Wine Advisor
Chateau Latour 1961
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Description
Chateau Latour is among the First Growth properties classified in the Bordeaux 1855 Classification. The estate is situated in the southern portion of Pauillac, bordering St. Julien and the Gironde estuary. Latour is considered one of the longest-lasting First Growths, reflecting its high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon. Chateau Latour has an almost unequaled track record for producing stunning wines that age and evolve for decades, if not generations.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A legendary wine still. A deep garnet colour that shows hardly any sign of its age. The bouquet is brilliantly defined with touches of menthol inflecting the precious blackberry and cassis fruits and underneath that is a beguiling sense of purity and minerality. The palate is medium- rather than full-bodied, beautifully defined, more feminine than I recall it, pure, elegant and refined. Hints of blueberry, graphite and mint towards the finish. Astounding. Regal. Immortal. Drink now-2030+ Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
(Magnum) Last Tasted 6/92 There can be no doubt about this wine! This is the first tasting where I had the 1961 from magnum and, not surprisingly, it was remarkably unevolved and backward, although no one at the tasting could ignore the lavish quantities of sweet, jammy fruit. There is great density and concentration to the wine. The bouquet was less evolved, but the presence of copious quantities of rich black fruits, damp earth, leather, and spicy wood did not go unnoticed. This full-bodied, monumental wine tastes like syrup of Cabernet. The port-like, unctuous, chewy finish is to die for. If you are fortunate enough to have magnums stashed away, no matter what your age, this wine will undoubtedly outlive you. Anticipated maturity for magnums: 1998-2040+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the chateau, it is always a privilege to taste a legend with perfect provenance, although I could not bring myself to describe it as a perfect wine. But is does possess and ethereal bouquet that has laser-like focus: notes of pencil lead, mint, blackberry and limestone. Intriguingly there is a touch of menthol that emerges with aeration, which reminded me of the ’45. The palate has an otherworldly intensity to it with vibrant black fruit, an arching framework of tannins, brilliant minerality and sense of precision on the finish that is captivating. It has become more elegant in recent years, perhaps three-quarters of the way through its drinking plateau. But few wines have a drinking plateau as long as this one. Tasted June 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Perfect wine. No aging. Unbelievable nose of blackberries. truffles and cedar. A chewy, sweet black palate with perfect balance/acidity. The definition and nervosity in this wine is off the map. Utterly seamless tannins. Immense concentration and power. My first ever perfect wine and probably the greatest Bordeaux I have tasted. Tasted December 1999.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Tasted 8 Times With Consistent Notes This is the first tasting where I had the 1961 from magnum and, not surprisingly, it was remarkably unevolved and backward, although no one at the tasting could ignore the lavish quantities of sweet, jammy fruit. There is great density and concentration to the wine. The bouquet was less evolved, but the presence of copious quantities of rich black fruits, damp earth, leather, and spicy wood did not go unnoticed. This full-bodied, monumental wine tastes like syrup of Cabernet. The port-like, unctuous, chewy finish is to die for. If you are fortunate enough to have magnums stashed away, no matter what your age, this wine will undoubtedly outlive you. Anticipated maturity: now-2040+.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I have been fortunate to have this wine on eleven separate occasions, with many of the tastings being held over the last several years. I have had it from both regular bottles and magnum. It has scored a consistent 100 points at every tasting, whether it has been tasted on the other side of the Atlantic or in the United States. The wine is a full-bodied, monumental Pauillac that tastes like syrup of Cabernet. The port-like, unctuous, chewy texture is to die for. The color remains an opaque purple/garnet. The nose offers up celestial quantities of black fruits, truffles, leather, cedar, and minerals. On several occasions, because of the jammy sweetness of the aromatics, I have thought this to be a Petrus (how embarrassing in terms of the different nature of the wines). The 1961 Latour is still gorgeously sweet, rich, and showing absolutely no amber at the edge, or other signs of aging. It is a massive, extraordinary mouthful of Bordeaux that is certainly one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. Anticipated maturity: Now-2040. Last tasted 6/97
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Port-like, with an unctuous texture, and a dark garnet color with considerable amber at the edge, the 1961 Latour possesses a viscosity and thickness. One of the three bottles served at the Chateau's tasting revealed a surprisingly aggressive, minty, herbaceous nose, but the other two bottles were liquid perfection, exhibiting fragrant, cedary, truffle, leather, mineral, and sweet, jammy aromatics, full-bodied, voluptuous textures, exquisite purity and concentration, and a layered, highly-nuanced finish that represents the essence of compellingly great wine. The 1961 has been fully mature for over 15 years, but it seems to get richer, holding onto its succulence and fat, and developing more aromatic nuances without losing any sweetness or concentration. An extraordinary wine, it is unquestionably one of the Bordeaux legends of the century! Anticipated maturity: now-2025
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1961 Latour poured at the vertical in Hong Kong is unquestionable one of the finest bottles that I have tasted. It has a breathtaking bouquet: fresh as morning dew and brilliantly delineated, intense black fruit whereby every atom is suffused with mineralité. It feels so youthful and vital. The nose is the apotheosis of Bordeaux being so aromatically regal and aristocratic. The palate is medium-bodied, with tannins sculpted by the finest chisel in the set: tightly wound black fruit, a perfect line of acidity and a breathtaking delineation, utterly harmonious and blessed with a persistent graphite-tinged finish that lasts over a minute. Majestic. Tasted at the Latour dinner in Hong Kong.
1910(1)1916(1)1947(2)1948(1)1950(2)1951(2)1952(1)1953(1)1955(1)1956(1)1957(1)1958(2)1960(1)
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