This was a pleasure with the encounter similar to to one in 2020. It is aging gracefully with a core of fruit and mineral notes that held from the start to finish. Tannins have rounded out nicely. Flavors included limestone, strawberry, blackberry, currents, and leather. The cork at 46 still had one inch with no discoloration it certainly played its role in keeping this aging so well.
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Easily outperformed expectations, with tremendous depth of flavor and impressive length. The wine's tertiary notes of saddle leather, spice and menthol married beautifully with the creamy texture.
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Starting to dry out and drop its fruit, the wine provides a look into the past with green, peppery, herbal slant to its fruit and its bright, crisp, strict finish. Drink from 2023-2025.
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A touch of the St Julien nut husk kickoff, it does it sit next to LLC after all. God this is refined. Graphite and pure red fruit. Lengthy finish, hint of white pepper. @ Napa Boys Trip
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The cork basically fell through the neck when touched by a corkscrew, so I was happily surprised that the wine was in decent shape and with no real signs of oxidation. That said, I think it’s past prime and for me was more interesting than great. There is a strong green pepper note that I’m not fond of, along with some very nice cigar box and old leather.
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Latour, Latour, Latour (WineWatch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): This is really quite good in a vintage much praised at the time but most have not evolved especially well. This one has. Very pretty fragrance softened by time and somewhat gentle fruit. Slightly too dry. Perhaps a bit past prime but pleasant. Very good rather than great. Intriguing though.
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…og DER blei det jul. Fullmoden, erkeklassisk Bdx-nese – plommer, mynte, solbær, treverk. Korken var nesten helt gjennomtrukket men kom såvidt i ett stykke, vinen drukket PnP. I munnen helt avslepne tanniner, kanskje var dette enda bedre for fem år siden men dett er så erkeelegant. Det er ikke en stor vin som sådan, likevel har den noe som gjør at det en liten stund bare blir stille rundt bordet. Ettersmaken er eviglang – «vinen smaker bedre etter at du har svelget den», kommer det fra en – med plomme og hint av rødfrukt. Gammeldags, you bet. Men akk så digg.
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From Mag. This was redicilously good. Complexity to the nth degree and long. Nothing sticks out. Still had a little fruit. Tobacco, cigar box and truffles.
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This is a case of a very good wine still showing its colors at the finish line. Not exhausted but on that path. Very enjoyable and very happy that at 44 years it is still showing prime qualities of elegant fruit light mineral and soft tobacco and chocolate. It came up from the cellar with a 1978 Ausone that proved to have passed its drinking window. Sad but with this age it happens to the best of the wines. There are a few left and should be enjoyed shortly.
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From a small capped bottle. dark and subtle nose, old English study - some wood, cigar, a bit nutty, a bit old and dusty. Very similar and aristocratic on the palate - Dark, old, cigar, old plums. The mouthfeel is really superb - smooth but with excellent grip and and depth. Super classy. Deep, with some fine tannins still left at the end. The finish is nutty and long but a little skeletal for me. Overall this is excellent, but it just doesn’t wow me, as I have found with Latour over and over. Nose - 5-5.5, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16-17/20.
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Two years from last tasting. Wine continues to hold up well and has matured to an elegant and smooth expression of the estate. Time to enjoy this vintage
Drinking very well. Mellow tannins, nice viscosity and concentration. Classic aged Bordeaux. Outstanding. *2nd night. Perfect and balanced and I can find no faults. Drinking very well once again. One of the better or best Bordeaux have tasted. A Bordeaux benchmark. *3rd night downhill, fading fast. Falling apart. A dying star. A hyper blue star it was and than into oblivion it sharply fell.
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Two bottles opened recently. The first was less than perfect. The second, was very enjoyable but not as impressive as I remember. Great dark fruit, earth, lead pencil and asphalt on the nose and palate. Nice balance and depth just very compact. Probably beyond its peak but still enjoyable. Drinks soon.
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Dinner with 1978 Lafite, Petrus, Haut Brion and Latour. I threw in a 1975 Mayacamas Cabernet as a ringer.
Lafite: Classic Pauillac nose of lead pencil, leather and a hint of sous bois. I identified it as a Lafite (or possibly Mouton) while the host tried to throw us off with remarks such as "it could be considered a first growth". The structure is firm but well integrated. The palate is quite well balanced and very sinewy. Not a top vintage for Lafite as the intensity is only moderate and the fruit has given way a little bit to the acidity. The length is moderate. Overall a very good Bordeaux.
Petrus: The nose immediately gave it away as a right bank. I thought Cheval Blanc as I would expect pure Merlot to have more plumminess at this age. Should have known since the host almost always serves a Petrus every time ! The nose is deep and complex. The structure is firmer than I expect from a Pomerol. Very good fruit and good length. Can still go for another decade.
Mayacamas: I did not identify my own wine, as it could have been a Bordeaux, and a first growth at that. The nose is very open with soil, leather and some smoke. Very good fruit with excellent focus and intensity, unlike many "modern" Cali cabs that fall apart after a decade. Can give the 1975 Martha's a good run for the money.
Haut Brion: The weakest of the wines, and the nose took a bit of coaxing. I am very familiar with the 1978 La Mission, which is much better, but it might just be bottle variation. The HB lacked the readily identifiable Graves nose of the LMHB. I could not tell it was a Graves, and I am partial to these wines. The fruit is still there, but the finish is a bit short.
Latour: I prefered the Lafite over the Latour tonight, which is rare. The nose is again less forthcoming, and lacked the definition of the Lafite. It has less backbone, giving it a more diffuse palate. Still has fruit and less acidity of the Lafite, but it seems more advanced and less vigorous.
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I tasted this 5 years ago, and it was then rather green, tannic and unripe, just like 7-8 years before that. But, at last, something has happened. The wine is still tight and tannic, but it has now mellowed considerably and is even quite meaty and agreable. Aromas of cherries, chocolate, earth, rust and smoke. This is old fashioned wine making and the wine has definitely many years ahead of it.
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60th Birthday wine from Dad’s cellar. One of two he had left and I had never tasted it before. This is the last of my series of four 1978 first growth wines drank over the last few years. This was taken out of the perfect cellar conditions to a cool room about 4 hours before opening. Low neck fill. Durand used, cork broke but minimal tiny bottom piece lost as I rescued the small piece from the neck with side blade of the Durand. Immediate decant. Moderate sediment. Tasted on opening and already good, then at about 30 min, ultimately we drank starting after about 90 min with steak and potatoes and green beans with shallots, cheese and chocolate mousse. Gorgeous and surprisingly youthful garnet color with dark pink rim almost immediately but deepened in color slightly within half an hour. Aroma of black fruit and mint, slightly subtle initially but emerged more with time. This bottle had an even stronger mouth Flavor profile throughout the drinking with deep mouth coating fruit with some eucalyptus and it changed with every sip with so much going on it’s hard to pinpoint all the flavors but so much fun to try. Wine of the weekend by a rather large margin (1982 La Dominique, 1990 Ducru Beaucaillou, 1982 Pavie all of which were great). This wine is just better. My mom agreed. Long finish of at least 30 seconds with slightly sour cherry fine tannic ending which just adds to the complexity. As such, I think this wine has a lot of life left but is fully mature and there is likely to be marked bottle variation. We got lucky here but I do love 1978 left bank, which has not been an off vintage for these big first growth wines from this cellar but this was the best 1978 I've tasted yet (by a good margin over Haut Brion and Mouton previously for my taste though those were also great, and I even preferred this to the 78 Margaux we had in the past but it is close and all of them have been fantastic experiences) -I am probably overrating this one a little due to the emotion of the night and intangibles but this was a truly amazing wine which was just more powerful and enjoyable than the others we tasted which are pretty great wines. I hope the last few 78 first growths we have are like this one was. 97+
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Wine Dinner in Ngaio after the final performance of the season (Ngaio): (Cork was sodden) Absolutely first-rate nose, with classic aromas that define Pauillac - totally open for business, with a stunning balance of tertiary notes, allied to the currants, oak handling, and graphite. There is a distinct green olive note on the nose and the palate which are reminiscent of Pichon Lalande. The palate is not quite at the stunning level of the nose, but the wine gained stature in the decanter and glass, and was never overshadowed by the younger Leoville Las Cases of a superior vintage. Complex, refined, and still structured, with just a a hint of weakness at the end of the palate, and perhaps a slight lightening of the mouth feel in the rear-mid palate. Still an outstanding wine that at the age of 42 retains freshness and huge interest.
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Decanted at 4:00 dinner at 7:00. Beautiful clear ruby red color with lightening rims. Nice classic Pauillac nose dark fruits, cedar, leather and spice, fully resolved tannins, smooth texture, excellent balance and finish. Fully mature and in a wonderful place.
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Perfect condition with seamlessly integrated structure. A bit green for my taste initially but it blows off and then struts its stuff. An iron fist in a velvet glove, as they say. In a great place.
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42 years in bottle and came out great immeadiately after opening. Still good strength and velvet to the tongue with smooth beginning and after taste which lingered well for a bottle this age
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Sheltering at home and doing more cooking has let us explore the cellar. This was a pleasure, aging gracefully with a taste core that held from the start to the finish of the swallow. Tannin was very mellow and has rounded out nicely. Flavors included berries, earth, leather. Based on the taste and good condition of the cork this wine probably has 10+ years ahead. We will want to back sooner - no need to test longevity here.
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not blind Classical Bordeaux but in this stage reminding me more a Burgundy. Velvety Tannins, violet, underwood, just a hint of black currant, tertiary Aromas. Good acidity, at his Peak. 93
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So this was a night of disappointments ending with this wine. All the classic claret notes were there but it showed a bit of mustiness and some astringency. Maybe not a totally clean bottle. An HDH auction purchase.
