1961 Latour
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Tasting notes
The 1961 Latour is a wine always approached with such expectations that anything less than perfection is deemed "disappointing". Two bottles were opened, the first out of condition, the second offering intense black fruit, still dazzling in its youthfulness, a little more floral than other bottles, almost Margaux-like. Wonderful delineation. The palate is very pure with finely sculpted tannins, though what is slightly different here is the atypical comeliness of this Pauillac, maybe less stentorian than it could be. Perhaps after 64 years it has become more malleable, less imperious than bottles tasted 10 or 15 years ago. Utterly gorgeous. Perfect? No, not this example, but not disappointing. Tasted at the 1961 Bordeaux dinner at Ami restaurant in Hong Kong.
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Average Score
Wine Spectator
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Of the three 1961 wines tasted over an incredible lunch in Hong Kong, Latour remains the youngest and most identifiably Pauillac in character, despite being in a half bottle. Gorgeous deep plum colour, subdued on the first nose as the fruits remain concentrated and intense, if you can believe it, and need a good few moments to begin to uncurl. Expect waves of cocoa bean, black truffle and grilled earth, with turmeric spice and cigar box, reflecting the tiny yield and concentration that was evident, so we are told, from the first years of its life. Not as joyful perhaps as the Mouton, but seriously impressive, just an absolute lesson in how great Bordeaux can age and why we fall in love with it. 20th century Bordeaux legends Edmund Penning-Rowsell and Michael Broadbent both believed Latour 1961 to be the wine of the vintage (in 2000 Broadbent believed it still had half a century of life ahead of it, and he might just be right). A fascinating history also, as this was last year when Latour was entirely owned by descendants of the famous 18th century 'prince of vines' Nicolas-Alexandre de Segur before selling up to Lord Cowdray the following year. Am now obsessed with trying it out of bottle again rather than half bottle to recapture that extra point that I have awarded with every other tasting of this legendary wine...
The 1961 Latour is served blind against the Palmer and it comes off second best on this occasion. But that should not take anything away from a quite stupendous Pauillac. Intense black fruit laced with graphite and crushed stone, it is deeply impressive but perhaps lacks a warm personality compared to the Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with intense black fruit laced with graphite and tobacco, gradually building in the glass towards its structure and persistent finish. Layers of black fruit coat the mouth and there is a slight trace of seaweed, Japanese nori, on the aftertaste. Magnificent. Tasted at the 1961 dinner Chairman Miaow’s in Hong Kong.
About the producer
One of Bordeaux’s five First Growths, as classified in 1855, Ch. Latour is among the most famous addresses in Pauillac and the world. The estate is renowned for its long-ageing, powerful and structured wines.