). Die Noten nach Schwarzem Tee und Minze, die mich beim letzten Mal so in den Bann gezogen hatten, waren noch gar nicht zugegegen. So was von jung. Unglaublich.
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2/15/2017 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 98 Points
Slow oxed for 3 hours. Complex nose with iron, blood, dried flowers, meat, pencil, cedar, and red fruit. Palate is so deep and complex with secondary. In its 4th hour, it gained even more weight and freshness. This is an insane and complete wine. The wine just kept evolving every 10 mins and its so deep and complex. No doubt, it still has at least 15-20 years left based on this bottle's condition
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1/27/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 97 Points
1961 Bordeaux tasting (Wine Watch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): The second most impressive wine of the night. Still appears quite young, with a dark ruby color. A fantastic nose of black currant, leather, cedar, dried flowers, tobacco, and sous bois. A beautiful mouthfeel, very elegant. Really gained impressive weight in the glass. Nicely structured, with the tannins in perfect balance. Acidity was also in harmony on the finish. While fully mature, this should continue to drink at this level for a very long time.
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11/18/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
An underwhelming bottle versus the standards of this wine. On a relative basis, muted, short and dumb. But still good by any other standard. 93-94
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11/16/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 100 Points
From Magnum, double decanted for 2 hours.
This was my dreamwine (beside Krug 1928). It was unbelievable. Perfect bottle. Very etherical at the beginning, mint, eucalyptus, tobacco leaves, so fresh, razorsharp acidity, subtle fruit of cassis, developing every half hour, after two hours in the glass you smell intensively black tea leaves, never ending finish. It can't be better. The best red wine I had so far. 101 points
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11/4/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 97 Points
An even better bottle than this time last year... Hard to imagine. A towering, spectacular bordeaux.
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7/16/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
This bottle had everything it needed and should have, lacking just the last increment of consistency and tanginess of acid on the palate of the freshest bottles. Still, this one had a lot of life left in it. 96-97
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4/24/2016 - MauriceE wrote: 100 Points
Great wine. We had it alongside a magic Latour 1947, but the 61 was even more magical. The next morning the leftover was still going strong. Stunningly great.
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4/16/2016 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
Weekend with Eddie - Part 2 (Bouley, NYC): Expressive nose displaying intense slightly dry black fruits, cassis, a hint of mint, eucalyptus, port, leather smoke and cedar. Unbelievably concentrated, so unctuous that you can eat this, layers up layers of intense dark fruits, a hint of port like sweetness, perfect amount of acidity, mineral a la earth and deeply toned seamless finish with a hint of fully mature port as the end note. Freakishly big and ripe. Impressive monumental immortal wine. If you are a claret lover, you would prefer the older brother, 59. Wow!
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4/9/2016 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
It started off sluggish, unfocused nose and simple palate. Fortunately, after a several minutes of air, it composed itself and took off into that special region of the stratosphere reserved for Latour. More cassis and black licorice than any fruit in the orchard, there was an intense core of blackness with the mysterious level of complexity that only comes with great age. Very special indeed.
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2/24/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Possessed all of the constituent parts expected of this great wine but without the final two levels of intensity and sparkle. Blackberry and black plum with woodsmoke, black truffle, dark dry earth, cedar shavings, and spice notes on the backnose. Balanced on the palate, and with still sufficient acid, this bottle was in cruise control versus the full throttled exuberance that the best bottles have
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2/19/2016 - Pcrage Likes this wine: 100 Points
At Robert Parker "Matter of Taste" Latour vertical dinner at Daniel in NYC. '03, '01, '00, '96, '82, '61 ex chateau. And the food wasn't bad either!!
What an evening. This vertical was about as good as it gets and enjoyed the evening with old friends and some new ones too. Robert Parker was as gracious as ever as was Daniel Boulud.
Of course each of these wines was outstanding I was particularly impressed with the '01 (for an off year) and the '82 was mind bending. But when '61 was served and compared it was an emotional experience to say the least. As Parker put it "this is an immortal wine". The only sad part of the experience is knowing that there is less of this in the world today and I wonder if it will ever be duplicated. You must search this out.
