Latour 1971

The 1971 Latour is a vintage that I have tasted three or four times in the past, including from magnum at the château. Reputed as one of the best Left Bank ‘71s in what was a weak vintage for the Médoc, Latour has a dense, blackberry, graphite and tobacco nose that is unapologetically old school, rough-hewn but clearly demonstrating more vigor than many of its peers. The tannins are certainly rather tough and obdurate and despite its age, decanting is advised to allow it time to mellow and shave off its edges. The 1971 is a foursquare, masculine, slightly austere Latour, and yet there is more density and freshness than the other 1971 First Growths, with commendable persistence on the finish. Maybe it lacks the “fun factor” but if you demand classic Claret from this vintage, this is where to head. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux.

As I mentioned above, the 1971 vintage of Latour was in that first small cache of the estate’s wines that I bought back in the mid-1980s, and I have searched out and drunk this wine with great regularity up until only a couple of years ago, when the wine market woke up to its excellence and prices started to move up rather dramatically. It still looks like a stunning value when one considers that the still very backward 2005 was released ex-cellar for 670 euros a bottle, and only a few years back, this gorgeous wine could still be found around $200 a bottle. The wine is classic Latour, offering up a black fruity bouquet of dark berries, cassis, cigar ash, walnuts, gravelly soil tones, a nice touch of meatiness and a plenty smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and now wide open and fully mature, with a fine core, lovely soil signature, melting, suave tannins and lovely length and grip on the complex finish. The 1971 Latour is now fully mature, but probably will cruise along on its impeccable balance for at least another thirty years! (Drink between 2016-2050)

Tasted from my personal cellar, the 1971 Latour is undoubtedly the wine of the Medoc, and possibly the wine of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are also splendid efforts). Drinkable young, it has continued to evolve, offering extraordinary aromatic complexity as well as surprisingly deep, concentrated flavors atypical for the vintage. A dark opaque garnet color with amber at the edge is followed by a spectacular bouquet of dried herbs, cedar, smoky black fruit, and coffee. Rich, but structured, with moderate tannin, this medium-bodied, elegant yet complex wine possesses a sweet mid-palate in addition to a long, concentrated finish with abundant tannin. This underrated 1971 has been fully mature for over a decade, but it reveals no signs of cracking up or becoming attenuated. Anticipated maturity: now-2012.

Every bottle has been consistently outstanding and the wine better with each tasting.The 1971 may still not have reached its plateau of maturity, but its color is a dark garnet with good saturation and some lightening at the edge. The nose offers abundant aromas of iron, mineral, black fruits, smoke, and roasted herbs. The wine is medium-bodied, with a fleshy, chewy texture, a sweet mid-palate, and admirable length. More and more this looks to be the wine of the vintage in Medoc. Anticipated maturity: now-2010