My first Chateau Latour – 1981

I recently was able to acquire a bottle of Chateau Latour 1981. I purchased from the original owner, and just jumped into the purchase not knowing what to really expect. I had heard these wines have the potential to be fantastic, and this seemed like a good chance to try. The bottle had been stored in a temp and humidity controlled cellar, top shoulder fill with light capsule wear.

I was deliberating to decant it off sediment or not, but was going to make that decision after opening. After removing foil, the cork had a substantial amount of cellar mold which I cleaned off. Nearly pushed the cork into the bottle opening, but was able to get it out without breaking the cork.

Upon a small sample – the color was gorgeous and it had aromas of dried flowers, fruit, and notes of leather and cedar on the palette. This still had a good body and tannin on the finish. I think it was delicate enough to just develop in the glass, and I opted not to decant off sediment.

Split this with my folks tonight and it was fantastic. I think it was likely just slightly in the downturn in terms in its peak, but frankly it was exceptional to me. Would love to try one of the more famous vintages just to compare, but this was a pleasure to drink and share.