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2/19/2016 - lepetitchateau wrote: 98 Points
Perfect fills. From a full case of Nicolas bottling, purchased prior to the days of rampant faked wines. The nose shows harmonious power, classic minty and lead pencils. This is a special wine, a real treat, a once in a year experience - certainly not a wine that one would causally have two nights running! That would be gauche, clearly déclassé. (PL)
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2/17/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
A slight mustiness on the edges of both the nose and the palate detracted from the experience but this was quite obviously a brilliant wine underneath. Unfortunately did not come close to what this wine should be. Paired acceptably with beef. I would have appreciated this more had I not anticipated what this wine can be. UK market bottle
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2/17/2016 - tinybubbles wrote: flawed
Good fill. Wine not good. US market bottle.
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1/22/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote:
Château Latour vertical tasting ((Wine Watch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)): This incredible vertical tasting started with the famed 1961 Château Latour. Unfortunately, this did not appear to be a good representation of this wine, and it appeared a bit oxidized. Amber/brown color. Pruney fruits, dried raisins, leather, herbs, and damp forest floor. A nice mouthfeel, and still adequate structure. A bit flat on the finish. I won’t render much of an opinion here (nor rate it), and will defer until the next 1961.
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12/5/2015 - reichken wrote: 99 Points
it doesn't get much better than this. deep dark still trying to be king of the table and probably was. a delicious mix of wood/cedar and earth just holding on fruit. very good bottle
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11/12/2015 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 97 Points
Was served this blind and all the guesses were '80s St. Julien... Somehow this wine seemed young still. Latour is a brute and this 55-year-old was no exception, delivering immense red cedar and mature black cherry and currant on the palate, supported by damp mineral-laden earth. Powerful nose of damp hay and red clay. Tingling minerality on the palate and red cedar tannin still hanging on. Quite amazing to see how hard this wine was still kicking.
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10/31/2015 - AudunG wrote: 89 Points
Dusty aromas with some etheral notes. Weak structure, and definitely on its way to the grave, this bottle. According to all the 100 point scores my bottle must have been an exception. But I have heard others too saying the Latour 61 is not of the same greatnes as it used to be.
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10/7/2015 - tsue Likes this wine: 100 Points
most amazing wine ever drank.
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5/3/2015 - G_H wrote:
Richter Raritäten Degu Volume III (Restaurant Farnsburg, Switzerland): The bottle was genuine, but had a very low level, you could feel that this was monumental with the amazing 1961 sweetness, but there was some oxidative notes that prevented this from being extraordinary. So no score given. If I had to it would have been a 90 point wine
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12/16/2014 - noppakit s. wrote: 100 Points
My 4th time with Latour 1961 and this bottle I drink along with 1945 Mouton Rothschild.
Mouton is great 2nd Growth, a lot of sediment lying underneath (unfilter ??) and this plenty of chip-sediment made the wine very powerful and must be the most special Mouton ever made. Aftertaste is like a great Burgundy. Nothing's movin' but powerful still. 100/100
But when drink along with Chateau Latour 1961, First Growth is First Growth, it gets over Mouton 1945 very easy. The nose opens 95% but the texture is pure and the structure is perfect.
Finish is amazing great, super long with directions. Only great wine can make this kind of aftertaste. Feel like walking in the air, up into the sky. No doubt the No.1 best wine in the world.
If I am lucky enough, I will have a chance to drink it again in May. Cross my fingers !!!
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11/14/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 100 Points
"20 Vintages of Latour at Daniel." I've been fortunate enough to taste this wine 4 times in the past 2 years and this was the best bottle so far. Just incredible depth, breed and class to this wine that no other vintage could come close to matching tonight. There are full dark fruit flavors with wonderful notes of tobacco, dark spices, minerals and voluptuous earth all presented in a chiseled package with such incredible precision of flavors. The ultra-long finish showed a very fine complexity just beginning to emerge from this monumental wine. Like drinking liquid black onyx. Based on this tasting, this has to be a candidate for greatest red wine ever made. 100+
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11/11/2014 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 100 Points
Absolutely spectacular and a strong candidate for the best wine that I've ever had. Tar, cherry, blackberry, damp earth, coffee grounds, and cigar box. A lot going on here! Tannins provide good texture in the mouth but are very fine at this point. Based on this tasting, this wine could last another 30 years.
