This was a hard wine served blind! The color in the glass was pretty light with bricking around the edges. Upon opening, this has so many old Barolo tells - tar, celery seed, fenugreek, but also still fruited… wasn’t even close! The wine is VERY much alive, with tannin and acid still present along with tertiary aromas of tar, celery seed and cherries. A wine of yesteryear with no sense of being over the top and aging so gracefully. Super cool!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: Intense weighty dark cherry, tobacco, spearmint and wood. This really means business, and had incredible depth on the nose.
Palate: Opens with dark inky layers of nori, umami and dark plum. But with air it unfolds red berries, blackberry, cassis and blueberry notes, sweet dusty tannin, more mint and herbs. Exceptional silky mouthfeel and pliant tannin that remains gives the wine unusual heft. Gorgeous fruit and overall freshness that is remarkable at nearly 60-years old.
Finish: Length is wonderful and offers all of the fruit, wood and spice notes you would want. This is a slow burn, and right now still aging at a glacial pace.
This was an outstanding bottle, and was my WOTN with some very serious old Napa next to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It’s amazing what a bruiser this is and how long it takes to open, really needing an hour of air to show its best. But eventually those nori, black earth, and ink notes are joined by a mix of red and black cherry and a fresh mineral note. A serious temperament, more impressive than charming, evolving at a surprisingly slow pace.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
BV Georges de Latour Vertical from 4 Decades: '64, '80, '84, '89, '98 (St. Paul, MN): Medium dark red color with subtle bricking. The color was quite promising. Splash decanted and drank a glass plus over an hour plus. Oh what a beautiful bottle. Right from the start this was simply singing. Such a pretty nose with the perfume clearly there immediately and growing moment by moment with every minute of air; great purity with a juxtaposition of bright red berries, red cherry, and blue fruits mixed with fine leather, a bit of funk and dried earth , and finely ground tobacco. The palate is also a wow, sleek, near perfection, red fruits with a streak of cassis and blueberry, dried red cherry, lacquer, leather, tobacco leaf. There's amazing intensity of flavor at 55 years and this is simply seamless, an amazing wine of grace and purity. Very long and tantalizing with depth and complexity, well resolved, and more than enough fruit. This bottle, at the least, does make you believe that Andre was a genius and clearly did make a gold standard wine comparable to the best in the world. I'm sure they don't all survive this way, but when they do! I could envision well stored bottles going another 10 years or maybe more. 96-97pts easily.
This has been in my cellar since 1970. It did not disappoint. Typical BV american oak, spice on the nose. Holding well given it’s age. Still some fruit and . Still quite enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bucket List Tasting 2.0 (Sbicca Restaurant, Del Mar, California): Pristine condition with mid-neck fill. Not decanted. Cloudy brick-blood red color. Bouquet of bright fresh tart red currants, forest floor, tobacco, earthy mushrooms, toffee, hints of English saddle leather. ShaneT noted "old baseball mitt" and others noted "old leather-bound book" and "brown sugar." Similar on the palate, mellow, balanced, complex, ethereal. An amazing experience. Rated non-blind; a few bonus points added for the subjective experience of tasting such an old, rare, historically important wine. Only the visual appearance prevented a perfect score.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consumed during wine dinner of mostly BV George de Latour. I threw in this and the 1967 with low expectations for curiousity and to round out the vertical of 83, 84 Ruthford, 89, 90, 93, 94, 95, WOW! What a much better bottle than my last two from same case! No Madeira here. Obviously showing its age with burnt orange color -almost translucent Nice cedar, slight smoke, mushroom, leather, hint of bittersweet chocolate, and appropriately fading cassis and cherry fruit. Bravo for 50+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Significant bricking but much darker than expected for near 50 year old wine. Clearly maderized nose NEVER leaves. This wine is way past its prime in any estimation. ( and I have significant experience with older wines including Napa- although far less than Leve who drinks more old wine than anyone I have ever met- and I've known many). Now for some positives- cedar and dissipating mint, black tea, with some cherry with coaxing. After about an hour interesting mushroom profile develops- best thing about the wine. Clearly worth drinking for educational purposes if not great pleasure,but mushroom kept me going back to finish the bottle out of curiosity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
For those rating this wine low, I suspect they are not very versed with old wine, especially Napa wine. This wine takes about 20 minutes to open up - don't decant it. Then the fruit becomes alive. You need to provide time for the funk to blow off. I got carmel, cassis, dark cherry and the ever present old wine paprika. It's much more stable then other Napa wine from that year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle opened at Village Pub in Woodside, CA. Given its age, we opened and drank immediately. The shoulder was full without signs of loss. The wine was strongly bricked and the best we would say of it was "faded beauty" - it was unmistakable as Geo Latour Private Reserve but the fruit had gone. The silky nature of this label was still very apparent. There was a lovely bouquet but the palate was weak. It was worth trying in any case.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perfect bottle in perfect condition. These notes from others who have obviously stored their wines badly really irritate me. Cedar needles, redwood, pine, sweet, caramel, youthful, smoke, mint, fruit, raisins
