Chateau Latour Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac

Needed a little more air, will be amazing with more age.

1996 vintage

12 Vintages of Latour (1996-2016) : All wines tasted single blind. Not decanted (but opened a few hours earlier). Latour remains one of Bordeaux’s most structurally formidable and intellectually compelling estates. The signature was unmistakable throughout: liquid stone minerality, Pauillac graphite, walls of tannin and distinctive nutty inflections. The 1996, 2003 and 2015 stood out on this night, each expressing Latour’s DNA in a different but convincing way. Several young vintages showed still a bit closed and monolithic, showing that …

1996 vintage

Similar to last note, this wine is absolutely stunning. It’s just so perfect in every way for a wine of this age. Don’t see it going down hill anytime soon but now is the time to enjoy.

1989 vintage

BYOB Wine Dinner (The Little Club) : Out of 375 ml. Slow ox for 30 minutes. Dense on the palette. Dark color with black currant with chocolate notes. Modest tannins, developed nicely in the glass over time. Unlimited potential

1995 vintage

Glorious. Top 3 wines I’ve ever had. So much depth and richness. Classic.

1995 vintage

Decanted for 3 hours. Not quite the vigorous power house with vinous fireworks I was expecting. Initially lots of cassis on the nose, later slightly funky, mature, nuanced, aristocrat Bx. Very pleasantly serene and mature Bx on the palate. Yet, unfortunately, not the 100-pointer I was hoping for.

1996 vintage

balanced structure... seamles and velvety texture... developed nicely over a couple of hours... one of the better wines I've tasted

1996 vintage

Corked. So disappointing.

1996 vintage

WCC 80s, 90s, Bordeaux & Cali Cab (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY) : [Double-decanted at 5:30pm.] Muted nose of leather and black fruit. Fully mature and lovely.

1989 vintage

Small pour. Splash double decanted. Fun to taste, but tight as a drum. There's a bunch of fruit in there and a ton of structure. Gonna need some time.

2000 vintage

On opening, full of funk, a bit sour and tight. After an hour the funk had blown off cool dark fruits perfectly resolved tenants, deep and delicious. A great wine, but can’t see any upside as it slips into old age

1995 vintage

Dark ruby-30+ year old wine??? Cedar box aromas. Medium weight, enveloping feel. Fully ripe berry fruit, outstanding acidity, and late arrival of chocolate, olive, and fine tannins. I never drink Bordeaux and drink Latour even less than that, but this is magnificent-youthful, pliant, and complex while clearly having decades of further development ahead of it. Great wine.

1995 vintage

Ethan's birthday : Very classic left bank with pyrazines and pencil lead on the nose. Palate was tannic as hell with dense, dark fruit that was similar to the 2000 I had a couple of weeks ago. This bottle was rather monolithic unlike the bottle I tasted two years ago.

1996 vintage

Commanderie Paulee Dinner (Dallas, TX) : Tasted the '05 Margaux, '05 Latour, '05 Mouton, and the '05 Lafite (which was from 3 liter). Small pours of each. The '05 Margaux was very good, loved the cool damp earth and powerful cassis notes with more primary feel overall, but showing well. The Mouton was flat put gorgeous. So soft and luxurious, loved the nose, very pretty and more feminine with a red dominated mix of red and black fruit. This was …

2005 vintage

Commanderie Paulee Dinner (Dallas, TX) : Small pour. Man these '95's have been on fire this weekend. From the Haut Brion to now the Latour and the even slightly better Lafite. Wow, these are so impressive. The Latour displays a cool feel and disposition, soil, blue influences, very ready, pretty with the red berries standing out now. Damn this is pretty. Now the Lafite will always have a special place in my heart after drinking that years ago in the …

1995 vintage

Commanderie Paulee Dinner (Dallas, TX) : Small pour. Slow - O for an hour plus. Absolutely out of this world. Wow. Just needed the '90 side by side for comparison. Dang, this had it all. Showing great.

1989 vintage

Nineteen eight-two Latour is obviously in full bloom but shows no signs of slowing down. Terrific Latour aromatics of black dust, walnuts and cassis. The palate carries through with vibrant flavors of rich black berry and black currant, lifted by a trace of blueberry. Resolved tannins support it perfectly and the acidity is sound.

1982 vintage

Drank at 67 Wonderful to try again and see a beautiful evolution. Ready but will last another 20 years.

