1 bottle per lot
Details
Château Latour 1945
Pauillac, 1er cru classé
Embossed Château capsule with vintage. Bin-soiled and faded label, vintage not visible. Remains of slip label. Level upper-shoulder
Tasting note: A great wine. Surely one of the best ever Latours, drinking beautifully now but with many years more life. As with Lafite, not tasted in my early years in the trade. My first note was made in October 1967: ‘deep’, very rich, ‘packed’ (bouquet); dry, extremely vigorous and youthful for a 22-year old, with plenty of tannin and acidity. ‘A good strapping drink’. And so on for another 28 notes through the next three decades. What I have noticed, as it matured further, is its increasing sweetness. An amalgam of notes gathered at dinners and tastings: always deep, with an opaque core; spicy bouquet, eucalyptus, cedar, smoky tea (Lapsang), cheesy – not smelly cheese but a sort of sweaty tannin. Full-bodied, rich, complete, silky tannins, complex, great length. The very best: a double magnum from Lenoir Josey’s cellar at a Wine and Food Society dinner in Houston in 1983. Served last it trounced the preceding ‘stars’, including Lafite and Margaux ’53, the exquisite Mouton ’49, and others. Most recently, two bottles: richly coloured; nose perfection; incredibly sweet yet still very tannic. Very distinctive flavour. Living up to its reputation. Last tasted June 2004 ***** M.B.
1 bottle per lot
Pauillac, 1er cru classé
Embossed Château capsule with vintage. Bin-soiled and faded label, vintage not visible. Remains of slip label. Level upper-shoulder
Tasting note: A great wine. Surely one of the best ever Latours, drinking beautifully now but with many years more life. As with Lafite, not tasted in my early years in the trade. My first note was made in October 1967: ‘deep’, very rich, ‘packed’ (bouquet); dry, extremely vigorous and youthful for a 22-year old, with plenty of tannin and acidity. ‘A good strapping drink’. And so on for another 28 notes through the next three decades. What I have noticed, as it matured further, is its increasing sweetness. An amalgam of notes gathered at dinners and tastings: always deep, with an opaque core; spicy bouquet, eucalyptus, cedar, smoky tea (Lapsang), cheesy – not smelly cheese but a sort of sweaty tannin. Full-bodied, rich, complete, silky tannins, complex, great length. The very best: a double magnum from Lenoir Josey’s cellar at a Wine and Food Society dinner in Houston in 1983. Served last it trounced the preceding ‘stars’, including Lafite and Margaux ’53, the exquisite Mouton ’49, and others. Most recently, two bottles: richly coloured; nose perfection; incredibly sweet yet still very tannic. Very distinctive flavour. Living up to its reputation. Last tasted June 2004 ***** M.B.
1 bottle per lot