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is the second bottle of this wine I've had in about two weeks. They were both from the same source. The fill was into the neck. With the help of an Ah-So, the cork popped out in a single piece. The color of light tea, the wine smelt maderized. The wine finished with maderized, nut flavors. There was almost no fruit. This is not a wine to buy for any price. If you have a bottle, give it to someone you don't like.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The color of light tea and the smell of Madeira is not what I'm looking for in an old California Cabernet Sauvignon. Run, do not walk when this wine is for sale. It's as dead as Julius Caesar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Class Georges de la Tour, cedar, sawdust, soft, balanced, coffee, chocolate, curry. Some might say this was past its prime, but it still had plenty of fruit, and the color, though fading, is not brown. A very pleasant wine. Perfect bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Showing its age, although this was tasted form a tenth. Classic BVGDLTPR nose. Interestingly, and hour in the glass actually brought out more fruit and dissipated some of the oxidized nose it started with. Nice cedar and dried flower finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind (4's tasting). Full red/garnet with substantial bricking. Forward aroma of madiera. Substantial oxidation on the palate, but still a hint of the fruit. Slight hints of chocolate. 8/04
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
12/2/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: flawed
California Wine Weekend; 12/1/2023-12/3/2023 (Mos Eisley Cantina & Waterhouse Restaurant): Completely oxidized
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2023 - Andyrodriguez87 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was a hard wine served blind! The color in the glass was pretty light with bricking around the edges. Upon opening, this has so many old Barolo tells - tar, celery seed, fenugreek, but also still fruited… wasn’t even close! The wine is VERY much alive, with tannin and acid still present along with tertiary aromas of tar, celery seed and cherries. A wine of yesteryear with no sense of being over the top and aging so gracefully. Super cool!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: 96 Points
Nose: Intense weighty dark cherry, tobacco, spearmint and wood. This really means business, and had incredible depth on the nose.
Palate: Opens with dark inky layers of nori, umami and dark plum. But with air it unfolds red berries, blackberry, cassis and blueberry notes, sweet dusty tannin, more mint and herbs. Exceptional silky mouthfeel and pliant tannin that remains gives the wine unusual heft. Gorgeous fruit and overall freshness that is remarkable at nearly 60-years old.
Finish: Length is wonderful and offers all of the fruit, wood and spice notes you would want. This is a slow burn, and right now still aging at a glacial pace.
This was an outstanding bottle, and was my WOTN with some very serious old Napa next to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
It’s amazing what a bruiser this is and how long it takes to open, really needing an hour of air to show its best. But eventually those nori, black earth, and ink notes are joined by a mix of red and black cherry and a fresh mineral note. A serious temperament, more impressive than charming, evolving at a surprisingly slow pace.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
BV Georges de Latour Vertical from 4 Decades: '64, '80, '84, '89, '98 (St. Paul, MN): Medium dark red color with subtle bricking. The color was quite promising. Splash decanted and drank a glass plus over an hour plus. Oh what a beautiful bottle. Right from the start this was simply singing. Such a pretty nose with the perfume clearly there immediately and growing moment by moment with every minute of air; great purity with a juxtaposition of bright red berries, red cherry, and blue fruits mixed with fine leather, a bit of funk and dried earth , and finely ground tobacco. The palate is also a wow, sleek, near perfection, red fruits with a streak of cassis and blueberry, dried red cherry, lacquer, leather, tobacco leaf. There's amazing intensity of flavor at 55 years and this is simply seamless, an amazing wine of grace and purity. Very long and tantalizing with depth and complexity, well resolved, and more than enough fruit. This bottle, at the least, does make you believe that Andre was a genius and clearly did make a gold standard wine comparable to the best in the world. I'm sure they don't all survive this way, but when they do! I could envision well stored bottles going another 10 years or maybe more. 96-97pts easily.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
11/5/2016 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
This has been in my cellar since 1970. It did not disappoint. Typical BV american oak, spice on the nose. Holding well given it’s age. Still some fruit and . Still quite enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2016 - Javachip wrote: 96 Points
