1 impériale per lot
Details
Château Latour--Vintage 1982
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Tasting Notes: As I indicated in the review of the 1982 Bordeaux, this is an unusual Latour in the fact that it has always been precocious. It has been jammy, forward, and delicious no matter when the cork was pulled, in total contrast to its two first-growth siblings, Mouton Rothschild and Lafite-Rothschild. The dense, opaque garnet-coloured 1982 Latour reveals slight amber at the edge. Sweet, smoky, roasted aromas in the nose combine with jammy levels of blackcurrant, cherry, and prune-like fruit. It possesses extraordinary concentration and unctuosity, with a thick, fat texture oozing notes of cedar wood, tobacco, coffee, and over-ripe fruit. Low acidity as well as high alcohol (for Bordeaux) give the wine even more glycerin and textural chewiness. The finish lasts forever. The only Latour that remotely resembles the 1982 is the 1961, which has a similar texture and succulence. Anticipated maturity: now-2040. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 129, June 2000
I have a note that 17,054 cases of the grand vin and 7832 of Les Forts were produced. First tasted at the time of bottling, and predictably opaque, dumb and massive, with huge potential. At 10 years of age I described it as 'a knife and fork wine', so big and chewy. Beginning to shed some of its colour in the mid-1990s, its bouquet developed fragrantly, ripe, cedary, redcurrant scents. Surprisingly sweet and delicious despite its tannic grip at the turn of the century. 'Old oak', chocolate and tannic in 2003. Most recently: richly coloured; very fragrant, classic, cedar bouquet; very good fruit, flavour of 'sugared almonds', tannic, impressive. Last tasted July 2005 ****(*) M.B.
Rich purple-garnet, rim just moving to amber; on the nose, roasted, ripe cherries and black fruits, with liquorice, chocolate and cigar-box. The fruit is dense, compact, fleshy and velvety, the tannins mouth-coating, without roughness. This has extraordinary concentration, with leathery, meaty, exotic flavours. Although already luscious and charming, it certainly has potential to soften further and gain complexity. A.H.
1 impériale per lot
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Tasting Notes: As I indicated in the review of the 1982 Bordeaux, this is an unusual Latour in the fact that it has always been precocious. It has been jammy, forward, and delicious no matter when the cork was pulled, in total contrast to its two first-growth siblings, Mouton Rothschild and Lafite-Rothschild. The dense, opaque garnet-coloured 1982 Latour reveals slight amber at the edge. Sweet, smoky, roasted aromas in the nose combine with jammy levels of blackcurrant, cherry, and prune-like fruit. It possesses extraordinary concentration and unctuosity, with a thick, fat texture oozing notes of cedar wood, tobacco, coffee, and over-ripe fruit. Low acidity as well as high alcohol (for Bordeaux) give the wine even more glycerin and textural chewiness. The finish lasts forever. The only Latour that remotely resembles the 1982 is the 1961, which has a similar texture and succulence. Anticipated maturity: now-2040. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 129, June 2000
I have a note that 17,054 cases of the grand vin and 7832 of Les Forts were produced. First tasted at the time of bottling, and predictably opaque, dumb and massive, with huge potential. At 10 years of age I described it as 'a knife and fork wine', so big and chewy. Beginning to shed some of its colour in the mid-1990s, its bouquet developed fragrantly, ripe, cedary, redcurrant scents. Surprisingly sweet and delicious despite its tannic grip at the turn of the century. 'Old oak', chocolate and tannic in 2003. Most recently: richly coloured; very fragrant, classic, cedar bouquet; very good fruit, flavour of 'sugared almonds', tannic, impressive. Last tasted July 2005 ****(*) M.B.
Rich purple-garnet, rim just moving to amber; on the nose, roasted, ripe cherries and black fruits, with liquorice, chocolate and cigar-box. The fruit is dense, compact, fleshy and velvety, the tannins mouth-coating, without roughness. This has extraordinary concentration, with leathery, meaty, exotic flavours. Although already luscious and charming, it certainly has potential to soften further and gain complexity. A.H.
1 impériale per lot