90-94 / 100
Noncontractual photographs
Label Slightly damaged
Level Mid-shoulder ( - )
Vintage | 1971 |
Rating | 90-94 |
Classification | Médoc - 1er Cru Classé |
Region | Bordeaux |
Appellation | Pauillac |
Colour | Red |
Volume | 0.75 l |
Price | More than 300 € |
Château | Latour |
Country | France |
There are 2 other Châteaux in the Pauillac appellation which also benefit from the prestigious title of 1er Cru Classé: Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild.
Latour is the epitome of excellence in good years and bad ones. Among the greatest vintages, the most beautiful achievements of the chateau: 1920, 1929, 1949, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1970, 1982, 1990, 2000.
Created around 1680, Château Latour's vineyard is one of the oldest in the Médoc. At the heart of the estate, the main parcel, called "l'Enclos", is made up of 47 hectares of old vines that are preciously maintained, because only they are able to give birth to the "Grand Vin". The 18 hectares of exterior plots, the vines less than 10 years old and the possibly downgraded cuvées produce the second wine of the estate, "Les Forts de Latour". The wine of Château Latour is an example of regularity regardless of the quality of the vintage. Firm, tannic and concentrated in its youth ...
Read more on the article "Latour, Premier Cru Classé in 1855"
CHÂTEAU GRAND PUY LACOSTE 1971
Pauillac
PIERRE DAMOY Clos de Bèze 1971
Chambertin Clos de Bèze
CHATEAU MOULIN ST GEORGES Magnum 1971
Saint Emilion
Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
CHÂTEAU LAFAURIE PEYRAGUEY 1971
Sauternes
MAISON LEROY Bourgogne Buisserolle 1971
Bourgogne
Moulis
Saint Julien
Bordeaux supérieur
Tasted from my personal cellar, the 1971 Latour is undoubtedly the wine of the Medoc, and possibly the wine of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are also splendid efforts). Drinkable young, it has continued to evolve, offering extraordinary aromatic complexity as well as surprisingly deep, concentrated flavors atypical for the vintage.
A dark opaque garnet color with amber at the edge is followed by a spectacular bouquet of dried herbs, cedar, smoky black fruit, and coffee. Rich, but structured, with moderate tannin, this medium-bodied, elegant yet complex wine possesses a sweet mid-palate in addition to a long, concentrated finish with abundant tannin. This underrated 1971 has been fully mature for over a decade, but it reveals no signs of cracking up or becoming attenuated.