Wine Advisor
Chateau Latour 1982
View analysis
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
After several attempts, the first “perfect” Latour ’82. Even compared against the ’61, this is ne plus ultra. Incredibly deep in colour, the bouquet is like waking a magnificent monster from its slumber. Broody black fruits, cedar, graphite, dried orange peel, boysenberry and a wonderful stoniness coming through with time. Brilliant definition. The palate is full-bodied, perfectly balanced, unimaginably concentrated with blackberry, boysenberry, a touch of cedar, sandalwood and Italian delicatessen. Seamless texture, growing in stature with every passing minute in the glass. Dare I say, a faultless Latour. Impeccable. Flawless. Drink now-2050+ Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One of the ironies of this vintage is that among the Medoc first-growths, the 1982 Latour is the most delicious and flattering to drink. Its super-saturated, opaque purple/garnet color is followed by a huge bouquet that gushes from the glass, offering aromas of walnuts, minerals, and sweet jammy cassis. The wine is awesomely concentrated and full-bodied, with a roasted, meaty character to its flavors. Although softer and more fleshy, it is reminiscent of the great 1970. As rich and concentrated as it is, it does not taste much different than it did from barrel, except that it is fuller and weightier. Approachable now, it will be even better with 4-5 more years of cellaring; it should last for 30 years. Last tasted, 7/93.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
As I indicated in the review of the 1982 Bordeaux, this is an unusual Latour in the fact that it has always been precocious. It has been jammy, forward, and delicious no matter when the cork was pulled, in total contrast to its two first-growth siblings, Mouton Rothschild and Lafite-Rothschild. The dense, opaque garnet-colored 1982 Latour reveals slight amber at the edge. Sweet, smoky, roasted aromas in the nose combine with jammy levels of black currant, cherry, and prune-like fruit. It possesses extraordinary concentration and unctuosity, with a thick, fat texture oozing notes of cedar wood, tobacco, coffee, and over-ripe fruit. Low acidity as well as high alcohol (for Bordeaux) give the wine even more glycerin and textural chewiness. The finish lasts forever. The only Latour that remotely resembles the 1982 is the 1961, which has a similar texture and succulence. Anticipated maturity: now-2040
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at "The Sampler's" icon tasting in London. Tasted directly against Mouton -82, to be frank, the intensity of the nose just blows the Mouton -82 out of the water. Black fruits, tobacco, graphite, crushed stone all with brilliant delineation. The palate is medium, almost full-bodied with mouth-gripping tannins. A little austerity at the beginning, immense structure, the finish with that ethereal sense of symmetry that render this perhaps the greatest of all the First Growths in this haloed year. Tasted December 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Last Tasted 6/92 Of all the 1982 Medoc first-growths, Latour is currently drinking the best. It is the property's best wine since their 1961, although the 1970 is a notable rival. The huge nose of black fruits, walnuts, cassis, and cedar is dazzling. In the mouth, the wine is not nearly as tannic or backward as Mouton or Lafite, nor as oaky and dramatic as Margaux. Nevertheless, this is a classic, super-concentrated Latour with extraordinary richness, a full-bodied, unctuous texture, and an explosively intense finish. Although the wine is surprisingly forward, it is not close to prime time drinking. I would wait another 5-6 years. It should last for 30 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Always somewhat atypical (which I suspect will be the case with the more modern day 2003), the 1982 Latour has been the most opulent, flamboyant, and precocious of the northern Medocs, especially the St.-Juliens, Pauillacs, and St.-Estephes. It hasn’t changed much over the last 10-15 years, revealing sweet tannins as well as extraordinarily decadent, even extravagant levels of fruit, glycerin, and body. It is an amazing wine, and on several occasions, I have actually picked it as a right bank Pomerol because of the lushness and succulence of the cedary, blackberry, black currant fruit. This vintage has always tasted great, even in its youth, and revealed a precociousness that one does not associate with this Chateau. However, the 1982 is still evolving at a glacial pace. The concentration remains remarkable, and the wine is a full-bodied, exuberant, rich, classic Pauillac in its aromatic and flavor profiles. It’s just juiced up (similar to an athlete on steroids) and is all the better for it. This remarkable effort will last as long as the 1982 Mouton, but it has always been more approachable and decadently fruity. Drink it now, in 20 years, and in 50 years! Don’t miss it if you are a wine lover. Release price: ($350.00/case)
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
