1985 Latour
Buying options
Tasting notes
I have been spoilt with Latour wines this year, and narrowed the final selection down to this one or the 2003, simply because that more recent vintage is such a surprise in terms of how fresh and delicious it feels after such a hot vintage. I've gone with the 1985 as it is fully tertiary in character but still majestic, and truly at a wonderful moment to drink, rippling with creamy raspberry and blackberry fruits, with the lingering memories of toast, soft leather and mint leaf providing a mouthwatering finish. Enjoyed at a friend's house, alongside a number of exceptional wines, but the Latour stood out around the table. Jean Paul Gardère technical director, almost a decade before François Pinault bought the property in 1993, with Lord Cowdray owner. Unquestionably the best example that I have encountered of this wine. No third wine at the time, meaning the selection was a little less strict than it would become a few years later. 100% new oak.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1985 Latour comes from a rather “middling” period for the First Growth. It is a wine that I have tasted a dozen times or so and never come away impressed. The nose is fully mature with tertiary, smoky, leathery black fruit that does not exactly overwhelm with sophistication. The palate is medium-bodied, with lithe tannin, missing the fleshiness and roundness of say, the 1985 Château Margaux or even 1985 Léoville Las Cases. Dowdy? It saunters across the finish line with a subtle herbal note but it just lacks the stuffing of a great Latour. Tasted at a private dinner in London.
Tasted blind at the 1985 Bordeaux horizontal, the 1985 Château Latour put in a decent performance, although it is, and never has been, a great Latour. It has a respectable nose of black, earthy fruit, tinged with brine and leather. It does not exactly convince you of its pedigree. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, perhaps more backward than previous examples with a slightly grainy texture. What it is missing is substance, grip and conviction, a Latour content to deliver the minimum instead of reaching for the stars. Here, it is outflanked by both 1985s from Lynch Bages and Haut-Brion. Tasted July 2015.
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.