1996 vintage

Can’t believe it. Coravin’d out of a 750. First couple minutes were tight. 10 minutes later, it was nice, 20 minutes later, it was gone. Leathery and loamy through out. Fruit perked up with some initial air but disappeared and it quickly all became astringent. Would have loved to have this wine after only 35 years of age :-)

1979 vintage

Profound

2000 vintage

Out of a jeroboam, this had that high-toned style of an aged and somewhat weaker vintage with good acidity and a touch of green. The texture is savory and there are classic notes of cedar spice and cigar box with slightly astringent tannins still present. Not much fruit here and while some thought it needed more time, I would pass on waiting.

1979 vintage

A lot like the '85 but with more depth of flavor. The '95 has really opened up in the past couple of years and it continues to improve and impress. Next to the '96, this is easily more ready to drink and more hedonistic at this point with delicious dark berry fruit and full throttle intensity and complexity. The texture is crisp yet layered and while there are still formidable tannins on the finish, they are quite smooth and refined …

1995 vintage

A classic '96 with a texture like smooth marble and tannins like chiseled stone. Very youthful and really still not ready for prime time although it did keep opening and improving in the glass. There are gorgeous flavor of black fruits, sweet tar and charred walnuts which lead to a coiled but fabulously refined finish with notes of minerals and dark spices. This is a beauty but needs more time. 95+

1996 vintage

Still so youthful but with plenty of air, it's beginning to show its stuff and that stuff is fabulous! Just a loaded and perfectly balanced Latour with medium-ripe dark fruits and a regal, razor-like texture. Very deep and concentrated with great precision and classic Latour flavors just emerging like charred walnuts, dark earth and cigar box. Coiled and powerful and perfectly set up for a brilliant future. 96+

2000 vintage

Horizontal tasting with Haut Brion and Duhart Milon. On the nose - blackcurrant, cassis, spice. Fruit forward, intensity in flavour - was the best wine of the night until the Haut Brion truly opened up.

2005 vintage

Really good Super Bowl wine. Aged and nuanced. Great flavors of leather, pencil shavings, red and dark fruits, tobacco. Everything in perfect balance - fruit, tannin, acidity. Texturally very pleasing as tannins resolved but fruit and acidity still in abundance. Just a great showing....

1995 vintage

Decanted for about 2 hours by the time we got to it. A promising if reserved nose transitions to an explosive, profound palate, so energetic and vibrant, full of black raspberry, blueberry, cassis, gravelly minerality, and fresh coffee beans. My goodness, achingly beautiful fruit on the mouth, taut, full, revving power. Slightly lavender inflected on the end with a blueberry pie finish. An unforgettable combination of power and poise. 97-98

1996 vintage

Dinner at Chaoshan : Guesses were all over the place but mostly in new-world, I called late '00s Almaviva (when revealed to be Bordeaux I guess a big vintage like '05). Rich and dense blackcurrant and cassis, very unyielding and completely unintegrated. Apparently this was opened 24 hours prior and while others paid respect to the label, this was tannic as fuck and undrinkable to me.

2000 vintage

Stellar showing tonight. Vertical, cleaer cut, stoney, fresh with tannin still here, and the blue fruit somewhat primary. Served in place of the 1985-Margaux, badly corked - hald a case was sic. But I think we were better off here. #Alchemist

1989 vintage

This is basically perfect Bordaeux. Not sure how wine gets any better than this. Decanted for 90 mins. and followed it from there. Knockout nose. Spice, star anise and cinnamon. Perfectly integrated tannins against an eternally long finish. Extraordinarily complex on both the nose and the palate. Again, does wine get any better than this? Don't think so.

1996 vintage

Wow. Damn near perfect wine. It's got it all. Cedar, cassis, anise, sassafras, smoldering embers on the nose. Gorgeous. Damn! On the palate it's hitting on all cylinders. Tannins so fine. Acidity perfect. Flavors consistent with the nose with a 60 second finish. Drink now but this will last for at least 30 years. Thank you, jhaapasalo, for bringing this to dinner!

2005 vintage

From 3L. Delicious.

2000 vintage

Drank all 2000 first growth at a wine dinner. Margaux, latour and lafite rothschild were the stars complex, balanced great fruit and lots of life. Mouton was still great which i have had over the past 10 years, It is still getting better. Haut brion was not has good as the others

2000 vintage

First Growth plus Ausone and LMHB dinner (1789 Restaurant, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.) : Expressive nose displaying concentrated ripe black fruit, crème de cassis, blackberry liqueur, cedar, a hint of vanilla and oak, Cabernet floral dust, cappuccino, lead pencil, sweet spices, and fine minerality. Excellent concentration, with layers upon layers of intense black fruit; rich, structured, and full-bodied, with a perfect amount of acidity, strong mineral, still noticeable tannins, and a long, concentrated, black fruit driven finish. The 1995 vintage is …

