Chateau Latour 1975

robert_parker90

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The dark ruby/garnet-colored 1975 Latour offers up a dry, mineral, tobacco, stony-scented nose with red and black currants competing with cedar, spice box, and balsam wood aromas. Hard and dense in the mouth, with tough, astringent tannin, a steely constitution, plenty of concentration, but an unflattering, backward style, this youthful 1975 is capable of lasting two more decades. Will it become increasingly attenuated and hard? Anticipated maturity: now-2020.

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Cream always comes to the top, and so it is with Latour. Given enough time, Latour always seems to emerge as the leader of the Pauillac first-growths. The 1975 appears to be one of the few sure bets among the relatively hard, disappointing 1975 Pauillacs. The color remains a healthy dark ruby, opaque garnet. The nose offers up classic walnut, cedar, minerals, tobacco, and cassis aromas. Although this full-bodied wine is still excruciatingly tannic, I detected plenty of glycerin, extract, and richness, which give me cause for optimism. Nevertheless, it will always be a wine with a firm, tannic edge. Drinkable if decanted several hours in advance, this wine should be cellared until the turn of the century and drunk during the following three decades.

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

1975 was a great vintage apart from rains in mid-September and into the harvest period. Brick colored, the 1975 Latour has a mature nose of fallen leaves, tobacco, figs and oolong tea with a savory/meaty core and wafts of dried fruitcake. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant, refreshing and softly textured with a long, mineral-laced finish.

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Medium-deep brick colored with notes of leather, tobacco, soy, sandalwood, figs and dried berries. Medium bodied and crisp in the mouth with a medium level of velvety tannins, it is fully mature with a long spicy finish.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Garnet core with degradated brick rim. A nose has moderate intensity: roasted herbs, truffles and black rustic fruit. More vigour and intensity than Mouton. The palate is well-knit with typical pencil-lead, cedar flavours. Perhaps somewhat four-square but very focused and harmonious. Classic Pauillac wine. A good but not great Latour. I think some of the super-Seconds would run this very close. Tasted November 2003.

robert_parker90

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

A deep garnet/mahogany core with wide tawny rim. The palate is conservative and lacking a little vigor compared to the last bottle I encountered. Roasted chestnuts, leather and spice. The palate is tannic and masculine, lacking a little cohesion, verging on chunky. Very classic in style with notes of damp earth, leather, pencil-lead and smoke. This would taste far better with food but it seems to have declined since its last outing. Drink soon. Tasted December 2006. Drinking now-2012