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2/8/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 98 Points
A Weekend Of Aged First-Growths At Beau-Rivage in Geneva II: Incredible dark ruby color. With swirling and time in the glass, the earthy, nutty, cedar nose of Latour begins to show itself. On the palate, the breed and class this wine exudes is just amazing. With a texture like silken granite, this very young wine shows wonderful flavors of dark fruits, cedar and walnut with leathers and spices and an incredible depth that hints at the glories to come as this wine approaches maturity over the next 50 years! Deeply concentrated on the laser-like finish, this wine shows such precision and focus that virtually guarantees it will reach 100 pts. as soon as the secondary flavor development moves further along. Stunning for its depth, class and youthfulness. 98++ Geneva 2/14
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12/20/2013 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 99 Points
Latour Vertical Tasting; 12/19/2013-12/20/2013 (Switzerland): This was a very special moment I was waiting for quite some time, and finally I had the privilege to taste this legend.
The color was still deep, intensive red. the color looks much younger than its age, you rather think of +/- 20 years but not 52 years old. Amazing flavors of currant, licorice and tobacco, spice. The wine has an enormous length and power, but at the same time is so elegant and smooth. The taste of black tea, sweet berries, black truffles and leather emerge. So highly complex. This wine still has enough tannins to last for a few more decades. Kind of a more mature 1986. Just amazing.
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12/7/2013 - Amerique wrote: 96 Points
Rich, delicious, full-bodied black cherry fruit, excellent structure, good acid, round, leathery flavors, great wine, 2nd best wine of evening in line up including 1959 Mouton and 1949 Leoville-las-cases
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11/30/2013 - Pcrage wrote: 100 Points
To my mind, absolute perfection. Amazingly pure and complex and as smooth as cashmere. Tobacco leaves and forest floor with ample fruit. Dare I say this wine has another 10 to 15 years of life left. Of course, I am partial as 61 was my birth year but this was a superb wine nonetheless.
I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to enjoy this with family and friends.
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5/18/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Flickinger "Significant Cellar" Tasting (Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Big start with good dollop of fruit and braised meat spice with some tobacco. Long, powerful and dense black fruit start-to-finish. Very good balance.
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5/18/2013 - acyso wrote: 98 Points
"A Significant Cellar" tasting at Flickinger (Chicago, IL): Even riper than the '59, there was loads of fruit and spice on this wine. This bottle seemed a lot cleaner as well (not so much funk and perhaps a bit more mineral quality).
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3/18/2013 - -E- wrote: 95 Points
Night of the titans (Onda Mezzanine, Oslo): Klar, mørksvart, dyp rød med innslag av oransje. Dyp, nobel og mørk nese med en underliggende kraft og eleganse som dessverre aldri kommer helt frem. Intens, tett, konsis og (for alderen) ungdommelig frukt med et elegant preg. Frisk , presis og saftig syre. Tørre tanniner i finish. Tørrer mer ut med tid i glasset. Flott vin etter de fleste standarder, men dessverre ikke optimal flaske for være denne vinen.
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3/18/2013 - LWI wrote: 95 Points
Anti Bag in Box Dinner: Deep and complex, but so very unfortunately: a bit oxidative leaning towards plummy on the nose. In the mouth it is much better than on the nose, has lots of power, tight, could have been more complex. Not an optimal bottle.
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2/11/2013 - noppakit s. Likes this wine: 100 Points
It's coming back from sleeping period. The nose is not fully-opened but the texture was perfect. Aftertaste takes almost 30 minutes to be finished.
This is my 3rd time of Latour 1961.
I wish I could have a chance to drink it again at Christmas 2013/2014 when everything's ready to perform.
Drink 2014 - 2040
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1/1/2013 - Fausto_Coppi wrote: flawed
Very poor level and bouquet was quite musty suggesting that the wine was corked quite badly. After breathing for an hour this became less of an issue but this bottle had seen better days. However the wine was still quite impressive and all present enjoyed the experience of drinking this a fine piece of history. I drank the final glass full about 6 hours after opening and it was excellent despite the obvious fault.
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12/31/2012 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
This incredibly youthful bottle was in outstanding condition - level just below neck, excellent color, moist cork which almost came out intact. As soon as I started to pour it into the decanter, I got a blast of mint, but that quickly blew off, leaving behind it an obviously mature and complex secondary aromatics, which unfortunately faded after 30 minutes. But the palate presence was outstanding, with velvety texture, dark berry and wet earth notes with notes with perhaps a bit of minerals. Medium finish, but clearly a superb wine to drink now.