1982 was a great vintage—relatively warm and prolific, producing wines of richness and depth. The 1982 Latour has a medium garnet-brick color and then pow!—it belts out powerful notes of star anise, dried roses, sandalwood and new leather with a core of kirsch, blackberry tart, dried mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles. Full-bodied, rich and spicy with bags of fruit and tons of savory fireworks, it finishes with epic persistence.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Guess which of the 1982 so-called "Bordeaux Big 8" (the five first-growths plus Ausone, Cheval Blanc, and Petrus) tastes the most profound in 1995? For the last three or four years, the 1982 Latour has begun to look like a clone of the magnificently opulent, powerful 1961. The 1982 continues to surge in quality, moving from strength to strength. If I were going to pull the cork for pure pleasure on any of the Big 8, it would be this wine. Still an infant in terms of development, the wine displays extraordinary richness, ripeness, and the beginning of that compelling Latour perfume of cassis, cedar, walnuts, and minerals. Extremely full-bodied, concentrated, and thick, this viscous, chewy, large-scaled wine is also amazingly soft. Huge levels of tannin are concealed behind the layers of fruit. More and more I am convinced that this is another unqualified legend of the vintage. Today, it out-performs even the likes of Cheval Blanc for pure hedonistic appeal. There is a possibility that this wine could begin to close up, but it shows no signs of doing so, even though the color is reminiscent of an 18 month old barrel sample. If readers only have one or two bottles stashed away, I suggest waiting until 2002-2003 before doing the deed. Save the other until about 2020. This could be a 50-60 year wine . A tour de force! Tasted 19 times since bottling with consistent notes.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Deep garnet hue. A very tight, obdurate nose of blackberry, cedar, pencil-lead and tobacco. The full-bodied palate is regal, conservative, tannic and masculine. Incredible weight and intensity, with great balance and focus. This bottle is not even considering its plateau of maturity. The more serious, introspective cousin of Mouton-Rothschild 1982. Drink from 2016-2050.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted three times, firstly in April 2003 at the Latour Masterclass. A very dense nose that takes a while to open: cigar box, cedar and cassis. The palate is very complex and elegant. This is not as tannic as I expected. Instead this simply has a wonderful finesse and grace: a wine you could drink all night and never tire of. Notes of mocha, tobacco and tar. Very sublime, though just lacking crescendo on the finish. Tasted again just three months later lunching at the chateau with Frederick Engerer who commented that this was the first time he had served this at a dinner as it had always been immature. As I expected, this bottle was still a bit broody and obstinately refusing to come out of its shell, though I suspect that in five years time it would warrant a perfect score. Then at the Christies vertical in November 2005. A very dense, intense nose: cedar, spice, leather, pencil lead. Just a touch of decayed leaves. The palate has firm tannins, masculine with wonderful balance. Just has the freshness, an almost effortless quality about it. You could approach this wine now, but it has much more to offer for those with patience. Autumnal in some ways, perhaps enigmatic.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Tasted 9 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes One of the ironies of the 1982 vintage is that among the Medoc first-growths, the 1982 Latour is the most delicious and flattering to drink as 1994 comes to a close. Its super-saturated, opaque purple/garnet color is followed by a huge bouquet that gushes from the glass, offering aromas of walnuts, minerals, and sweet jammy cassis. The wine is awesomely concentrated and full-bodied, with a roasted, meaty character to its flavors. Although softer and more fleshy, it is reminiscent of the great 1970. As rich and concentrated as it is, it does not taste much different than it did from barrel, except that it is fuller and weightier. Approachable now, it will be even better with 4-5 more years of cellaring; it should last for 30 years.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
One of the three or four very greatest wines of the vintage, the 1982 Latour delivers aromas of dark berry fruit, rich cigar wrapper, loamy soil, walnuts and smoke. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it's deep, seamless and immensely concentrated, its fleshy core framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, expansive finish. A monument to the greatness of Bordeaux, it is one wine that's worthy of all the praise that has been lavished on it over the years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1982 dinner at The Square, even compared to the other First Growths, the Latour 1982 is the “daddy” and rightly voted the wine of the night. You just cannot fault it. It has that intense pencil lead nose with clinically defined, almost aloof scents of blackberry and wild hedgerow. There is perfect balance on the palate with an unerring sense of symmetry that leads to an effortless, crystalline finish that is far more refined and elegant that I was expecting. It does not get better than this wine. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Pebbles/Zachy’s 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. You can say whatever you like about the quality of the First Growth 1982s, but if there is one common theme that comes up again and again is that if you are lucky enough to compare them side-by-side, there is one that reigns over them all. Chateau Latour. Here it retains that amazing bouquet that stops you in your tracks: black fruit, graphite, crushed stone and a touch of smoke, all with breathtaking precision. The palate is medium-bodied with a symmetry and focus that leaves the others behind (Lafite coming the closest here.) There is a confidence to this wine, not so much a swagger but an effortless quality that leaves no questions unanswered. Tasted November 2012.
1947(1)1948(1)1950(1)1952(1)1953(1)1955(1)1956(1)1957(1)1958(1)1960(1)1962(1)1964(1)1965(1)1970(1)1971(1)1973(1)1975(1)1977(1)1978(1)1979(2)1980(1)1981(2)
Package Size
