Background & Tasting Notes:
A dark ruby with slight fading on the rim. Medium nose of earthy fruits & herbs. Well-balanced. Cherries/blackcurrant. Medium-bodied. Some greenness on the finish but overall excellent 91. (20/25) The nose is immediately more impressive compared to the other 1991`s at this tasting. Blackcherry, earth and cooked herbs. Touch of sweet blueberry as well. Still quite backward with firm tannins, pencil-lead and smooth texture. Tasting better now that a few years ago but I doubt it will improve any further. Drinkable now.
Click here to search for Ch Latour 1991
Unlike others in Bordeaux, Latour was originally a bona fide chateau, built to protect the Gironde Estuary from pirates and it is likely to have existed as a modest two-storey, quadrangular tower. Although nothing remains of the original construction, the present tower of Saint Lambert (the one depicted on the label) is purportedly constructed from the remnants of that medieval fortress in 1626. Alas this tower had the less magnanimous role of housing pigeons rather than Breton soldiers! During this period, the estate cultivated cereals such as wheat and rye, with a parcel devoted to vines. It was not until around 1670 that wine production began to dominate the estate, thanks to the foresight of Mon. de Clauzel who saw its viticultural potential.
By the early 1700's, Chateau Latour was firmly established as a premium wine, sold at a similar price to Chateau Lafite. In 1695, through his marriage to Marie-Thérèse de Clauzel the estate came under the ownership of the omnipotent Alexandre de Ségur; whose estate included Lafite and Chateau Calon-Ségur. Even at this early stage, Britain was a vital export market for their wines and records show that up to 80% were shipped in cask across the Channel. Throughout the 1800's, viticultural techniques were gradually improved, including chaptalization, egrappage (destalking), shorter maceration periods and a cessation of adding a little "spice" to the blend, perhaps a drop of Hermitage?
From 1760 the grand estates of Lafite and Latour were divorced and Latour became autonomous. A succession of owners followed including negotiants Nathaniel Johnston and Barton & Guestier who had exclusive distribution rights between 1844 and 1853. The latter half of the 1800's witnessed Labour's ascension to the highest echelon in Bordeaux with a plethora of legendary vintages so that its classification as a First Growth in 1855 was practically a foregone conclusion.
The 19th century bottles of Latour have approached immortality. An auction of 19th century ex-chateau bottles in May 2003 was accompanied by frenzied bidding (including myself, who acquired a bottle of 1899 for the same price as the new car I had just bought.) It is this very vintage that present manager Frederic Engerer holds in highest esteem, describing it as: "perhaps the greatest vintage ever produced." In July 2004 he escorted me into the recently renovated cellar of ancient bottles and showed me a special bin with plastic stoppers. These were the oldest bottles dating from the early 19th century who vintage it is impossible to identify.
