1971 La Louviere
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Tasting notes
The 1971 La Louvière is one of those old Clarets that has no airs or graces. A modest château from a modest vintage that just wants to give pleasure. So it does. Still clear in color with commensurate bricking on the rim, it has a delightful, earthy, tobacco-scented bouquet that might be just a little diffuse, yet does not shortchange in terms of vigour. The palate is straight-forward but balanced, the tannin soft after forty-whatever years with vestiges of red berry fruit mingling with tobacco and sage. It tapers a little towards the finish but who cares when such an unprepossessing wine gives so much drinking pleasure. Tasted at a private dinner in Roppongi, Tokyo.
Critic scores
Neal Martin
About the producer
Wine has been made at this estate since the 1300s, but its modern history begins when the Lurton family purchased it in 1965. The property was in disrepair, but the Lurtons have restored the château, winery and vineyards.