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Unfortunately, I happen to be sick when my client pulled this out. It’s a problem with my mouth, but not my ability to smell. I noted mostly truffles, with some leather. Still lots of flavour and smoothly integrated.
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As usual, an off vintage for Bordeaux doesn't translate to an off vintage for Latour. The 1978 is a beautifully mature example of classic Pauillac with its dried currant, pencil, cedar, toffee, and mineral bouquet. Not the most intense Latour, naturally, but still with reasonably good energy and depth. No one would claim it to be a banner year, but I could drink this on a regular basis.
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Enjoyed with three others which, politely, is two too many with Latour. This stuff is seriously good, even in vintages in which ‘good wine cannot be made’.
Quality and secondary fruit from the outset which was smothered in the second hour with a leathery, farmyardy funk but with a solid undercurrent of cassis and a remaining hint of violets throughout.
I keep finding myself drawn more and more to Latour. It’s probably a common Achilles Heel in the wine world.
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Cork disintegrated while opening. No nose upon decanting for about 10 minutes, then it awoke. A dark wine with almost no bricking. Continual evolution of flavours over the course of an hour, including the smoky undertones noted in other tasting notes. Some found this off-putting. Definitely started to unravel after an hour and begin to go a bit astringent/flat. The first hour with this wine far exceeded my expectations.
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Again, slightly past prime and perhaps slightly off btl. But dark plum, charcoal and some toast. On the palate, fairly dead, but more cedar and dried plum. Also paired well with the beef.
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Latour Big Vintages (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): A lot of mints, reminds me to a Californian Cab with cassis, brutal acidity and ripe tannins, still young and not developed. The sweetness and maltieness is coming at the end,green chestnut notes. Suprising great bottle. 95
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First Growth Bordeaux 1978, 1979, 1981 (The Lot): Dark core very youthful looking. As with the 1978 Margaux this is a full step up in scale from the 1981 Latour. This comes off as a beautifully mature Grand Vin, full and rich in the mouth with layers of red fruits, cedar, earth, tobacco with hints of iron. Perfectly balanced, fine tannins, impressively textured and persistent finish. A serious wine.
This bottle was ranked 1st or 2nd of the 8 first growths tonight
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Deep purple colour with a rusted edge. Nose of an important man's aged leather briefcase. Musk mulberry mouth. Plump and more opulent than more youthful Latour's I've recently had.
Massive testament to the ageability of Latour. So perfectly drinkable with inquisitive tannin climbing up the back of your mouth like latticed plants up the side of a castle.
Pairs well with Bowie's Alladin Sane album, it's a Drive in Saturday. Though the wine is much smoother than some of the jagged tracks in the album, but the smooth choruses are harmonious.
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Both the surprise of the night and WOTN for me. Absolutely a point. Lovely, intensity and persistence to the fruit but still showing the classic Latour cedar and walnut notes. Loved it.
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Nez très expressif et complexe, avec encore un fond fruité rouge, du tabac blond, du cèdre, une touche de cuir. Grand nez avec beaucoup de fraicheur. On retrouve cette fraicheur en bouche, avec une acidité bien marquée mais pas saillante. Juste maturité. Les tanins sont complètement fondus et offre un joli soyeux de texture. L'expression aromatique est nette et belle, sur les mêmes arômes qu'au nez. La bouche est un cran en dessous du nez, qui est vraiment superbe. Très belle finale, équilibrée, très longue.
Très jolie bouteille, qui a montré de la classe, même à l'aveugle mais qui ne m'a donné envie d'en acheter vu les prix actuels.
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Graphite on the nose with violets clearly multi layered of complex depth and evolution. Cedar closet with lavendar, purple flowers chive heads or violas...and also...1.5 h decant, fat juicy jammy wine with a solid center, a powerhouse still supported by aggressive tannins, black cherries and a medicinal quality like menthol...Bacchus rates higher at 94.5; Ceres does not have the 100 pt bar to keep in mind. Quite a wine experience drinking so lovely now Gorgeous.
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Wonderful showing for this well kept bottle. The wine was a powerhouse with lots of vigor even at almost 40yrs old. Still quite powerful core with velvet edges. Impressive length and depth. Drank alongside '79 Petrus and '89 Lafite and this was the clear winner.
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A private tasting and dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Tasted blind. Medium colour, light and mature; mature and gentle nose, stylish and elegant, lifted and lovely, firm but ripe tannins, cedar and Cabernet, transparent and fine.
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Cork sort of crumbled. Decanted. Good color with only a hint of tile. Good bouquet of cedar, woodsy and spices. Medium body. Excellent firmness of structure. The tannins are still there but soft. Spicy oak, concentration of flavor and complexity. Excellent wine but not at all far into maturity. In a cool cellar, this will hold for a decade or more. Not a huge wine but classic.
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Green and austere aromas with cassis and rust. Also austere and rustique in the mouth with high acidity. A bottle tasted 7-8 years ago tasted similar. Not a good vintage for Latour. Wait several years with the last bottle and hope for the best.
Plenty of sweet earth on the nose. There's some sandalwood, cassis and green bean as well. It has a lovely cool feel with notes of leather and sweet tobacco and finishes with good grip and possesses excellent persistence.
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Riverpark - New York, NY): Small pour at the end of the evening. classically Pauillac with mature black fruit and cigarbox with some anise hints. Very good, probably the best I can ever recall for this wine.
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My birthday wine. Brought to French Laundry and endured $150 corkage. At first the damp basement nose put us off, not being accustomed to old Bordeaux. Sommelier insisted it was in good shape. It grew on us and the two of us finished the bottle. Had typical Bordeaux fruit and herbs beneath the moldiness.
Decanted out of necessity due to a loose cork. Great earthy Pauillac nose. Menthol, sour cherry and balsamic notes. Like a well-cooked steak. Silky and smooth for a '78. Tannins hanging on gamely. Long finish.
Peaked at 30 mins and then started to decline. Drink up!
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Drunk from Double Magnum on Christmas Day 2014 at the Koala Bar - we tasted a collection of '78s in large formats for Christmas (and why wouldn't you!). The Latour was an enigma. On first tasting it appeared light and thin and so I left it until last to decant; yet by the end of the day it was the wine that held up the best, albeit never reaching the heights of the Lafite. I was left wondering whether had I decanted it earlier it may have performed better. As that was a rhetorical question, I think the answer is it wouldn't have and instead this is the power and structure that is Latour showing through. As with all the '78s we tasted it exhibited the dried-out, tannic characteristics that seem to accompany this vintage now.
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Dark color. Cassis, earth, loam on the nose. A bit austere with similar walnut notes noted in a note from 2009. Balanced in the mouth, with largely resolved tannins. Initially pure, the wine devolved with a few hours of air, and the nose took on a somewhat stewed/garbage-y note that was not pleasant. An odd transformation, and perhaps not an entirely representative bottle? ***Addendum: with 24 hours of air the funky notes disappeared. Fascinating.
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BYO Dinner at Home: Forward nose of dark fruit, earth, leather and tobacco. Great energy on the palate. Dark fruit and earth dominate. Quite structured on the finish. It seems like this could see further development.
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Of three 1978s we tasted, this was the clear winner (Lynch-Bages, Haut-Brion). Still obviously mature, fruit just holding on. Layers are there but subtle. Some power left, doesn't hold to the finish. Questionable bottle.
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Decanted 20 mins . Elegant . Light body ,Soft supple flavour ,velvety smooth . Just shared with dear friends . Wonderful & surprising .
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are fast. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant. It tastes like blueberry. The body is light. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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Monopole 1st Growth Tasting: Full of dark spices, licorice and roasted plum; this had nice sweet fruits hints too, like blueberry and cassis. Floral, lovely nose, in fantastic shape, quite powerful, but when I went back to it about 20 minutes later, a got a distinct green pepper/green stem thing going on. Not sure what to think of this now as I loved it before the greenness popped up! At any rate, it is developed and holding on well at this age. I'll see if anyone else gets the green in the finish as well.
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Send-off in Style (Bourbon Steak, DC): Definite mature nose with dusty red fruit, graphite, wet leaves, leather, very noticeable fennel/anise/licorice notes. Shows some other green too; asparagus?
Nice bottle, good experience to sample it!
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Nose dead giveaway of '78s, bit green, but nice dark fruit too. Fruit is stil deep and dark, much more tannins remain than I'd have expected. Much bigger wine than the '78 Mouton with which it was paired.
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In a perfect place right now. Still mostly secondary, with a classic Claret nose. Ultra smooth, with the power there but inside a velvet glove of fruit. Medium length, not a ton of complexity but the subtle notes are there when you pay attention. No reason to wait but still should hold for a few years.
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Leo's Blind Tasting Group - July '13 edition (Cookshop, NY): Just spectacular. Incredibly complex, powerful, so polished and impeccably balanced, and an absolutely thrilling wine. This has it all, the fruit's still quite rich and sappy, but augmented by layers of mature cedar, tobacco, graphite and earthy elements with a faint leathery element that had me wondering if this was an old Cordier. There's an incredibly silken, refined palate presence, and a finish that just keeps resonating. Thanks Josh!
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wijn blijft verbazen, indrukwekkend hoe levendig dit nog is, fraaie zuren, klassieke neus, veel potlood slijpsel, sigarenkistje, heerlijk drinkbaar, mooie inhoud, wijn staat nog als een huis
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The blind theme was 1970-79 Red Bordeaux. 2x 1978 Latour, 1978 Lafite, 1976 Lafite, 1975 Petrus... were all disappointing. General lack of fruit and charm, not to say sex appeal. All were good if not great bottles. The only two good wines were 1978 Palmer (very solid) and the winner was 1979 Pichon Lalande to all of our surprise. It is the only wone that had some fruit to it.