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10/18/2012 - G_H Likes this wine: 96 Points
The White Club private tasting and dinner (Basel): Surprisingly not the wine of the night for me (78 La Chappelle), but that's not to say that it was not ridiculously good. Leather, super super concentrated in the palate, huge tannin structure, very long and extremely elegant. Interestingly enough I smelled chestnuts next to all those still great fruit and berry notes.
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8/20/2012 - winecowboy wrote: 96 Points
Another excellent sample of a well kept 61. Rich, deep and powerful. Young oakey and full of black forest fruits. Leather and lead.
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5/18/2012 - danielk168 wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was high shoulder and cork was marginal, that is why my frined decided to open it as it does not look it will keep. Not giving much in the glass after 30mins, so in the decanter it went, an hour later, much better, very complex nose with delicate floral notes, VERY long finnish, over 1min+, if the bottle was in good shape belive this could easily be 96-99pts wine.
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3/22/2012 - T Warner wrote: 99 Points
Fortunate enough to have a bottle of this wine for my Birthday on the 20th. Dark purple core fading to red rim. Clean, clear and beautiful. Nose was incredibly complex and full of intense aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries and licorice. Tannins were still strong and the wine was exceptionally well balanced. Rich and full flavours of black fruit, cedar with a slight smoky round flavor. This wine just kept on giving. Amazing!
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2/4/2012 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
I can't remember where I purchased this bottle many years ago. The label was very tattered and the cork was tight and moist all the way through. I was worried about the mid shoulder level, but as so often happens with well stored bottles, the level is almost irrelevant. The color was that of a 25 year old; beautiful deep garnet with a hint of orange at the rim, but no brown. The initial bouquet was stunning in its beauty and complexity. Still plenty of earthy fruit, sweet pipe tobacco and damp rain forest floor with a few flowers sprouting. Lovely middle weight, surprising energy without muscle. The finish was perfect; not especially long but clean and fresh. So often these very old wines start out well but end with too much acid, tannin or dryness. Not this one. I was hoping for a bit more evolution in the glass but it stayed resolutely the same over two hours or perhaps lost a bit of the complexity of aroma it had when I first opened it. I'm not complaining, though.
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12/15/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
1961 Latour offers a regal perfume of tobacco leaf, cassis, iron, cedar, spice, truffle and forest floor notes. Powerful, full bodied, intense and deep, this concentrated wine takes over your palate with multiple layers of rich, ripe, spicy black fruits that fill your mouth and coat your palate. This wine personifies the term "iron fist in a velvet glove." This is elegance meshed with power. The long, spicy, dark berry and cassis filled finish remains in your mouth for close to 60 seconds.
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12/3/2011 - Dave Canada wrote: 100 Points
The Tenth Annual Stonefields Dinner (Guelph, ON, Canada): My first encounter with 1961 Latour, a wine on my must try before I die list.
What a thrill….such power and elegance. The nose was stunning….ripe primary black currants, cherry, and cassis transition to secondary notes of forest floor, spice, cedar, plums, sweet pipe tobacco and an almost truffle element. The finish is mesmerizing….waves of flavours coat the palate. This is stunning! I’m speechless! Never ending. Wow!
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11/9/2011 - JulianSkeels wrote: 100 Points
Robert Parker - up close & personal dinner (Petrus, Hong Kong): Perfect bottle. My first ever 100pts... If this isn't then I don't know what is. Sweet, fruit still strong and the finish is forever. Tobacco leaf, earth, plums and raspberry. And this is from regular bottle, magnum will last 30yrs+!
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10/13/2011 - zinfidel wrote: 98 Points
Excellent bottle in great condition. Still very youthful, it was a bit closed at first and needed a couple of hours to fully open up. Nose of smoked bacon, figs, lemon zest, with a port-like character. Dark brick red with only slight browning at edges. Medium body with Drying tannins still very present, indicating this has plenty of time left. Only issue is that it needs more time!
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9/11/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 95 Points
MNSC (The Pawn): initially a little tight and unyielding, with notes of graphite and lead pencil. great structure and concentration. opened up a bit more with second pour becoming sweeter and more fragrant, but still got blown away by the Mouton.
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9/9/2011 - Zweder Likes this wine: 100 Points
Vertical of 15 vintages Latour followed by a 3* Michelin dinner and 11 magnums. (@ the Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands.): This is my 10,000th tasting note in Cellartracker and I kept a few notes behind for that purpose. But Latour 1961 will be the one; the 3rd wine ever I scored the perfect 100.
