Some of you may be interested in this.
Nineteen of us gathered at La Trompette restaurant in West London for this Latour dinner. We were divided into three tables, with differing line ups, albeit with some overlap. These are notes for our table
Sharpener
Louis Roederer Cristal 2008
This wine is 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. It has evolved nicely since I last tried it with BWE in London in March 2023, when it was painfully young. It now appears to be entering its drinking window and is revealing its wares. It is fine, intense, tensile, mineral-infused, with citrus and saline notes, plenty of energy and verve, but at the same time impressive poise and restraint. It changes and evolves over the evening as it warms in the glass. I have had more exciting champagnes this year, but this should continue to improve…94 for now with upside
Chateau Latour
F1
1921
In the glass you would think this wine was from the 1980s, the colour was so youthful. Initially high-toned with dark chocolate and rich cherry and some meaty notes, saddle leather and walnut liqueur. It had superb mouthfeel, poise and impressive length on the palate. After 45 minutes it turned browner and waxed and waned, but remarkably had a second wind, after which it fell off and became more vinegary. But, while it was alive and kicking, it was arguably more interesting than the much more youthful and monolithic 1959 served alongside it. Overall a superb showing for this 105 year old, and kudos to Kevin Heatherington (the organiser of the dinner) who sourced it…94
1959
This looked ever so youthful in the glass and on smelling it you are hit with a blast of rich black fruit intermingled with dark chocolate, mint and a bit of cigar box. After a while, the rich primary fruit, cassis and minty-ness comes to the fore and dominates the flavour profile; the wine becomes somewhat monolithic, and it reminded me of the 1961 Mouton from a few years back. This is an impressive and immortal wine. It does not have the thrills of La Mission 1961 – the finest ‘old’ wine I have ever tried – or the regal poise of the Ch Margaux 1959 – but it is not that kind of wine and maybe there is a trade-off between longevity and complexity (which seems to be the case with some of the monolithic immortal 1945s). This wine is two thirds the way to the century mark and will get there with ease…96
F2
1981
Came off the subs bench as a substitute for the 1964, which sadly was DOA. My expectations were suitably reined in, and I was pleasantly surprised by a beautifully resolved intellectual and nuanced Latour at its apogee, with alluring initial notes of coal/coal dust and graphite, with perfect harmony and a pleasing leafiness on the palate…95
1970
This smelt quite tertiary and mushroomy on the nose, but I don’t think it was flawed, just very evolved and approaching the end of its useful life. On the palate this was savoury and rasping, strict and not at all smooth, with some trademark Latour walnut notes, but it was a good foil for the mushroom risotto dish. Not sure if this was an off bottle, but this wine drank a lot better 20-30 years ago…88
F3
1989
Classic Latour nose, this is big, brawny and old school, with lashings of rumbustious tannins and a brooding layered density. This is still on the young side, but great fun to drink now – much more fun than the austere and curmudgeonly 1989 from neighbouring Leoville Lascases. But in the final analysis, this is a somewhat uncouth wine, the likes of which you will never see again, especially from Latour, where the winemaking has moved on it quantum leaps, with the emphasis now on detail and precision…94
1996
An interesting one this, as a couple of my table mates noted how much better the tannins are integrated into the 1996, compared to the 1989 served alongside. The 1996 is nevertheless a big, powerful, somewhat monolithic wine, which you can drink now, but which will probably improve over the next 10-20 years and last for decades after that. It is a somewhat clinical wine that delivers the goods, but which seems to be somewhat short on soul and joy. On its own it is an imposing Latour, but it lacks the magic of Chateau Margaux in this vintage and the poise and precision of Lafite. Put it this way, if today’s winemaking team led by Helene Genin had the same raw materials as the team of 30 years ago had, the outcome would be a much better and more precise wine – a 99-100 pt wine rather than merely 95 pt wine…95
1999
Next to the 1989 and 1996 this is noticeably dialled down, which is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your mood. While it is still on the young side, the 1999 has a poise, elegance and finesse not matched by its two flight mates, with a welcome decorum and restraint. It has black fruits, a pleasingly refined texture and a little bit of welcome strictness and grippiness on the back end. It was the last Latour in the line up and one that most of the table (apart from Kevin) seemed to ignore, but it reminded me of the 1981 – a younger version thereof – and like the 1981 would probably be in my top three wines of the night…95
Other Latours from other tables:
1978
Just a small pour but I could tell that this was absolutely fabulous, beautifully resolved and poised and right up my street; just glorious…96
2009
Inky and painfully youthful, but such intensity, purity and precision; such controlled power; and at the same time such poise and balance. Of course, not a hair out of place. A 21st century version of the 1982? 98++
We had two dessert wines on our table the 1989 Rieussec which was superb and a 1963 Cockburns Port, with the emphasis on elegance and finesse. Good as the Rieussec was it could not match the brilliance of a pristine – and reassuringly pale-coloured - 2001 Yquem from another table.