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Keith P @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Minty initially, quite ripe, rich, some element of decay. Cold be convinced that this is a classy Henschke etc, but claret apparently. 89 right bank? Huge surprise to discover this is 78 Latour. Ok, my first taste of Latour, but where's the power and austerity etc, this is positively sexy, and 78 too. Where's the green edge. Opulent! Rich, deep and classy, majesterial even. Lightens a little in the glass with air, but this is a class act. *****
Showed much better than I expected, given Parker's notes at 90 points and "old". I preferred it to a '91 Opus and '93 Harlan served at the same dinner. Full complex aromas of cassis, tobacco, cedar, typical of great Pauillac. Still had plenty of fruit, with complexity. No noticeable tannin. Excellent long aftertaste. A fine Bordeaux at its plateau. Time to drink up, though...it won't get any better and might start to decline soon.
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Decanted for one hour. The perfume just floated out of the bottle as I decanted. So distracting that I almost missed the funnel. What surprised (and delighted) me the most from this bottle was how young it was. From nose to color to tannins to longevity in the glass this was a strong showing. 35 years! and could still improve to age 45 (2023). Fabulous nose of graphite and cedar. Served with Bearnaise-enhanced beef tenderloin. Shared among 10 so not too much to go around.
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A little syrupy. Decanted for about an hour. Looked relatively pale coming out. A surprising though still modest amount of tannins left. Would definitely drink this sooner rather than later
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Left open in the bottle for 2H. Old school Bordeaux with a heavy tobacco, wet earth, and spice nose. A bit dry with little tannin still present, and a bit of sour apples at the end.
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This is an old school style of Bordeaux which is more interesting on the nose than the palate with its tobacco, cedar, lead pencil, cassis, cranberry, olive and wet earthy nose. It’s a little dry in the mouth, the tannins have a rustic quality. The wine feels firm on the palate in the slightly tart finish.
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rode kleur, zag er heel mooi uit, geur is verleidelijk, zoveel indrukken, heel complex, alles in verhouding, prachtig geouderd,klassiek, cederhout, potloodslijpsel, zwarte bes, alles is aanwezig, smaak is mooi elegant, lichtvoetig, met lange afdronk, heerlijk, lekker bij de nasi
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Acker Auction (Waldorf Astoria - Chicago, IL): From magnum. Dark complexion, with a nose of mint, underbrush, dusty dark fruit and tobacco. Palate is showing hints of those yummy tertiary tones from Pauillac - balsamic, roasted herbs, and dried cherries. Seemed to be in a great place - loved it.
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Drank alongside a 86 Mission Haut Brion and 95 Mouton Rothschild. This wine was elegant and classical. Decanted for an hour, the wine had a wonderful deep ruby colour that looked like velvet. The bouquet hinted of dark berries, licorice and slight undertone of floral hints that was so different to the Mission Haut Brion. The taste was exquisite with the elegance of dark berries and licorice, long lasting flavours which remain on the palete well after you've sipped through the wine. Different to the Mission Hait Brion.
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Mmm. Quite nice. Pleasant enough. Sound cork and low neck/ upper shoulder. Leathery brambly fruit. Some smoked bacon. Slight farmyard funk and autumnal leaves and fruit. Pencil shavings/cedar cigar box. Low tannin. Biscuit - which for me is usually a sign of oak. Actually it really is very pleasant. Long finish. Tasted from bottle. Then decanted for an hour then consumed over the next two hours with SWMBO.
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What a treat The aroma is majestic with liqurice some herbs in perfect combination. I found myself sitting for several minutes just enjoying the aroma. There where tons of different flavors I however, had difficulties in picking them out. Its a very fruit driven wine with a fair amount of very integrated oak. I really grows with time and is excellently balanced with a long very impressive after taste.
Wines does not get much better than this.
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Opened for 1 hour before tasting, color still very young for a 78 vintage, complex nose and still lots of power left in the palate. Drank side by side with 82 Pavie. After 3 hours, still very good and nose continues to evolve and change. Latour is amazing!
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The color of this wine was very cool. Dark maroon core with a firey-orange rim. This bottle had been opened about an hour before I tasted it, and I was told that it was still on the upswing at the time. The nose had aromas of dark fruits, pencil shavings and a very spicy pepper note. The palate had flavors of plums, currants, pepper and earth. This wine had a very elegant mouthfeel and a long finish where a hint of licorice came forward. I came back to this wine a few hours later, and it had not fallen off at all. There was a little more complexity to the palate at that point with some tobacco and celery notes on the palate. I really enjoyed this wine! Very clean, and not a hint of anything barnyard-like in the least!
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rood bruine kleur, mooie geouderde neus, klassiek, cederhout en cassis komen naar boven, licht wat metaal, wat later weer weg trekt, smaak is zacht en zo mooi drinkbaar, heerlijke rustige wijn, mooi in balans en zeer boeiend
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Mature classic Bordeaux in the nose with medicine chest, cedar, pencil-graphite and some cherry tones. Nice soft, powerful/ masculine and sweet tones (confit fruit), medicine chest, tobacco, on the palate. Dry aftertaste (old barriques). Beautiful old school classic Bordeaux.
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Sunday Lunch: A great-showing bottle of Latour. Storage is everything! I've definitely never had a richer, more powerful '78, and obviously that's partially because this is Latour but also partially because this bottle is in such great shape that it still has a lot of fruit sweetness hanging on. But it's not just generic claret fruit; this has a sinister edge to it and it's black as night in complexion. It feels almost completely resolved of its tannin but it's still a structured wine by virtue of its acidity, which contributes a stalky sap running through its veins.
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Deep Ruby, lightish purple at rim, clear. Decanted to remove sediment 30 mins before surving. On the nose, ripe black fruits, cedar, cigar-box, mint and a delightful subtle floral note. On the palate, good acidity and freshness, powerful tannins but not obtrusive. Great complexity - ripe plums and damsons initially, then kirsh licqure, vanila scented cream followed by woodsmoke, earthiness and pencil shavings. The wine was powerful but elegant - definitely quite masculine but very polished. A long finish. I think this was an extremely good bottle of this vintage and much enjoyed.
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garnet ruby with a 2mm amber ring; surprisingly charming nose with licorice, leaves, leather and slight berries; bottle condition is ok but the structure started to loose; good and value for $ vintage Latour
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My last bottle. Surprisingly dark with no bricking. Soaring nose of lead pencil, black cherry, earth, old leather couch, smelled like a cedar closet. I loved the nose! Great penetrating flavors of pure cassis, minerals muscular tannins, and a long tasty finish. Blind I would have guessed much younger. My last bottle of this 3 years ago was much more advanced and I wasn't expecting much. Just a lovely example of a masculine claret with some age on it. Well stored bottles have many years of life left. Went great with prime dry aged filets.
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rode kleur met wat vertekening, heerlijke klassieke neus, cederhout, kersen, potlood, smaak is mooi gebalanceerd heerlijk zacht en met heel veel diepgang, wijn is echt nog in goede conditie
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A little funk on the nose, which blew off and left nice "old bordeaux" dried fruit, herbs, and minerals. In the mouth, tannins resolved, not a lot of fruit, but still showing nicely some dried fruit/herb flavors and some iron/minerality. Very nice.
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rode kleur, mooie beschaafde neus, nog levendig en heeft behoorlijk wat fruit overgehouden, smaak is zo elegant en volwassen, mooi uitgerijpt en nog helemaal in topconditie, echt weer een belevenis, heel vriendelijk drinkbaar, met toch ook weer het mooie karakter van Latour, echt een lange afstandsloper, wat een wijn van 32 jaar
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(audouzed for 8 hours) Mature, austere Pauillac. Classic Latour nose that showed true cassis fruit and pencil shavings. At this point, not showing a lot of oomph – in fact this bottle was surprisingly delicate. That said, the complexity worked very well with the veal roast. Excellent, if not profound. (92)
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@Prime112 Bob's wine. Double decanted before dinner, and then decanted at Prime 112. Brett is acceptable, as opposed to the heralded 82. Drank like I remember Latour, a compelling wine that despite the warnings it is reaching the end of its days, IT IS NOT SO, has at least 10+ years of life left. Excdellent bouquet wonderful classic Claret flavors, lead pencil, cedar, the whole 9 yards.
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Masculine in style, this cassis, truffle, cedar, earth and spice scented wine was very nice on the nose. On the palate, good weight with flavors of spicy black fruit. But, the finish was a bit short and had a slight bitter or sour note on the end. This wine has slipped past its prime. If you have any in your cellar, drink up as it will not improve and will continue losing fruit.
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More stern than the '78 Lafite. Black fruit, hints of walnuts on the nose. An austere wine that gives it away as Latour. Very pleasing in the mouth with a bit more structure than the Lafite. Unlike the Lafite it gained in intensity on the glass. Will hold, but drinking well now.
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rood met iets vertekening, klassieke neus, licht boers stal, cederhout, nog wat fruit, smaak is nog in prima vorm, mooie frisse indruk met diepgang en concentratie, nog aanwezige tannines geven de wijn zijn kracht, kan nog even mee
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Popped and poured and quite sensual from the get up. Gorgeous aromatics of sweet cassis, purple flowers, cardamom spice, leather, cedar and tobacco. In the mouth the fruit was sweet and pure with lovely definition and proportion and overlaying a bed of minerals and earth. It was so delicious and balanced with a real sense of energy and vitality, we were all most disappointed as the last drop left our glasses.
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1978 Red Bordeaux (IoD London): darkest wine fo the night, dark ripe plums and slightly lifted woody herbs. Very smooth viscous tecture with rounded fruit, acidity a little too low to balance the lush tecture, tannins show on the saline finish.
