1970 Latour
Buying options
Tasting notes
Magnum, alongside a magnum of Ch Palmer 1970 and before a magnum of what was then called Ch Petrus, also 1970. So much richer, more evolved and more opulent than examples I had previously tasted. Much denser garnet than the Palmer 1970, a quite extraordinary depth of colour for a 53-year-old wine. Fully mature, meaty, complex and still bursting with life – though the finish is still bone dry in a Latourish way. No sign of fading fruit. What a revelation! (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 1970 Latour must be one of the most unpreditacble vintages ever produced at the estate. It is prone to wild mood swings! This bottle has a deep colour, slightly turbid, with thin bricking on the rim. The bouquet is powerful, quite feral with maybe some VA, scents of sandalwood and Lapsong Souchang infusing the black fruit, becoming more gamey with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied but quite dense, not a Latour of finesse, but plenty of horsepower. It is almost like a vintage car, but the engine is too powerful. With slightly rough tannin on the finish, this masculine and broad-shouldered Latour is compelling, albeit not without fault. Tasted at a private dinner in London.
Very deep crimson. A very big-boned wine of great density. Some very strong menthol character with a touch of liquorice too and pretty dry on the finish. This seems to have taken on flesh since its rather austere youth and was even rather charming – in a distinctly 'masculine' way. No hurry to drink this. (JR)
Magnum. Deep crimson. Very old school. But wonderful. Charcoal notes on the nose. Very dry, dense, crunchy textured and very Latour. Bone dry. Long. Not luscious but extremely admirable. Super clean and refreshing. (JR)
About the producer
One of Bordeaux’s five First Growths, as classified in 1855, Ch. Latour is among the most famous addresses in Pauillac and the world. The estate is renowned for its long-ageing, powerful and structured wines.