Tasted blind without knowing the vintage. Still a dark, almost black core, but also a slightly orange rim. Beautiful and complex bouquet; primary, secondary as well as tertiary. There are ripe fruits like plums, cassis and figs, but also licorice, cedar and caramel. Sniffing is almost enough. So complex and pleasurable. On the palate almost explosive, but also so soft. Cassis still!!! Massive. Beautiful acidity. Cassis again. Perfect tannin. Cedar. Leather. So complex, so powerful, but also so soft. A superb beauty now, but in 10 or 20 years from now this is still a true feast; if you are lucky enough to have a perfect bottle like we had tonight. This was a dream I will never forget. My third wine I give the perfect score and it was so different from the other two: Petrus 89 which was so luscious and creamy and so perfectly balanced. And Chateaux Margaux which I tasted several times and scored it 100 once because of its youthful beauty. Anyway, if it was possible this Latour 1961 would beat them both; with its age of 50 years it gave an extra dimension. I am still stunned. A 101 or 102 score seems alright as well. Sorry for my enthousiasm…..(If you read my other notes, you can see this is an extreme exception!)
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9/9/2011 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 100 Points
Verticaal Latour (De Librije, Zwolle): Kleur: Meer geëvolueerd, bruin-oranje Aroma / bouquet: Groots-tertiair, ook in de neus meer geëvolueerd, een absolute snuffelwijn die bij elk snuifje zich van een nieuwe kant toont, maggi, indruk van jodium, zoethout, cederhout, vleugje karamel, Smaak / Afdronk: Boterzachte concentratie, een vuistslag met een fluwelen handschoen, maximaal harmonieus, prachtig zuur zonder hint van hardheid, prachtig gerijpte tannines, nog steeds een bite maar zonder hardheid, werkelijk superieure lengte Algemeen / potentieel: Mooier kan Bordeaux niet worden. Prachtig tertiair maar nog volop power. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
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5/22/2011 - fclarity wrote: 100 Points
From an excellent looking bottle for Murray's 50th, this wine looked very strong with a purple/red center and just a bit of orange at the rim. The high- intensity nose of black fruit, brown spices, soil, anise, and dried thyme was captivating. Its nuances seemed to shift with each smell, as the great wines often do.
As this wine entered my mouth, I was hit by waves of ripe fruit complexity. Huge, ripe, and rich, this wine had it all, despite still being a bit too young. It was powerful with notable rounded tannin and firm acidity. However, these structural components were buried in ripe, complex fruit.
This wine is just entering its drinking window and appears to need 3+ hours of air to show its best. However, it is really still too young! I would give it a 98+ for drinking now but, given the class and balance of this wine, it is a no brainer to hit triple digits. It should last another 40 years.
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3/2/2011 - Fatty Cat wrote: 98 Points
Tasting ‘Chateau Latour’ at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival: decanted before the tasting; rubin red color; started with a slightly restrained earthy bouquet and suddenly truffles, truffles, truffles (Alba and Perigord: yes, yes, yes :-); when swirled the truffle note gave way to red and black berries but once the surface calmed down the truffles flavor took back the lead; smooth, almost lush on the palate with pepper notes; medium/full body; long truffle finish.
So this was the wine many experienced tasters consider the number one of all time. And I mere mortal have to agree. One of my life time wine experiences and definitely not a fake bottle.
Superficially it was truffles dunked in red wine. But there was much more. This bottle of 1961 Latour was in top shape. Nothing reminded of the 50 years. Literally a best ager with a long, extraordinary life ahead. That evening I awarded 98 points, maybe that’s not enough ...
Flight IV: 1937 - 1953 - 1961 - 1966 - 1970 - 1971
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12/6/2010 - winecowboy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark inky purple in colour. Thick in texture. Lead pencil and hints of cassis but still very primary and conservatively closed. Black fruits interlaced with earthiness in the mouth. Wine is still way too young. Will be amazing once it's fully ready.
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12/3/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Deep ruby in color, the nose sang with tobacco, cassis, truffle, smoke, earth forest floor notes. Big, rich and polished, the wine finished with a large mouthful of cassis, chocolate and steel that faded far too quickly in the glass. What should have an awesome wine was damaged by a lack or provenance. This was an outstanding fully mature Bordeaux, but not a great 61 Latour. Once again, while there is no such thing as a great older wine, there are only great older bottles. 95 Pts
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8/20/2010 - strulock wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux Dinner - Societe Mondiale du Vin (Dallas, TX): Impressive fruit on the nose at first tasting that slowly faded to leather and port. Dark red with bricking. Certainly has some life left. Very gentle, silk texture. Good structure still, plenty of mineral notes. Over the course of the evening, more and more port flavors emerged.