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Dakpan rode kleur, wat bruine rand. In eerste instantie een wat muffe lucht, grafiet en cederhout, zachte aanzet met opvallende zuren. Later komt de geur wat beter over en is dan heel aangenaam. klassiek drinken met mooie zachte tannines en lange afdronk
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The cork came out in two pieces, but was in good shape. Decanted for sediment, immediately poured. Medium garnet color with slight bricking. Lovely aromas of a mature Bordeaux- sweet notes, minerals, subtle notes of cassis . On the palate, the wine was soft and elegant, but the fruits have faded almost completely leaving a bit of awkwardness. This bottle has been dead for some time, but still an enjoyable experience. Not rated. foodandwineblog.com
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Purchased (just $75!) and consumed at Dave's Italian Kitchen in Evanston. If you prefer young, tannic, assertive reds, then this wine is not for you. But if you are happy to spend the time appreciating the subtleties of an aged claret, this one is pretty special. Think lead pencil, tar, and leather all wrapped around a subtle fruit core. Fading but very nice.
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Amazingly pale for Latour, hints of ruby and no signs of browning round the edges. Sweet pencil lead on the nose. Clearly never a blockbuster, but nice light body with some tannins remaining to hold it all together as a nicely balanced blend of violets and smokey fruits. Did not feel 30 years old from a vintage expected to last only to 2000. I'd expect it to fall off fairly rapidly as the tannins fade
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Deep, mature garnet. Lovely nose of sweet cassis and dirt. Mature and completely resolved on the palate – initial attack is creamy and sweet – refined and elegant. Finishes abruptly. Nice, mature claret without fireworks. (89)
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Dark deep red, brownish im. lifely, very bright Great nose, cabernet, blackberries, very concentrated Perfect taste, power and elegance, round, deep and complex
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Started out with spectacular promise, but the fruit quickly and completely dissipated from the wine, leaving only leather, earth, acidity and tannin. What is it with me and Latour anyway?
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This is my 3rd testing of Latour 1978. The last bottle was tested 2 years ago...Plenty of cassis...but this bottle....
Getting more fine !!! This is absolutely fine wine. Plenty of very nice fruit upon fruits...wonderful nose of fruits indeed...my first time getting this scent in Latour, smooth cassis intermixed, good depth and clean. No sign of bad feeling at all....beautiful...Oh la la....
So nice and smooth in the mouth, so round and complex, a little bit watery and mild medical at the end....fine fine wine on a fine fine day....
Aftertaste is very good too. Robust gently...the lovely long and quite dry aftertaste.
Drink it now - 2011
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Pencil lead is dominant. Drunk side by side with the 85 Latour, it didn't show nearly as much fruit as the 85. Interesting, as in the late 90's this wine showed almost as a fruit bomb. Liked it, but preferred the 85.
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Cedar and Cigar box. Prune and latex aromas on the empty glass. Black currant. Herbal and a note of sparragus. A little bit of soy, really complex and mineral. Full bodied, elegant and long long finish. Lively after 30 years. Maybe 10+ life.
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Very dark, almost black, orange rim, tuille Blackberrys, wood, Very powerful, round soft tones, a bit a burning taste, soft tannines, next day burning taste was completly gone. Powerfull, velvet , round wine
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Masculine in style, this Latour seems to have misplaced its fruit. Nice nose of cassis and earth, but the palate was short, tannic and displaying a bit of sour fruit in the finish. 78 Latour was much better 5 years ago, and even better 5 years before that. This wine needs to be drunk up in the near future.
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Beautiful red, with a slight brown rim, mid deep colour, very clear and bright Light nose, soft ripe fruit Great taste, no hard tannines, much nuance and power, very long after taste
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Rood met een kleine bruine tint. In de geur zwarte bes met veel andere indrukken. Heel mooi in balans. complex. In de smaak valt de frisheid op met hele mooie zuren. De wijn doet nog jong aan.Verder weer veel indrukken. De wijn is soepel maar ook krachtig, alles weer in balans, finesse. Mooie lange afdronk. Nauwelijks merkbare tannines zijn geheel opgenomen in de wijn. Super
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Gunpowder and smoke on the nose. Hints of an Islay Whiskey. Layer after layer of sweet mature fruits and all the secondary aromas you need. It will last another couple of years but no point in waiting. The cork was just falling apart when we pulled it.
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Tasting. Big nose is mostly smoky and earthy but still showing lingering black fruit and some cigar box. Similar flavor profile on palate with licorice hints. Moderate length seems to soften at end. Drink up.
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(1st growth tasting). Group last. Deep red with a garnet edge. Pale aroma of red fruit and briar. Big red fruit on a firm frame. Long finish. 92-93 pts. 10/04 Crimson/garnet. Forward aroma of paulliac black fruit and briar. Nice. 92+ pts. 5/05
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Cassis, licorice and wood on the nose. Medium bodied with very cabernet tasting fruit, this is not improving and is slowly drying out. It lacks the elegance and density to make this a very good wine. The finish displays less fruit than it should and ends with dry notes. Drink up.
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The wine is 20 years of age and was properly kept in good condition in a wine cellar by a reputable dealer.
The wine is an amber red with lovely aromas of cedar, smoke, and fallen leaves. Lovely earthy aromas with a hint of cherry which is fading can found on the palate. The wine has past its peak and will not benefit from any more ageing, rather I suspect that it is downhill from here. The lack of balance between fruit and acidity is obvious. The wine has sufficient acidity and tannins to continue to age but the lack of fruit is disquieting.
A classic Pauillac at its prime. Drink up!
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With MPL at Singer & Foy survey of '78 Bordeaux. Incredibly dark ruby color. Looks very promising. Fruity but closed nose. On the palate, tannic and massive, quite unready yet showing great fruit, balance and length. 5-10-16-9: 90/100.
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Beautiful rich color, no sign of age. Hard on the nose. More open than the ‘79. Just starting to come around on the palate. Should be excellent in time.
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3/31/2024 - doug374 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was a pleasure with the encounter similar to to one in 2020. It is aging gracefully with a core of fruit and mineral notes that held from the start to finish. Tannins have rounded out nicely. Flavors included limestone, strawberry, blackberry, currents, and leather. The cork at 46 still had one inch with no discoloration it certainly played its role in keeping this aging so well.
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9/5/2023 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Easily outperformed expectations, with tremendous depth of flavor and impressive length. The wine's tertiary notes of saddle leather, spice and menthol married beautifully with the creamy texture.
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7/4/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Starting to dry out and drop its fruit, the wine provides a look into the past with green, peppery, herbal slant to its fruit and its bright, crisp, strict finish. Drink from 2023-2025.
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2/4/2023 - ash_then_chase Likes this wine: 97 Points
A touch of the St Julien nut husk kickoff, it does it sit next to LLC after all. God this is refined. Graphite and pure red fruit. Lengthy finish, hint of white pepper. @ Napa Boys Trip
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1/28/2023 - shza wrote: 90 Points
The cork basically fell through the neck when touched by a corkscrew, so I was happily surprised that the wine was in decent shape and with no real signs of oxidation. That said, I think it’s past prime and for me was more interesting than great. There is a strong green pepper note that I’m not fond of, along with some very nice cigar box and old leather.
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1/7/2023 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Latour, Latour, Latour (WineWatch, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): This is really quite good in a vintage much praised at the time but most have not evolved especially well. This one has. Very pretty fragrance softened by time and somewhat gentle fruit. Slightly too dry. Perhaps a bit past prime but pleasant. Very good rather than great. Intriguing though.
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12/18/2022 - Krokfjord Likes this wine: 92 Points
…og DER blei det jul. Fullmoden, erkeklassisk Bdx-nese – plommer, mynte, solbær, treverk. Korken var nesten helt gjennomtrukket men kom såvidt i ett stykke, vinen drukket PnP. I munnen helt avslepne tanniner, kanskje var dette enda bedre for fem år siden men dett er så erkeelegant. Det er ikke en stor vin som sådan, likevel har den noe som gjør at det en liten stund bare blir stille rundt bordet. Ettersmaken er eviglang – «vinen smaker bedre etter at du har svelget den», kommer det fra en – med plomme og hint av rødfrukt. Gammeldags, you bet. Men akk så digg.
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8/27/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 96 Points
From Mag. This was redicilously good. Complexity to the nth degree and long. Nothing sticks out. Still had a little fruit. Tobacco, cigar box and truffles.
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8/24/2022 - Old Joe Likes this wine: 94 Points
I cannot add anything to what has already been said. We all should hold up as well at 44 years old
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8/7/2022 - BradE wrote:
A very lovely and surprisingly fresh magnum of 78 Latour. Classic, old school, and I quite liked it.
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7/4/2022 - doug374 wrote: 93 Points
This is a case of a very good wine still showing its colors at the finish line. Not exhausted but on that path. Very enjoyable and very happy that at 44 years it is still showing prime qualities of elegant fruit light mineral and soft tobacco and chocolate. It came up from the cellar with a 1978 Ausone that proved to have passed its drinking window. Sad but with this age it happens to the best of the wines. There are a few left and should be enjoyed shortly.
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5/27/2022 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a small capped bottle. dark and subtle nose, old English study - some wood, cigar, a bit nutty, a bit old and dusty. Very similar and aristocratic on the palate - Dark, old, cigar, old plums. The mouthfeel is really superb - smooth but with excellent grip and and depth. Super classy. Deep, with some fine tannins still left at the end. The finish is nutty and long but a little skeletal for me. Overall this is excellent, but it just doesn’t wow me, as I have found with Latour over and over. Nose - 5-5.5, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16-17/20.
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4/17/2022 - doug374 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Two years from last tasting. Wine continues to hold up well and has matured to an elegant and smooth expression of the estate. Time to enjoy this vintage
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11/3/2021 - 559Cheers Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drinking very well. Mellow tannins, nice viscosity and concentration. Classic aged Bordeaux. Outstanding.
*2nd night. Perfect and balanced and I can find no faults. Drinking very well once again. One of the better or best Bordeaux have tasted. A Bordeaux benchmark.
*3rd night downhill, fading fast. Falling apart. A dying star. A hyper blue star it was and than into oblivion it sharply fell.