1995 vintage

10 January 2026 Wayne’s lunch (Wellington, NZ) : Served double blind by Graham, with the Cheval Blanc. Cabernet sauvignon 77%, merlot 16%, cabernet franc 4% and petit verdot 3%. Deep, opaque ruby, only showing a little garnet. A beautiful, but slightly reticent, cabernet sauvignon bouquet of crème de cassis, black currants, black plums, cigar box and subtle notes of violets. On palate, a fresh, young claret. More acidity on palate than expected from the bouquet. “Exquisite. Very linear and precise …

2000 vintage

Decanted for 3,5h. Lovely classy bouquet, still youthfull but slowly entering the drinking window. Medium to full body. No tertiary aromas. Drinking so well as Latour is a class of its own. Enjoyed it really. No hurry to open it, but why not?

1995 vintage

Simply divine. Wonderful brick colour with incredible nose - This is your typical aged Bordeaux profile - leather, tobacco, blackberries, forest floor, pencil shavings, mushrooms. Delicious on the palate with notes similar to the nose with amazing upfront acidity. The tannins are velvety and smooth, silky, mostly resolved, with an incredibly long finish. Absolutely stunning.

1982 vintage

Gonna resist the temptation to wax lyrically just because it’s a first growth It’s a very nice bottle of red Bordeaux but not a top class or quality wine imho. Beautiful aroma on opening and for the duration Thin mouthfeel and not much complexity Where’s the lead or tobacco etc?? Happy to find out my palate is just not that discerning but I preferred a lot of 1995 Bordeaux: Grand Puy for example Decanted for 2 hours, drank over a …

1995 vintage

Drank this right after the 2002 Lafite. Slightly better in the sense that it is more structured, bolder and lasted longer.

2002 vintage

This is a seriously good wine and very much living in its “wise old legend” phase. Tons of mature, old-school notes, yet still holding onto a healthy core of red fruit. Honestly, it feels like it could keep going for quite a while. The tannins are a standout—firm but incredibly pleasant. They dry out your mouth just enough to make you immediately want another sip (which is always dangerous in the best way). Aromatically, it’s a full antique-store experience: old …

1982 vintage

Decanted for 2hrs. Really showed nicely. Mature, soft with classic left van profile. Paired with an ‘00 Haut Brion, which felt significantly younger and with longer life ahead of it.

1995 vintage

First time trying Latour, or any 1st growth left bank. Almost 55 years in bottle and still super dark in colour. Minty, dried rosemary, forest floor and thyme on the nose while the palate is very pyrazine driven with bell pepper, rosemary, lemons, cranberries, new leather and mushroom. Insane glass and a time capsule into what Bordeaux used to be before hot year wines hit 14%+.

1970 vintage

Great bottle. Classic cassis and graphite aromas with a bit of smoke. Silky tannins lend some ballast to the finish and I think this wine could go a few more decades.

1978 vintage

Not my bottle. The wine was decanted for 2 or 3 hours. This bottle was not magical like my last one in 2022 (98 pts.), but still an outstanding wine. Due to bottle variation, "only" 96 pts. for this bottle.

2000 vintage

Wonderful and soft complexity. Nice taste of strawberry, cherry and plum. One of the best bottles ever. Tremendous and long-lasting taste in the mouth. Exceptional vintage and of course WOTN!

2000 vintage

I can understand the 100 pt rating. This bottle was a bit flawed from a damaged wine cellar but you could tell the pedigree was second to none for BDX. Slow oxed 3 hrs, decanted an hr then back in the bottle for a few more hrs slow ox. Could have just been decanted for all that time, probably better. Wine needs many hours in the decanter to really show its best. Plush currant, pencil shaving, tobacco, long lingering finish. …

1982 vintage

The color was a perfect garnet with no bricking at all. I expected a bit more purple at this age, but it still looked pristine and youthful. The nose was powerful and unmistakably Latour, classic Pauillac red and black fruit with cassis and cranberry, layered with cedar and graphite. On the palate, it opened with beautiful, fresh red and black fruit, followed by a balanced, structured mid-palate that was tannic but less aggressive than I expected. The finish was long …

2005 vintage

Superb colour still. The nose is a little reticent for me but that might be more about me than the wine. The palate is extraordinary, I would not have guessed the wine is 36 years old. There is amazing intensity to the wine but also incredible integration and balance. Another surprise is the spiciness of the palate, it's not obviously characteristic of an aged Claret (I might have guessed a top Hermitage if tasted blind). There's enough structure to keep …

1989 vintage

Perfect mature, classic, dry finish. Very elegant.

1989 vintage

wonderful

2005 vintage

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Chateau Latour Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac

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