12 bottles per lot
Details
Château Latour--Vintage 1945
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Vintage note: 1945 is a vintage of great renown, and it was a vintage of extremes: an early harvest (beginning on the 10th of September), the quantities produced were very limited due to a hard frost on the 2nd of May. This was the second smallest harvest of the century after the 1915, and this is one of the similarities with 1961. The growing season was very hot and dry, however (unlike 1961), and thus the wines are often compared to 1928. Many have commented that 1945 was the end of an era, when wines were still made with long slow ferments and a lengthy maceration on the skin. The best of the wines, however, are still youthful, vibrant and lovely today.
"A great wine. Surely one of the best ever Latours. And for another 28 notes through the next three decades after my first note in 1967. What I have noticed, as it matured further, is its increasing sweetness. An amalgam of notes gathered at dinners and tastings: always deep, with an opaque core; spicy bouquet, eucalyptus, cedar, smoky tea (Lapsang), cheesy - not smelly cheese but a sort of sweaty tannin. Full-bodied, rich, complete, silky tannins, complex, great length. The very best: a double magnum in 1983. Served last it trounced the preceding 'stars', including Lafite and Margaux 1953, the exquisite Mouton 1949, and others. Most recently, two bottles: richly coloured; nose perfection; incredibly sweet yet still very tannic. Very distinctive flavour. Living up to its reputation." Michael Broadbent M. W., June 2004
"Bouteille incroyable, café, tabac, menthe, chocolat-caramel en milieu de bouche, très long, complexité en rétro-olfaction. Parfait." At the estate, Frédéric Engerer, March 2011
"I will confess that this 1945 Latour is outside of my experience of the vintage. One expects freshness of wines tasted at the château, but this wine could have been fifty years younger than it was! The nose reveals lots of really primary cherry aromas and flavors, with a great porty depth and a fine intensity of spicy, savory complexity. On the palate the youthfulness is again apparent. It has a wonderfully round, fat, almost regal texture but it also retains great density, depth of flavor and length. Absolute perfection." At the estate, Charles Curtis M. W., March 2011
"More mature colour than the 1961. Everything from brown sugar, truffles, leather, spices, cedar, chocolate and eucalyptus can be found on the perfect nose and generous palate. There is no greater balance that can be found in any wine as it is so complete and ripe. This is the epitome of wine and the definition of perfection!" At the estate, Paulo Pong, March 2011
"Chock full of life and vivacity, extremely racy, dancing and very legible. Mellifluous with all its tannins resolved. Much fresher than the bottle tasted at Morton's in London last year. Glorious wine." At the estate, Jancis Robinson M. W., March 2011
12 bottles per lot
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Vintage note: 1945 is a vintage of great renown, and it was a vintage of extremes: an early harvest (beginning on the 10th of September), the quantities produced were very limited due to a hard frost on the 2nd of May. This was the second smallest harvest of the century after the 1915, and this is one of the similarities with 1961. The growing season was very hot and dry, however (unlike 1961), and thus the wines are often compared to 1928. Many have commented that 1945 was the end of an era, when wines were still made with long slow ferments and a lengthy maceration on the skin. The best of the wines, however, are still youthful, vibrant and lovely today.
"A great wine. Surely one of the best ever Latours. And for another 28 notes through the next three decades after my first note in 1967. What I have noticed, as it matured further, is its increasing sweetness. An amalgam of notes gathered at dinners and tastings: always deep, with an opaque core; spicy bouquet, eucalyptus, cedar, smoky tea (Lapsang), cheesy - not smelly cheese but a sort of sweaty tannin. Full-bodied, rich, complete, silky tannins, complex, great length. The very best: a double magnum in 1983. Served last it trounced the preceding 'stars', including Lafite and Margaux 1953, the exquisite Mouton 1949, and others. Most recently, two bottles: richly coloured; nose perfection; incredibly sweet yet still very tannic. Very distinctive flavour. Living up to its reputation." Michael Broadbent M. W., June 2004
"Bouteille incroyable, café, tabac, menthe, chocolat-caramel en milieu de bouche, très long, complexité en rétro-olfaction. Parfait." At the estate, Frédéric Engerer, March 2011
"I will confess that this 1945 Latour is outside of my experience of the vintage. One expects freshness of wines tasted at the château, but this wine could have been fifty years younger than it was! The nose reveals lots of really primary cherry aromas and flavors, with a great porty depth and a fine intensity of spicy, savory complexity. On the palate the youthfulness is again apparent. It has a wonderfully round, fat, almost regal texture but it also retains great density, depth of flavor and length. Absolute perfection." At the estate, Charles Curtis M. W., March 2011
"More mature colour than the 1961. Everything from brown sugar, truffles, leather, spices, cedar, chocolate and eucalyptus can be found on the perfect nose and generous palate. There is no greater balance that can be found in any wine as it is so complete and ripe. This is the epitome of wine and the definition of perfection!" At the estate, Paulo Pong, March 2011
"Chock full of life and vivacity, extremely racy, dancing and very legible. Mellifluous with all its tannins resolved. Much fresher than the bottle tasted at Morton's in London last year. Glorious wine." At the estate, Jancis Robinson M. W., March 2011
12 bottles per lot
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