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7/22/2021 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
Two bottles opened recently. The first was less than perfect. The second, was very enjoyable but not as impressive as I remember. Great dark fruit, earth, lead pencil and asphalt on the nose and palate. Nice balance and depth just very compact. Probably beyond its peak but still enjoyable. Drinks soon.
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6/23/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
That just works it out. Great tasting right now.
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6/13/2021 - adrianywu Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dinner with 1978 Lafite, Petrus, Haut Brion and Latour. I threw in a 1975 Mayacamas Cabernet as a ringer.
Lafite: Classic Pauillac nose of lead pencil, leather and a hint of sous bois. I identified it as a Lafite (or possibly Mouton) while the host tried to throw us off with remarks such as "it could be considered a first growth". The structure is firm but well integrated. The palate is quite well balanced and very sinewy. Not a top vintage for Lafite as the intensity is only moderate and the fruit has given way a little bit to the acidity. The length is moderate. Overall a very good Bordeaux.
Petrus: The nose immediately gave it away as a right bank. I thought Cheval Blanc as I would expect pure Merlot to have more plumminess at this age. Should have known since the host almost always serves a Petrus every time ! The nose is deep and complex. The structure is firmer than I expect from a Pomerol. Very good fruit and good length. Can still go for another decade.
Mayacamas: I did not identify my own wine, as it could have been a Bordeaux, and a first growth at that. The nose is very open with soil, leather and some smoke. Very good fruit with excellent focus and intensity, unlike many "modern" Cali cabs that fall apart after a decade.
Can give the 1975 Martha's a good run for the money.
Haut Brion: The weakest of the wines, and the nose took a bit of coaxing. I am very familiar with the 1978 La Mission, which is much better, but it might just be bottle variation. The HB lacked the readily identifiable Graves nose of the LMHB. I could not tell it was a Graves, and I am partial to these wines. The fruit is still there, but the finish is a bit short.
Latour: I prefered the Lafite over the Latour tonight, which is rare. The nose is again less forthcoming, and lacked the definition of the Lafite. It has less backbone, giving it a more diffuse palate. Still has fruit and less acidity of the Lafite, but it seems more advanced and less vigorous.
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4/23/2021 - AudunG wrote: 93 Points
I tasted this 5 years ago, and it was then rather green, tannic and unripe, just like 7-8 years before that. But, at last, something has happened. The wine is still tight and tannic, but it has now mellowed considerably and is even quite meaty and agreable. Aromas of cherries, chocolate, earth, rust and smoke. This is old fashioned wine making and the wine has definitely many years ahead of it.
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2/13/2021 - Triforwine Likes this wine: 97 Points
60th Birthday wine from Dad’s cellar. One of two he had left and I had never tasted it before. This is the last of my series of four 1978 first growth wines drank over the last few years. This was taken out of the perfect cellar conditions to a cool room about 4 hours before opening. Low neck fill. Durand used, cork broke but minimal tiny bottom piece lost as I rescued the small piece from the neck with side blade of the Durand. Immediate decant. Moderate sediment. Tasted on opening and already good, then at about 30 min, ultimately we drank starting after about 90 min with steak and potatoes and green beans with shallots, cheese and chocolate mousse. Gorgeous and surprisingly youthful garnet color with dark pink rim almost immediately but deepened in color slightly within half an hour. Aroma of black fruit and mint, slightly subtle initially but emerged more with time. This bottle had an even stronger mouth Flavor profile throughout the drinking with deep mouth coating fruit with some eucalyptus and it changed with every sip with so much going on it’s hard to pinpoint all the flavors but so much fun to try. Wine of the weekend by a rather large margin (1982 La Dominique, 1990 Ducru Beaucaillou, 1982 Pavie all of which were great). This wine is just better. My mom agreed. Long finish of at least 30 seconds with slightly sour cherry fine tannic ending which just adds to the complexity. As such, I think this wine has a lot of life left but is fully mature and there is likely to be marked bottle variation. We got lucky here but I do love 1978 left bank, which has not been an off vintage for these big first growth wines from this cellar but this was the best 1978 I've tasted yet (by a good margin over Haut Brion and Mouton previously for my taste though those were also great, and I even preferred this to the 78 Margaux we had in the past but it is close and all of them have been fantastic experiences) -I am probably overrating this one a little due to the emotion of the night and intangibles but this was a truly amazing wine which was just more powerful and enjoyable than the others we tasted which are pretty great wines. I hope the last few 78 first growths we have are like this one was. 97+
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12/6/2020 - Marc wrote: 94 Points
Wine Dinner in Ngaio after the final performance of the season (Ngaio): (Cork was sodden) Absolutely first-rate nose, with classic aromas that define Pauillac - totally open for business, with a stunning balance of tertiary notes, allied to the currants, oak handling, and graphite. There is a distinct green olive note on the nose and the palate which are reminiscent of Pichon Lalande. The palate is not quite at the stunning level of the nose, but the wine gained stature in the decanter and glass, and was never overshadowed by the younger Leoville Las Cases of a superior vintage. Complex, refined, and still structured, with just a a hint of weakness at the end of the palate, and perhaps a slight lightening of the mouth feel in the rear-mid palate. Still an outstanding wine that at the age of 42 retains freshness and huge interest.
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10/6/2020 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted at 4:00 dinner at 7:00. Beautiful clear ruby red color with lightening rims. Nice classic Pauillac nose dark fruits, cedar, leather and spice, fully resolved tannins, smooth texture, excellent balance and finish. Fully mature and in a wonderful place.
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10/6/2020 - finediningnyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect condition with seamlessly integrated structure. A bit green for my taste initially but it blows off and then struts its stuff. An iron fist in a velvet glove, as they say. In a great place.
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5/3/2020 - dlcolester wrote:
42 years in bottle and came out great immeadiately after opening. Still good strength and velvet to the tongue with smooth beginning and after taste which lingered well for a bottle this age
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4/22/2020 - doug374 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sheltering at home and doing more cooking has let us explore the cellar. This was a pleasure, aging gracefully with a taste core that held from the start to the finish of the swallow. Tannin was very mellow and has rounded out nicely. Flavors included berries, earth, leather. Based on the taste and good condition of the cork this wine probably has 10+ years ahead. We will want to back sooner - no need to test longevity here.
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3/17/2020 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 93 Points
not blind
Classical Bordeaux but in this stage reminding me more a Burgundy. Velvety Tannins, violet, underwood, just a hint of black currant, tertiary Aromas. Good acidity, at his Peak. 93
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12/24/2019 - vulgar little monkey wrote: 90 Points
So this was a night of disappointments ending with this wine. All the classic claret notes were there but it showed a bit of mustiness and some astringency. Maybe not a totally clean bottle. An HDH auction purchase.
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10/28/2019 - JCherniak Likes this wine: 92 Points
Unfortunately, I happen to be sick when my client pulled this out. It’s a problem with my mouth, but not my ability to smell. I noted mostly truffles, with some leather. Still lots of flavour and smoothly integrated.
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10/9/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
As usual, an off vintage for Bordeaux doesn't translate to an off vintage for Latour. The 1978 is a beautifully mature example of classic Pauillac with its dried currant, pencil, cedar, toffee, and mineral bouquet. Not the most intense Latour, naturally, but still with reasonably good energy and depth. No one would claim it to be a banner year, but I could drink this on a regular basis.
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4/17/2019 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Typical Latour notes operating in a mid range of intensity. Dark red fruit, soil notes, hints of leather, cedar and flowers. 92-93
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3/22/2019 - LOZFOZ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank at 67PM
Enjoyed with three others which, politely, is two too many with Latour. This stuff is seriously good, even in vintages in which ‘good wine cannot be made’.
Quality and secondary fruit from the outset which was smothered in the second hour with a leathery, farmyardy funk but with a solid undercurrent of cassis and a remaining hint of violets throughout.
I keep finding myself drawn more and more to Latour. It’s probably a common Achilles Heel in the wine world.
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12/24/2018 - fatsdmx wrote:
Cork disintegrated while opening. No nose upon decanting for about 10 minutes, then it awoke. A dark wine with almost no bricking. Continual evolution of flavours over the course of an hour, including the smoky undertones noted in other tasting notes. Some found this off-putting. Definitely started to unravel after an hour and begin to go a bit astringent/flat. The first hour with this wine far exceeded my expectations.
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9/26/2018 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Really clean, then smoky aromatics. Cassis, pencil. Savory, mid length palate. Sotheby's called this a lunchtime claret. Drink up now.
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8/25/2018 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Again, slightly past prime and perhaps slightly off btl. But dark plum, charcoal and some toast. On the palate, fairly dead, but more cedar and dried plum. Also paired well with the beef.
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6/12/2018 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Latour Big Vintages (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): A lot of mints, reminds me to a Californian Cab with cassis, brutal acidity and ripe tannins, still young and not developed. The sweetness and maltieness is coming at the end,green chestnut notes. Suprising great bottle. 95
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5/21/2017 - paul195 wrote: 95 Points
First Growth Bordeaux 1978, 1979, 1981 (The Lot): Dark core very youthful looking. As with the 1978 Margaux this is a full step up in scale from the 1981 Latour. This comes off as a beautifully mature Grand Vin, full and rich in the mouth with layers of red fruits, cedar, earth, tobacco with hints of iron. Perfectly balanced, fine tannins, impressively textured and persistent finish. A serious wine.
This bottle was ranked 1st or 2nd of the 8 first growths tonight
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12/9/2016 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep purple colour with a rusted edge. Nose of an important man's aged leather briefcase. Musk mulberry mouth. Plump and more opulent than more youthful Latour's I've recently had.
Massive testament to the ageability of Latour. So perfectly drinkable with inquisitive tannin climbing up the back of your mouth like latticed plants up the side of a castle.
Pairs well with Bowie's Alladin Sane album, it's a Drive in Saturday. Though the wine is much smoother than some of the jagged tracks in the album, but the smooth choruses are harmonious.
