Latour 1971

Tasted from my personal cellar, the 1971 Latour is undoubtedly the wine of the Medoc, and possibly the wine of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are also splendid efforts). Drinkable young, it has continued to evolve, offering extraordinary aromatic complexity as well as surprisingly deep, concentrated flavors atypical for the vintage.

A dark opaque garnet color with amber at the edge is followed by a spectacular bouquet of dried herbs, cedar, smoky black fruit, and coffee. Rich, but structured, with moderate tannin, this medium-bodied, elegant yet complex wine possesses a sweet mid-palate in addition to a long, concentrated finish with abundant tannin. This underrated 1971 has been fully mature for over a decade, but it reveals no signs of cracking up or becoming attenuated.