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7/30/2010 - hkbob Likes this wine: 100 Points
Brick red/ruby. Astounding nose displaying purely defined aromas of cedar, truffle and rich cigar box. Liquid velvet with an immense and regal palate presence and an eternal finish. Essence of Cabernet. Paired beautifully with beef wellington and white asparagus. Lost for words.
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6/9/2010 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is one of those '61s that refuses to age. No wrinkles, no slowing down. The color is almost purple all the way to the rim. Powerful and intense on nose and palate. Black current, blackberry, mineral. No tobacco, no smoke. Superb mouth feel. Even more powerful on the finish. A masterpiece.
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3/25/2010 - sdr wrote: 97 Points
Another brilliant showing, and WOTN for me and K at the BWE dinner at Custom House Tavern (Chicago) although others preferred the '59.
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3/18/2010 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
The '61 Latour is amazingly consistent for its age. The rock solid core of minerally dark berry fruit and toasted walnuts or hazelnuts is nothing short of amazing. Compared with the '59 we had along side it, the '61 was more intense, more focused and more delicious.
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11/21/2009 - rnellans wrote: 95 Points
Very dark...somewhat closed at first. After an hour in the glass, it started to open with lots of cigar box and currant aromas. Big on the palate as expected but quite balanced. Not as good as the 61 La Mission we had a couple of weeks ago.
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8/28/2009 - ryker01 wrote:
From Magnum. Fantastic, still young. Quintessential bordeaux.
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8/9/2009 - winerus wrote: 100 Points
This wine continues to amaze me. The bouquet and structure were amazing. Will continue to live on. My favorite.
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3/1/2009 - treaganjr wrote: 94 Points
Consumed with friends on OTBN 2009 and it was spectacular. All facets outstanding.
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3/1/2009 - noppakit s. wrote: 100 Points
My 2nd time with Latour 1961.
Deep and exotic dark ruby colour. From the sight, I bet, no one knows that this is 50 years old wine.
Moreover, This is so fresh in nosing, no sign of bad smell. The very very beautiful fruit jumps out of the glass. So sad that nothing's showing much in terroir even flowers or mineral, just only the fruit-bomb..
So different from the last bottle in Dec 2007. For this good kept bottle...only 1st BIG sip is taking my breath away. I can not move for 15 mins. The aftertaste continueusly robust super long...tears covers my eyes...another part is going deep down bit by bit until fullfilled all over every tiny space in my heart then stays long...long...but not finished yet...it beautifully spread out and go up again...softly...I have to say the same word....Endless Aftertaste....
...The most sensational aftertaste in my life...
So sad again, after 2.30 hours, it seems like closing down and open up again in the aggressive way.
Is it going to sleep again after 48 years old ?
At 4th hour, quite tannic, this is telling us something...a long way to last its live...new experience for me because last bottle was getting old...very peak...
Mmm...anyway, it is far beyond those 100/100 wines. The Legend !!!
Drink now - 2031.....if I could turn back time....I will open it 1.15 hours and finished it within 2.30 hours....
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12/25/2008 - curtr wrote: 94 Points
Cork showed a little leakage. Was not a representative bottle for the vintage. Beautiful leather aromas. Still a treat.
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12/17/2008 - Samantha wrote:
Served out of magnum. A beautiful concentration of fabulous fruit. Totally explosive and lush, but still really young and tight. I would have never ever guessed '61. Obviously going to be a spectacular wine, but needs more time to develop.
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12/13/2008 - winecowboy wrote: 96 Points
Ex-chateau bottle. Way too youthful to be opened now.
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3/15/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
After hours in the glass, the wine continued putting on weight and evolving in the glass. Absolutely amazing! This huge wine was packed and stacked with countless layers of rich, ripe, Cabernet fruit. The walnut laden perfume with it’s layers of cassis, cedar and truffles was off the charts. It tasted incredibly young and will continue to improve for decades.
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12/4/2007 - noppakit s. wrote: 100 Points
Story of this bottle, a man got this bottle 30 years ago from a big wine shop in Copenhagen, Denmark. He kept it in his celler down there until he died in 2000. His son found the wine in 2005 and see the name of the shop under the label. Then he bring to sell it back.