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11/26/2016 - Deux Chevaux wrote:
Cedar, tobacco, tertiary earthy scents and flavors. Long and complex. Very much alive. Superb.
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9/3/2016 - Edeon Likes this wine: 97 Points
I found it similar to the 1978 Pichon Lalande, but preferred it slightly less. Slightly more green.
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7/27/2016 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
Both the surprise of the night and WOTN for me. Absolutely a point. Lovely, intensity and persistence to the fruit but still showing the classic Latour cedar and walnut notes. Loved it.
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6/30/2016 - Caravelas wrote: 92 Points
Bu à l'aveugle.
Nez très expressif et complexe, avec encore un fond fruité rouge, du tabac blond, du cèdre, une touche de cuir.
Grand nez avec beaucoup de fraicheur.
On retrouve cette fraicheur en bouche, avec une acidité bien marquée mais pas saillante. Juste maturité.
Les tanins sont complètement fondus et offre un joli soyeux de texture.
L'expression aromatique est nette et belle, sur les mêmes arômes qu'au nez.
La bouche est un cran en dessous du nez, qui est vraiment superbe.
Très belle finale, équilibrée, très longue.
Très jolie bouteille, qui a montré de la classe, même à l'aveugle mais qui ne m'a donné envie d'en acheter vu les prix actuels.
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5/20/2016 - Bacchus&Ceres Likes this wine: 93 Points
Graphite on the nose with violets clearly multi layered of complex depth and evolution. Cedar closet with lavendar, purple flowers chive heads or violas...and also...1.5 h decant, fat juicy jammy wine with a solid center, a powerhouse still supported by aggressive tannins, black cherries and a medicinal quality like menthol...Bacchus rates higher at 94.5; Ceres does not have the 100 pt bar to keep in mind. Quite a wine experience drinking so lovely now Gorgeous.
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5/12/2016 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful showing for this well kept bottle. The wine was a powerhouse with lots of vigor even at almost 40yrs old. Still quite powerful core with velvet edges. Impressive length and depth. Drank alongside '79 Petrus and '89 Lafite and this was the clear winner.
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3/18/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
A private tasting and dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Tasted blind. Medium colour, light and mature; mature and gentle nose, stylish and elegant, lifted and lovely, firm but ripe tannins, cedar and Cabernet, transparent and fine.
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3/10/2016 - Wineteacher Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork sort of crumbled. Decanted. Good color with only a hint of tile. Good bouquet of cedar, woodsy and spices. Medium body. Excellent firmness of structure. The tannins are still there but soft. Spicy oak, concentration of flavor and complexity. Excellent wine but not at all far into maturity. In a cool cellar, this will hold for a decade or more. Not a huge wine but classic.
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2/20/2016 - AudunG wrote: 88 Points
Green and austere aromas with cassis and rust. Also austere and rustique in the mouth with high acidity. A bottle tasted 7-8 years ago tasted similar. Not a good vintage for Latour. Wait several years with the last bottle and hope for the best.
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10/16/2015 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Plenty of sweet earth on the nose. There's some sandalwood, cassis and green bean as well. It has a lovely cool feel with notes of leather and sweet tobacco and finishes with good grip and possesses excellent persistence.
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9/10/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Riverpark - New York, NY): Small pour at the end of the evening. classically Pauillac with mature black fruit and cigarbox with some anise hints. Very good, probably the best I can ever recall for this wine.
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5/16/2015 - Dr. Galazkiewicz Likes this wine:
My birthday wine. Brought to French Laundry and endured $150 corkage. At first the damp basement nose put us off, not being accustomed to old Bordeaux. Sommelier insisted it was in good shape. It grew on us and the two of us finished the bottle. Had typical Bordeaux fruit and herbs beneath the moldiness.
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2/8/2015 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted out of necessity due to a loose cork. Great earthy Pauillac nose. Menthol, sour cherry and balsamic notes. Like a well-cooked steak.
Silky and smooth for a '78. Tannins hanging on gamely. Long finish.
Peaked at 30 mins and then started to decline. Drink up!
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12/25/2014 - KoalaHK wrote:
Drunk from Double Magnum on Christmas Day 2014 at the Koala Bar - we tasted a collection of '78s in large formats for Christmas (and why wouldn't you!). The Latour was an enigma. On first tasting it appeared light and thin and so I left it until last to decant; yet by the end of the day it was the wine that held up the best, albeit never reaching the heights of the Lafite. I was left wondering whether had I decanted it earlier it may have performed better. As that was a rhetorical question, I think the answer is it wouldn't have and instead this is the power and structure that is Latour showing through. As with all the '78s we tasted it exhibited the dried-out, tannic characteristics that seem to accompany this vintage now.
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12/6/2014 - ATBridge wrote:
Dark color. Cassis, earth, loam on the nose. A bit austere with similar walnut notes noted in a note from 2009. Balanced in the mouth, with largely resolved tannins. Initially pure, the wine devolved with a few hours of air, and the nose took on a somewhat stewed/garbage-y note that was not pleasant. An odd transformation, and perhaps not an entirely representative bottle? ***Addendum: with 24 hours of air the funky notes disappeared. Fascinating.
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11/23/2014 - lorddh Likes this wine: 95 Points
some sediments, raspberry with slightly thick rim. earthy red fruit, hint of smoke, flowery, coffee, pencil shavings quite pronounced
power on palate, chocolate, long lingering finish heavy on chocolate, tannin is still quite powerful
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7/27/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 94 Points
BYO Dinner at Home: Forward nose of dark fruit, earth, leather and tobacco. Great energy on the palate. Dark fruit and earth dominate. Quite structured on the finish. It seems like this could see further development.
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6/27/2014 - GTFreek wrote:
Of three 1978s we tasted, this was the clear winner (Lynch-Bages, Haut-Brion). Still obviously mature, fruit just holding on. Layers are there but subtle. Some power left, doesn't hold to the finish. Questionable bottle.
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6/20/2014 - Winefindsontario wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 20 mins . Elegant . Light body ,Soft supple flavour ,velvety smooth . Just shared with dear friends . Wonderful & surprising .
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are fast. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant. It tastes like blueberry. The body is light. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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4/26/2014 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Monopole 1st Growth Tasting: Full of dark spices, licorice and roasted plum; this had nice sweet fruits hints too, like blueberry and cassis. Floral, lovely nose, in fantastic shape, quite powerful, but when I went back to it about 20 minutes later, a got a distinct green pepper/green stem thing going on. Not sure what to think of this now as I loved it before the greenness popped up! At any rate, it is developed and holding on well at this age. I'll see if anyone else gets the green in the finish as well.
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1/17/2014 - wineberg Likes this wine: 92 Points
Send-off in Style (Bourbon Steak, DC): Definite mature nose with dusty red fruit, graphite, wet leaves, leather, very noticeable fennel/anise/licorice notes. Shows some other green too; asparagus?
Nice bottle, good experience to sample it!
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1/17/2014 - KingSlacker999 wrote: 93 Points
Nose dead giveaway of '78s, bit green, but nice dark fruit too. Fruit is stil deep and dark, much more tannins remain than I'd have expected. Much bigger wine than the '78 Mouton with which it was paired.
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12/24/2013 - lockestep Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a perfect place right now. Still mostly secondary, with a classic Claret nose. Ultra smooth, with the power there but inside a velvet glove of fruit. Medium length, not a ton of complexity but the subtle notes are there when you pay attention. No reason to wait but still should hold for a few years.
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12/20/2013 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Latour Vertical Tasting; 12/19/2013-12/20/2013 (Switzerland): As was so surprised by the freshness and complexity of this wonderful bottle of Latour 1978 that I did not take many notes...
Mature red. Nose of sweet cherries. Elegant yet has power and is very well balanced. Wow...Is this really a 1978 Bordeaux ?!
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10/15/2013 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
27 Vintages of Latour: Good dark fruit, some bell peppers, tannins and fruit not well integrated at this point. Tight, edgy.
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7/21/2013 - salil wrote: 96 Points
Leo's Blind Tasting Group - July '13 edition (Cookshop, NY): Just spectacular. Incredibly complex, powerful, so polished and impeccably balanced, and an absolutely thrilling wine. This has it all, the fruit's still quite rich and sappy, but augmented by layers of mature cedar, tobacco, graphite and earthy elements with a faint leathery element that had me wondering if this was an old Cordier. There's an incredibly silken, refined palate presence, and a finish that just keeps resonating. Thanks Josh!
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6/25/2013 - Biglama Likes this wine: 94 Points
wijn blijft verbazen, indrukwekkend hoe levendig dit nog is, fraaie zuren, klassieke neus, veel potlood slijpsel, sigarenkistje, heerlijk drinkbaar, mooie inhoud, wijn staat nog als een huis
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6/24/2013 - Dubie wrote: 88 Points
The blind theme was 1970-79 Red Bordeaux. 2x 1978 Latour, 1978 Lafite, 1976 Lafite, 1975 Petrus... were all disappointing. General lack of fruit and charm, not to say sex appeal. All were good if not great bottles. The only two good wines were 1978 Palmer (very solid) and the winner was 1979 Pichon Lalande to all of our surprise. It is the only wone that had some fruit to it.
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4/29/2013 - SimonG wrote: 96 Points
Keith P @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Minty initially, quite ripe, rich, some element of decay. Cold be convinced that this is a classy Henschke etc, but claret apparently. 89 right bank? Huge surprise to discover this is 78 Latour. Ok, my first taste of Latour, but where's the power and austerity etc, this is positively sexy, and 78 too. Where's the green edge. Opulent! Rich, deep and classy, majesterial even. Lightens a little in the glass with air, but this is a class act. *****
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1/12/2013 - Ex-Ray wrote: 94 Points
Showed much better than I expected, given Parker's notes at 90 points and "old". I preferred it to a '91 Opus and '93 Harlan served at the same dinner. Full complex aromas of cassis, tobacco, cedar, typical of great Pauillac. Still had plenty of fruit, with complexity. No noticeable tannin. Excellent long aftertaste. A fine Bordeaux at its plateau. Time to drink up, though...it won't get any better and might start to decline soon.
