1996 Château Latour Grand Vin
Community Tasting Note
BenBlu Likes this wine:
Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - 50ml by the glass in 67 PM. Left to air for 1 hour in the glass prior to tasting and part of a mini line-up of 1st growths we selected to sample side by side. Starting to look its age and visually more developed then the Lafite 96 side by side. Nicely balanced nose of forest floor, leather - very classic Bordeaux left bank. The palate is medium bodied (a bit lighter then I expected), soft tannins, tobacco notes and some (although subdued) red berry. Finishes a bit shorter then I would have thought/hoped for. Hmmm, very good Bordeaux, no doubt. But maybe just a tiny bit underwhelmed. Not a 100 pointer for sure. Not quite as good as the Lafite 96 (I rate this 96-97 pts) side by side or as good as a bottle of Margaux 96 I had last year (98 pts with upside).
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2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (6,317 views)
Comment posted by Purple Tooth:
8/30/2017 3:24:00 PM - I plan on opening a bottle of this along with a 1995 next month...If you want to come by, let me know...I will report back. I LOVE the 1996 Latour. The 96's have a special place for us in general, but the Left Bank wines make the year that much more special. Of course, a part of your disappointment could have been the monster in the room (the 1996 Lafite). Nice reading your notes as always :-)
Comment posted by BenBlu:
8/31/2017 7:13:00 AM - Thanks for your note my friend! 95 vs 96 Latour sounds like a great game plan - please do report back - and on the off chance when and where exactly was that going to take place did you say ;-) - sounds like my type of evening! On my TN for the 96 Latour I would take it with a slight pinch of salt - I am a drinker (not a professional taster) and sampling a small 50ml glass doesn't give me the same perspective as slowly savoring an entire bottle over some hours; plus they Coravin these samples and I do feel Coravin'ed bottles oxidize slightly; and as we know with any wines at that age bottle variation comes into play. I definitely keep my fingers crossed for you that both the 95 and 96 will be singing for you next month my friend! Cheers, Ben.
Comment posted by Purple Tooth:
8/31/2017 10:18:00 AM - Amen to tall that...I trust focused drinkers like you far more than critics. That's what makes cellar tracker so cool. Its basically the ability to drill down into specific people with very similar palates with love for the same wines. I am still looking for a good bottle of 2005 CLP to try based on your recommendation. I am sure its going to be right up my chute. See ya BB