How lucky I am ? The next day, unfortunately, I went to that shop and the maneger told me the story of the mid-shoulder level Latour 1961 with special offer. The great wine that nevers go anywhere...how can I refuse ?
Til' Tuesday, today, my brother brings Petrus 1982 to rock but never roll.
The colour of Latour 1961 is still very deep and very very dark ruby like the wine from mid 90's
This is not the aroma of typical Latour such as 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978. It's perfume !!! after 2 hours, it represents the most wonderful nose that I never met before. Sweet cassis combined with perfect fruits, licorice, very mild leather, layers upon layers and upon layers again. many beautiful scents intermixed...earth, honeydew, smoke, the nature. All those things is getting better and better...only putting my nose into the glass is heaven...I'm in heaven.
In the mouth, it clearly declares itself...I am what I am... Latour is the Greatest Bordeaux Wine !!! lovely spiciness, acidity, balance and most complex. How can it be P E R F E C T like this. Unutterable !!! Oh..La..La...
Aftertaste : IMO, the finished of the wine will get the score by its performance. For Latour 1961, it's totally different from any wine, many many layers.( tasting note from the Chateau said " Latour 1961 is ENDLESS AFTERTASTE "...now I get it...heaven 17...
After last night, it's absolutely..automatically.. be No.1 the best wine in my life...
Latour 1961...If I could, I would give it 103/100....
ps. The only one thing which tells me the age of this wine is the finish...after swallow the wine...a scent of 46 years old shows up...just only one second then fresh...fresh....B..o..o..m....fly me to the moon....
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9/9/2007 - nvandyk wrote: 98 Points
Drank to celebrate the birth of my son. I realized, as I was drinking this, that I was tasting greatness. This is a singularly amazing wine...a full medium red, incredible complexity on the nose, particularly after about 45 minutes in the decanter when the cedar came out...graphite, cedar, tobacco and currants on the nose...incredible complexity and seamless tannins and fruit on the palate...syrupy...so intense...just amazing. Sadly, no more bottles in the cellar. It almost makes me want to have another child so I'll have an excuse to find another one...what keeps this from 100? I have a preference for fruit over tobacco...but really, we're picking nits...this is in the stratosphere.
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6/1/2007 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 97 Points
A dark mulberry colour. A bit closed on the nose: I find some cinnamon notes, though others are talking about coconut, which I can’t find. On the palate, this is showing its class in spades. Deep, elegant and wondering why on earth we’ve woken it up so soon in its life. Excellent.
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2/20/2006 - Eric wrote:
The Grand Finale with Leve at the French Laundry (Yountville, Napa Valley, CA): Oh my, this is like Syrup of Bordeaux, black in the glass with smells of beef blood and dusky black fruit. With a lot of air the cedar comes out to play, and amazingly the wine is getting darker and heavier in the glass. Wow, there is just so much weight on this wine. I was very sad to see my last sips go on this wine that amazingly still seems far too young?!?
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1/20/2006 - jrufusj wrote:
61/82 Bordeaux Dinner (Luxor in Marunouchi): Strong deep color, almost solid throughout – a harbinger of youthfulness to come on nose and palate. Beautiful but tightly wound initial nose of pure cassis, graphite, and faint vanillin. As it opens up, it blossoms into ripe fruit, coffee, and Moroccan spice. The palate also has a prominent streak of graphite throughout, with sweet velvety cassis and berry in front and lovely hints of cinnamon on the finish. Beyond the lushness of the initial entry, this shows like a laser beam – a thin defined line – on the mid-palate and finish until it has passed over an hour in the glass. Only then does it begin to show its real strength and weight as it expands to fill the mid-palate with roasted coffee, ripe fruit and chocolate, all of a body and richness that is impressive but never clumsy. The finish is misnamed as it just won’t finish, evolving from the cinnamon into tobacco with both supported by more sweet fruit. I’m three years younger than the wine, but it almost certainly has more years left than I do.
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11/19/2005 - sdr wrote: 94 Points
Hugh's bottle, purchased many years ago. In the excellent trio of '55/'61/'70 we tasted that night, the '61 easily showed its great breed and concentration, although the '70 was not too far behind. But this healthy and lively '61 showed that intense core of fruit that simply refused to fade and gives the best wines of this great vintage such amazing length. Cinnamon, cedar, blackcurrent and black licorice are all in there, topped off by a distinct element of smoke. A great wine without a doubt, but as good as it was, this bottle was not as transcendant as the very best bottles of '61 Latour can be.