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1/4/2013 - plitton wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for one hour. The perfume just floated out of the bottle as I decanted. So distracting that I almost missed the funnel. What surprised (and delighted) me the most from this bottle was how young it was. From nose to color to tannins to longevity in the glass this was a strong showing. 35 years! and could still improve to age 45 (2023). Fabulous nose of graphite and cedar. Served with Bearnaise-enhanced beef tenderloin. Shared among 10 so not too much to go around.
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12/24/2012 - jdesimone4 wrote: 90 Points
A little syrupy. Decanted for about an hour. Looked relatively pale coming out. A surprising though still modest amount of tannins left. Would definitely drink this sooner rather than later
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12/21/2012 - GEDC wrote: 91 Points
Left open in the bottle for 2H. Old school Bordeaux with a heavy tobacco, wet earth, and spice nose. A bit dry with little tannin still present, and a bit of sour apples at the end.
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12/20/2012 - Biglama Likes this wine: 94 Points
nog in goede vorm, donkerrood, mooie geouderde neus, cederhout, nog volop leven, mooie balans ,veel diepgang, echt wel een belevenis
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11/22/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
This is an old school style of Bordeaux which is more interesting on the nose than the palate with its tobacco, cedar, lead pencil, cassis, cranberry, olive and wet earthy nose. It’s a little dry in the mouth, the tannins have a rustic quality. The wine feels firm on the palate in the slightly tart finish.
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9/13/2012 - BradE wrote:
Decent bottle, from a vintage of Latour that should be drunk up in my opinion.
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8/26/2012 - Biglama wrote: 95 Points
rode kleur, zag er heel mooi uit, geur is verleidelijk, zoveel indrukken, heel complex, alles in verhouding, prachtig geouderd,klassiek, cederhout, potloodslijpsel, zwarte bes, alles is aanwezig, smaak is mooi elegant, lichtvoetig, met lange afdronk, heerlijk, lekker bij de nasi
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6/9/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Acker Merrall June 2012 Chicago Auction (Waldorf Astoria - Chicago IL): From magnum. Dark color. All earthy aromas with a slightly dirty character. Not much fruit left, very earthy flavors with a slightly muddy element, and a fair amount of tannin remaining.
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6/9/2012 - tooch wrote: 94 Points
Acker Auction (Waldorf Astoria - Chicago, IL): From magnum. Dark complexion, with a nose of mint, underbrush, dusty dark fruit and tobacco. Palate is showing hints of those yummy tertiary tones from Pauillac - balsamic, roasted herbs, and dried cherries. Seemed to be in a great place - loved it.
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2/10/2012 - dicehk wrote: 95 Points
Drank alongside a 86 Mission Haut Brion and 95 Mouton Rothschild. This wine was elegant and classical. Decanted for an hour, the wine had a wonderful deep ruby colour that looked like velvet. The bouquet hinted of dark berries, licorice and slight undertone of floral hints that was so different to the Mission Haut Brion. The taste was exquisite with the elegance of dark berries and licorice, long lasting flavours which remain on the palete well after you've sipped through the wine. Different to the Mission Hait Brion.
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2/4/2012 - chatters wrote:
Mmm. Quite nice. Pleasant enough. Sound cork and low neck/ upper shoulder. Leathery brambly fruit. Some smoked bacon. Slight farmyard funk and autumnal leaves and fruit. Pencil shavings/cedar cigar box. Low tannin. Biscuit - which for me is usually a sign of oak. Actually it really is very pleasant. Long finish. Tasted from bottle. Then decanted for an hour then consumed over the next two hours with SWMBO.
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1/27/2012 - hubas wrote: 98 Points
What a treat
The aroma is majestic with liqurice some herbs in perfect combination. I found myself sitting for several minutes just enjoying the aroma. There where tons of different flavors I however, had difficulties in picking them out.
Its a very fruit driven wine with a fair amount of very integrated oak. I really grows with time and is excellently balanced with a long very impressive after taste.
Wines does not get much better than this.
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12/23/2011 - danielk168 wrote: 91 Points
Opened for 1 hour before tasting, color still very young for a 78 vintage, complex nose and still lots of power left in the palate. Drank side by side with 82 Pavie. After 3 hours, still very good and nose continues to evolve and change. Latour is amazing!
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6/11/2011 - last chance wrote: 93 Points
The color of this wine was very cool. Dark maroon core with a firey-orange rim. This bottle had been opened about an hour before I tasted it, and I was told that it was still on the upswing at the time. The nose had aromas of dark fruits, pencil shavings and a very spicy pepper note. The palate had flavors of plums, currants, pepper and earth. This wine had a very elegant mouthfeel and a long finish where a hint of licorice came forward. I came back to this wine a few hours later, and it had not fallen off at all. There was a little more complexity to the palate at that point with some tobacco and celery notes on the palate. I really enjoyed this wine! Very clean, and not a hint of anything barnyard-like in the least!
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4/14/2011 - Biglama wrote: 92 Points
rood bruine kleur, mooie geouderde neus, klassiek, cederhout en cassis komen naar boven, licht wat metaal, wat later weer weg trekt, smaak is zacht en zo mooi drinkbaar, heerlijke rustige wijn, mooi in balans en zeer boeiend
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4/8/2011 - Ary wrote: 93 Points
Mature classic Bordeaux in the nose with medicine chest, cedar, pencil-graphite and some cherry tones. Nice soft, powerful/ masculine and sweet tones (confit fruit), medicine chest, tobacco, on the palate. Dry aftertaste (old barriques). Beautiful old school classic Bordeaux.
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1/16/2011 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 94 Points
Sunday Lunch: A great-showing bottle of Latour. Storage is everything! I've definitely never had a richer, more powerful '78, and obviously that's partially because this is Latour but also partially because this bottle is in such great shape that it still has a lot of fruit sweetness hanging on. But it's not just generic claret fruit; this has a sinister edge to it and it's black as night in complexion. It feels almost completely resolved of its tannin but it's still a structured wine by virtue of its acidity, which contributes a stalky sap running through its veins.
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1/2/2011 - Leigh Johnson wrote: 93 Points
Deep Ruby, lightish purple at rim, clear. Decanted to remove sediment 30 mins before surving. On the nose, ripe black fruits, cedar, cigar-box, mint and a delightful subtle floral note. On the palate, good acidity and freshness, powerful tannins but not obtrusive. Great complexity - ripe plums and damsons initially, then kirsh licqure, vanila scented cream followed by woodsmoke, earthiness and pencil shavings. The wine was powerful but elegant - definitely quite masculine but very polished. A long finish. I think this was an extremely good bottle of this vintage and much enjoyed.
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11/18/2010 - MRichman wrote:
'70's night at Morton's (Bordeaux) (Morton's NYC): Soft and herbal. Very well integrated, seamless in fact. Everything working together wonderfully. A treat and my WOTN.
A
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11/3/2010 - burgburgburg wrote: 90 Points
garnet ruby with a 2mm amber ring; surprisingly charming nose with licorice, leaves, leather and slight berries; bottle condition is ok but the structure started to loose; good and value for $ vintage Latour
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10/1/2010 - dgerst wrote: 95 Points
My last bottle. Surprisingly dark with no bricking. Soaring nose of lead pencil, black cherry, earth, old leather couch, smelled like a cedar closet. I loved the nose! Great penetrating flavors of pure cassis, minerals muscular tannins, and a long tasty finish. Blind I would have guessed much younger. My last bottle of this 3 years ago was much more advanced and I wasn't expecting much. Just a lovely example of a masculine claret with some age on it. Well stored bottles have many years of life left. Went great with prime dry aged filets.
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7/30/2010 - Biglama wrote: 93 Points
rode kleur met wat vertekening, heerlijke klassieke neus, cederhout, kersen, potlood, smaak is mooi gebalanceerd heerlijk zacht en met heel veel diepgang, wijn is echt nog in goede conditie
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7/8/2010 - kanab ram wrote:
Popped and poured. Cork was nearly perfect. Minimal funk, no noticeable bricking, still great structure and finish. Outstanding.
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6/11/2010 - gbauer wrote:
A little funk on the nose, which blew off and left nice "old bordeaux" dried fruit, herbs, and minerals. In the mouth, tannins resolved, not a lot of fruit, but still showing nicely some dried fruit/herb flavors and some iron/minerality. Very nice.
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3/1/2010 - Biglama wrote: 94 Points
rode kleur, mooie beschaafde neus, nog levendig en heeft behoorlijk wat fruit overgehouden, smaak is zo elegant en volwassen, mooi uitgerijpt en nog helemaal in topconditie, echt weer een belevenis, heel vriendelijk drinkbaar, met toch ook weer het mooie karakter van Latour, echt een lange afstandsloper, wat een wijn van 32 jaar
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8/5/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
(audouzed for 8 hours) Mature, austere Pauillac. Classic Latour nose that showed true cassis fruit and pencil shavings. At this point, not showing a lot of oomph – in fact this bottle was surprisingly delicate. That said, the complexity worked very well with the veal roast. Excellent, if not profound. (92)
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7/18/2009 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 95 Points
@Prime112 Bob's wine. Double decanted before dinner, and then decanted at Prime 112. Brett is acceptable, as opposed to the heralded 82. Drank like I remember Latour, a compelling wine that despite the warnings it is reaching the end of its days, IT IS NOT SO, has at least 10+ years of life left. Excdellent bouquet wonderful classic Claret flavors, lead pencil, cedar, the whole 9 yards.