Bucket List Tasting 2.0 (Sbicca Restaurant, Del Mar, California): Pristine condition with mid-neck fill. Not decanted. Cloudy brick-blood red color. Bouquet of bright fresh tart red currants, forest floor, tobacco, earthy mushrooms, toffee, hints of English saddle leather. ShaneT noted "old baseball mitt" and others noted "old leather-bound book" and "brown sugar." Similar on the palate, mellow, balanced, complex, ethereal. An amazing experience. Rated non-blind; a few bonus points added for the subjective experience of tasting such an old, rare, historically important wine. Only the visual appearance prevented a perfect score.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2015 - Wine_lvr wrote: flawed
Unfortunately this bottle was dead!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2015 - Venice Al Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consumed during wine dinner of mostly BV George de Latour. I threw in this and the 1967 with low expectations for curiousity and to round out the vertical of 83, 84 Ruthford, 89, 90, 93, 94, 95, WOW! What a much better bottle than my last two from same case! No Madeira here. Obviously showing its age with burnt orange color -almost translucent Nice cedar, slight smoke, mushroom, leather, hint of bittersweet chocolate, and appropriately fading cassis and cherry fruit. Bravo for 50+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2013 - tooch wrote:
Domaine Wine Storage Holiday Party (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): A bit tired at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2013 - Venice Al wrote: 80 Points
Significant bricking but much darker than expected for near 50 year old wine. Clearly maderized nose NEVER leaves. This wine is way past its prime in any estimation. ( and I have significant experience with older wines including Napa- although far less than Leve who drinks more old wine than anyone I have ever met- and I've known many). Now for some positives- cedar and dissipating mint, black tea, with some cherry with coaxing. After about an hour interesting mushroom profile develops- best thing about the wine. Clearly worth drinking for educational purposes if not great pleasure,but mushroom kept me going back to finish the bottle out of curiosity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2013 - NomadicEntrepreneur Likes this wine: 92 Points
For those rating this wine low, I suspect they are not very versed with old wine, especially Napa wine. This wine takes about 20 minutes to open up - don't decant it. Then the fruit becomes alive. You need to provide time for the funk to blow off. I got carmel, cassis, dark cherry and the ever present old wine paprika. It's much more stable then other Napa wine from that year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2012 - vcerf wrote: 80 Points
This bottle opened at Village Pub in Woodside, CA. Given its age, we opened and drank immediately. The shoulder was full without signs of loss. The wine was strongly bricked and the best we would say of it was "faded beauty" - it was unmistakable as Geo Latour Private Reserve but the fruit had gone. The silky nature of this label was still very apparent. There was a lovely bouquet but the palate was weak. It was worth trying in any case.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2012 - salcorn wrote: 92 Points
Perfect bottle in perfect condition. These notes from others who have obviously stored their wines badly really irritate me. Cedar needles, redwood, pine, sweet, caramel, youthful, smoke, mint, fruit, raisins
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 60 Points
This is the second bottle of this wine I've had in about two weeks. They were both from the same source. The fill was into the neck. With the help of an Ah-So, the cork popped out in a single piece. The color of light tea, the wine smelt maderized. The wine finished with maderized, nut flavors. There was almost no fruit. This is not a wine to buy for any price. If you have a bottle, give it to someone you don't like.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 60 Points
The color of light tea and the smell of Madeira is not what I'm looking for in an old California Cabernet Sauvignon. Run, do not walk when this wine is for sale. It's as dead as Julius Caesar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2011 - garywa wrote: 89 Points
Bricked color, smells like a port. Definitely on the decline, but held up well for being almost 50 years old
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2010 - Michael wrote: 80 Points
past prime. Madeira nose without sweetness
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2010 - salcorn wrote: 90 Points
Class Georges de la Tour, cedar, sawdust, soft, balanced, coffee, chocolate, curry. Some might say this was past its prime, but it still had plenty of fruit, and the color, though fading, is not brown. A very pleasant wine. Perfect bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2009 - salcorn wrote: 88 Points
Showing its age, although this was tasted form a tenth. Classic BVGDLTPR nose. Interestingly, and hour in the glass actually brought out more fruit and dissipated some of the oxidized nose it started with. Nice cedar and dried flower finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2004 - winefool wrote: 80 Points
Blind (4's tasting). Full red/garnet with substantial bricking. Forward aroma of madiera. Substantial oxidation on the palate, but still a hint of the fruit. Slight hints of chocolate. 8/04
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment