Ch.Latour 1959 750ml

Wine Advocate # 11th Aug 2022
The 1959 Latour is a magical bottle today and one that nips at the heels of the legendary 1961, even if it doesn't quite hit the same level of quality. Still a youthfully saturated garnet-black in hue, it unwinds in the glass with a rich bouquet of cassis, English walnuts, cigar box and vanilla pod, along with a discreet touch of volatile acidity, which lends aromatic lift more than it detracts (and which actually reminded me of 1960s Unico). Full-bodied, rich and muscular, with huge levels of concentration, ripe tannins and a broad, textural profile, it concludes with a long, resonant finish. Given its structure and substance, this could easily prove to be a 100-year wine, and it will certainly be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage.

Château Latour is one of Bordeaux's – and the world's – most famous wine producers. It is situated in the southeast corner of the Pauillac commune on the border of Saint-Julien, in the Médoc region. Rated as a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, it has become one of the most sought-after and expensive wine producers on the planet, and produces powerfully structured Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines capable of lasting many decades.
Latour's development as a single property came with the beginning of a long unbroken period of connected family ownership, based around the de Segur name, also associated with Mouton and Calon-Ségur. This began in 1670 and lasted 290 years, although after the French Revolution Latour was divided up and not fully reunited until 1841. The château is currently owned by Francois Pinault and is part of his Groupe Artemis.
Typically for the region, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates in the vineyard, accounting for around 80 percent of plantings. Merlot makes up most of the remainder, and there are also small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The grand vin is only made from the vineyard plots surrounding the chateau and shown on the 1759 plan of the domaine. Latour makes two other wines: Les Forts de Latour and Pauillac de Latour, both of which are made from younger vines.

Meats, Beef and Venison