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6/15/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Masculine in style, this cassis, truffle, cedar, earth and spice scented wine was very nice on the nose. On the palate, good weight with flavors of spicy black fruit. But, the finish was a bit short and had a slight bitter or sour note on the end. This wine has slipped past its prime. If you have any in your cellar, drink up as it will not improve and will continue losing fruit.
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6/4/2009 - kenv wrote: 98 Points
WCC First Growth Bordeaux Tasting @ Provence (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): [Double decanted at 4pm.] Big cedar nose. Monster wine. Stunning length. Wow, wow, wow! This wine is in a terrific place right now. WOTN for me so far!!
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4/10/2009 - soyhead wrote: flawed
First Growth Night at PRIMA (prima): First Growth Night at PRIMA - this bottle had slight cork taint
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3/13/2009 - ATBridge wrote:
More stern than the '78 Lafite. Black fruit, hints of walnuts on the nose. An austere wine that gives it away as Latour.
Very pleasing in the mouth with a bit more structure than the Lafite. Unlike the Lafite it gained in intensity on the glass. Will hold, but drinking well now.
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11/24/2008 - Biglama wrote: 92 Points
rood met iets vertekening, klassieke neus, licht boers stal, cederhout, nog wat fruit, smaak is nog in prima vorm, mooie frisse indruk met diepgang en concentratie, nog aanwezige tannines geven de wijn zijn kracht, kan nog even mee
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10/26/2008 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Popped and poured and quite sensual from the get up. Gorgeous aromatics of sweet cassis, purple flowers, cardamom spice, leather, cedar and tobacco. In the mouth the fruit was sweet and pure with lovely definition and proportion and overlaying a bed of minerals and earth. It was so delicious and balanced with a real sense of energy and vitality, we were all most disappointed as the last drop left our glasses.
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9/17/2008 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
1978 Red Bordeaux (IoD London): darkest wine fo the night, dark ripe plums and slightly lifted woody herbs. Very smooth viscous tecture with rounded fruit, acidity a little too low to balance the lush tecture, tannins show on the saline finish.
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9/16/2008 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Horizontal tasting of 1978 bordeaux plus more 1978s with dinner (Institute of Directors, London): Darker, denser, not much on the nose, but very rich and chocolately on the palate, ripe and engaging
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9/13/2008 - Biglama wrote: 90 Points
Dakpan rode kleur, wat bruine rand. In eerste instantie een wat muffe lucht, grafiet en cederhout, zachte aanzet met opvallende zuren. Later komt de geur wat beter over en is dan heel aangenaam. klassiek drinken met mooie zachte tannines en lange afdronk
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5/10/2008 - foodandwineblog wrote:
The cork came out in two pieces, but was in good shape. Decanted for sediment, immediately poured. Medium garnet color with slight bricking. Lovely aromas of a mature Bordeaux- sweet notes, minerals, subtle notes of cassis . On the palate, the wine was soft and elegant, but the fruits have faded almost completely leaving a bit of awkwardness. This bottle has been dead for some time, but still an enjoyable experience. Not rated. foodandwineblog.com
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4/3/2008 - Brady D wrote: 93 Points
Purchased (just $75!) and consumed at Dave's Italian Kitchen in Evanston. If you prefer young, tannic, assertive reds, then this wine is not for you. But if you are happy to spend the time appreciating the subtleties of an aged claret, this one is pretty special. Think lead pencil, tar, and leather all wrapped around a subtle fruit core. Fading but very nice.
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3/26/2008 - jmcmchi wrote:
Amazingly pale for Latour, hints of ruby and no signs of browning round the edges. Sweet pencil lead on the nose.
Clearly never a blockbuster, but nice light body with some tannins remaining to hold it all together as a nicely balanced blend of violets and smokey fruits. Did not feel 30 years old from a vintage expected to last only to 2000. I'd expect it to fall off fairly rapidly as the tannins fade
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2/9/2008 - dbkitc wrote: 89 Points
Deep, mature garnet. Lovely nose of sweet cassis and dirt. Mature and completely resolved on the palate – initial attack is creamy and sweet – refined and elegant. Finishes abruptly. Nice, mature claret without fireworks. (89)
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11/21/2007 - BIlgen wrote: 92 Points
Dark deep red, brownish im. lifely, very bright
Great nose, cabernet, blackberries, very concentrated
Perfect taste, power and elegance, round, deep and complex
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10/20/2007 - TampaDan wrote: 88 Points
Started out with spectacular promise, but the fruit quickly and completely dissipated from the wine, leaving only leather, earth, acidity and tannin. What is it with me and Latour anyway?
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10/9/2007 - MC wrote:
nice, mature boreaux. gets better after an hour, but is a drink now wine and not to risk holding any longer. B+
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10/6/2007 - BIlgen wrote: 87 Points
Very dark, brownish rim, deep black-red
Nice subtle nose, wood, berries, soft parfume
Powerful taste, long finish, wood, vanilla
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8/25/2007 - noppakit s. wrote: 93 Points
This is my 3rd testing of Latour 1978. The last bottle was tested 2 years ago...Plenty of cassis...but this bottle....
Getting more fine !!! This is absolutely fine wine. Plenty of very nice fruit upon fruits...wonderful nose of fruits indeed...my first time getting this scent in Latour, smooth cassis intermixed, good depth and clean. No sign of bad feeling at all....beautiful...Oh la la....
So nice and smooth in the mouth, so round and complex, a little bit watery and mild medical at the end....fine fine wine on a fine fine day....
Aftertaste is very good too. Robust gently...the lovely long and quite dry aftertaste.
Drink it now - 2011
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4/27/2007 - BradE wrote:
Pencil lead is dominant. Drunk side by side with the 85 Latour, it didn't show nearly as much fruit as the 85. Interesting, as in the late 90's this wine showed almost as a fruit bomb. Liked it, but preferred the 85.
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4/23/2007 - nestor_leal wrote: 93 Points
Cedar and Cigar box. Prune and latex aromas on the empty glass. Black currant. Herbal and a note of sparragus. A little bit of soy, really complex and mineral. Full bodied, elegant and long long finish. Lively after 30 years. Maybe 10+ life.
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3/3/2007 - BIlgen wrote: 90 Points
Very dark, almost black, orange rim, tuille
Blackberrys, wood,
Very powerful, round soft tones, a bit a burning taste, soft tannines, next day burning taste was completly gone. Powerfull, velvet , round wine
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1/2/2007 - Jeff Leve wrote: 85 Points
Masculine in style, this Latour seems to have misplaced its fruit. Nice nose of cassis and earth, but the palate was short, tannic and displaying a bit of sour fruit in the finish. 78 Latour was much better 5 years ago, and even better 5 years before that. This wine needs to be drunk up in the near future.
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11/13/2006 - BIlgen wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful red, with a slight brown rim, mid deep colour, very clear and bright
Light nose, soft ripe fruit
Great taste, no hard tannines, much nuance and power, very long after taste
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10/30/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Chateau Latour vertical at Danube (Danube restaurant in NYC): Good sweet nose. Some slight unresolved tannins. Smooth with an acidic core.
A--
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5/2/2006 - kmforster wrote: 94 Points
Classic Latour. I have had bigger and more memorable ones, but if you are craving aged Pauillac, this will fit the bill.
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4/27/2006 - Rupert wrote:
Lots of small tastes of some very grand wines (Royal Academy, London): Big, tannic, classically proportioned, impressive [92]
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4/8/2006 - Biglama wrote: 95 Points
Rood met een kleine bruine tint. In de geur zwarte bes met veel andere indrukken. Heel mooi in balans. complex. In de smaak valt de frisheid op met hele mooie zuren. De wijn doet nog jong aan.Verder weer veel indrukken. De wijn is soepel maar ook krachtig, alles weer in balans, finesse. Mooie lange afdronk. Nauwelijks merkbare tannines zijn geheel opgenomen in de wijn. Super
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9/27/2005 - Dawa wrote: 96 Points
Gunpowder and smoke on the nose. Hints of an Islay Whiskey. Layer after layer of sweet mature fruits and all the secondary aromas you need. It will last another couple of years but no point in waiting. The cork was just falling apart when we pulled it.
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5/21/2005 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Tasting. Big nose is mostly smoky and earthy but still showing lingering black fruit and some cigar box. Similar flavor profile on palate with licorice hints. Moderate length seems to soften at end. Drink up.
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5/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
(1st growth tasting). Group last. Deep red with a garnet edge. Pale aroma of red fruit and briar. Big red fruit on a firm frame. Long finish. 92-93 pts. 10/04
Crimson/garnet. Forward aroma of paulliac black fruit and briar. Nice. 92+ pts. 5/05
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2/25/2004 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Cassis, licorice and wood on the nose. Medium bodied with very cabernet tasting fruit, this is not improving and is slowly drying out. It lacks the elegance and density to make this a very good wine. The finish displays less fruit than it should and ends with dry notes. Drink up.
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9/19/1998 - Happy Sommelier wrote: 92 Points
The wine is 20 years of age and was properly kept in good condition in a wine cellar by a reputable dealer.
The wine is an amber red with lovely aromas of cedar, smoke, and fallen leaves. Lovely earthy aromas with a hint of cherry which is fading can found on the palate. The wine has past its peak and will not benefit from any more ageing, rather I suspect that it is downhill from here. The lack of balance between fruit and acidity is obvious. The wine has sufficient acidity and tannins to continue to age but the lack of fruit is disquieting.
A classic Pauillac at its prime. Drink up!
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10/21/1989 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 90 Points
With MPL at Singer & Foy survey of '78 Bordeaux. Incredibly dark ruby color. Looks very promising. Fruity but closed nose. On the palate, tannic and massive, quite unready yet showing great fruit, balance and length. 5-10-16-9: 90/100.
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5/19/1987 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful rich color, no sign of age. Hard on the nose. More open than the ‘79. Just starting to come around on the palate. Should be excellent in time.
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