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1/27/2005 - MRichman wrote:
Dinner at Jeff and Sarah's (NYC): Fresh if not young. Layers on layers. Smooth with nice Bordeaux age, band aid. Lots and lots of herbs. Subtle. Mellow. Not massive, but smooth. Compelling. Very complex, very very long. A pleasure.
A
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9/1/2001 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle. Finally after a string of subpar bottles, a great one to restore my confidence. An indisputable masterpiece worthy of the accolades. Moist firm cork. Top shoulder ullage. Incredibly dark, no trace of orange. Essence of Latour Cabernet Sauvignon terroir. Power to burn yet not brutal. Balanced tannins. Fills the mouth and every corner of the palate. Persists forever. Masculine and regal, the King of Bordeaux. The clear star of the impressive Latour vertical at Café Maxx including ‘70, ‘61, ‘59 and ‘49. Wow.
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2/1/2001 - sdr wrote: 85 Points
Hugh’s bottle, from Marin Wine Cellar. Excellent color. A hint of Latour, not nearly enough. Disappointing.
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3/1/2000 - sdr Likes this wine: 88 Points
Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle. Top shoulder level. Good color, orange rim. Tight and clenched. Still tannic but now ready. Very firm. Dark fruits, bark and figs. Not pruney or raisiny, though. Chewy. Held very well in the glass for over 2 hours but never really relaxed.
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9/1/1999 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Connoisseur Wine Imports bottle. Two bottles. The first definitely off, the second much better but still not stellar. Mature healthy color. Interesting mint/basil top note. Good weight and texture. Lacks zip.
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12/1/1997 - sdr wrote: 83 Points
Jim’s bottle. Atypical. Light, modest and short. Recognizably Latour, though. Outclassed by all the other vintages of Latour we brought to Ocean Grand.
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9/1/1997 - sdr wrote: flawed
Off the list at Bex Miami South Beach ($429, retail now is $1200). Mid shoulder ullage is not encouraging. To me, definitely madeirized but not to Jim or Hugh.
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5/11/1996 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 100 Points
Tasted at unblinded Latour vertical at the Belgian Lion. Deep ruby with red rim. Intense nose of blackberries, cherry, chocolate, cedar, plum and leather. Complex, full-bodied palate with similar flavors. The wine is indeed syrup-like in its texture. Remarkably youthful. It is hard to believe that this wine is 35 years old at this point. To date, it is the best wine that I have ever tasted (or will likely ever taste during my lifetime). This wine is undoubtedly still improving and should last another half-century!
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4/1/1995 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Very dark color. Very fresh, very youthful. Good acidity and backbone. Immense core of ripe fruit. Needs 5 more years to reach its apogee. Much better than the ‘59 Latour tasted alongside it. Superb endless future.
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12/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Jim’s bottle. Somewhat disappointing. Good dark color, no sign of age. Nose is dense, hidden, unfocused. Powerful mineral fruit is slightly muddled. Almost outstanding. Not showing today it is one of the wines of the century, which on another day it is.
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5/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
Very dark, no fading, looks 10-15 years old. Still tight and closed. Eventually the classic mineral Latour expression of Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon emerges. Enormous reserve of fruit will surely outlive the tannins. Needs another 5 years. Absolutely great wine.
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9/1/1993 - sdr wrote: flawed
Corked.
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9/1/1991 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
The group’s favorite of the “59 vs. ‘61 First Growth” tasting at Café St. Honoré blind tasting. Huge, massive, inky and black. Meaty and smoky (I thought it was the LMHB). Not hot but seems to have a lot of alcohol which of course it doesn’t. Impeccable balance for this behemoth. Long powerful finish. Some of the experts think this will last a century and now I can see why.
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1/1/1989 - sdr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Extremely dark. Backward. Dusty and bricky, even Rhônish. Improves with air. Full, round and rich. Long life ahead. A legend in the making?
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5/19/1987 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Hors classé in this giant vertical back to ‘42. Simply gorgeous bouquet of great complexity including flowers, black fruits and cassis. Moderate depth. Not an enormous Latour. Excellent finish. Light to medium fully resolved “sophisticated “ tannins. Proof that great wine, even a Pauillac, does not have to be heavy. And that vintages really do matter.
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