1982 Latour
By Chateau Latour
1982 Latour from Chateau Latour, Pauillac, Bordeaux
The 1982 vintage within the fabled vineyards of Bordeaux is one that profoundly stands out in the tapestry of winemaking history. In my four decades of meticulously chronicling wines, few vintages have enraptured the collective hum of oenophiles quite like the 1982 Latour from Chateau Latour, shining as a beacon of viticultural excellence in Pauillac.
A Vintage Graced by the Gods
In the year 1982, a harmonious blend of nature's elements coalesced to bestow upon the Medoc a growing season that veered on the side of perfection. The resulting wines from that year carry an age-defining lexicon of taste and persona. The 1982 Latour embodies these gifts with sumptuous layers of ripe cassis, truffle and graphite, underpinned by an exquisite tannic structure that continues to yield its nuances even after four decades.
Investing in Bottled Aristocracy
A rendezvous with the 1982 Latour is akin to enjoying an audience with nobility, every sip a reminder of Pauillac’s distinctive terroir. A wise acquisition for investors, this wine promises not just a tasting journey but an appreciating asset. Chateau Latour’s steadfast reputation for crafting investment-worthy wines speaks through this vintage’s profound complexity and exceptional longevity.
Today, as collectors seek strongholds in their cellars, the desirability of 1982 vintages burgeons. Within this sought-after cohort, Chateau Latour emerges as a crown jewel. It seems almost prescient how this remarkable year’s harmonious conditions have shaped a wine so attuned to both connoisseurship and investment prospects.
Conclusion
The profundity of the 1982 Latour from Chateau Latour remains undiminished by time; rather, it reclines gracefully in its legendary status. For those looking to enrich their portfolio with a piece of vinous history, this wine stands as a testament to Bordeaux's potential for creating enduring and enthralling wines that not just persist but evolve – imparting joy with every cherished decantation.
Current market price
$37,570.00
12x75cl
Highest score
100
POP score
1129
Scores and tasting notes
1982 was a great vintage—relatively warm and prolific, producing wines of richness and depth. The 1982 Latour has a medium garnet-brick color and then pow!—it belts out powerful notes of star anise, dried roses, sandalwood and new leather with a core of kirsch, blackberry tart, dried mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles. Full-bodied, rich and spicy with bags of fruit and tons of savory fireworks, it finishes with epic persistence.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 28 February 2019
Tasted at a private dinner in Zurich. Here is yet another example of one of the greatest Left Bank wines of the decade, alongside Haut-Brion 1989. You cannot really argue with the imperious Latour 1982. Having been fortunate to taste this several times over the last year, it remains unerringly consistent from bottle to bottle and this too is suffused with a sense of symmetry and breeding second to none. This is simply as good as Pauillac gets. Tasted March 2013.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Nov 2013
Always somewhat atypical (which I suspect will be the case with the more modern day 2003), the 1982 Latour has been the most opulent, flamboyant, and precocious of the northern Medocs, especially the St.-Juliens, Pauillacs, and St.-Estephes. It hasn’t changed much over the last 10-15 years, revealing sweet tannins as well as extraordinarily decadent, even extravagant levels of fruit, glycerin, and body. It is an amazing wine, and on several occasions, I have actually picked it as a right bank Pomerol because of the lushness and succulence of the cedary, blackberry, black currant fruit. This vintage has always tasted great, even in its youth, and revealed a precociousness that one does not associate with this Chateau. However, the 1982 is still evolving at a glacial pace. The concentration remains remarkable, and the wine is a full-bodied, exuberant, rich, classic Pauillac in its aromatic and flavor profiles. It’s just juiced up (similar to an athlete on steroids) and is all the better for it. This remarkable effort will last as long as the 1982 Mouton, but it has always been more approachable and decadently fruity. Drink it now, in 20 years, and in 50 years! Don’t miss it if you are a wine lover. Release price: ($350.00/case)
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #183 June 2009
This shows wonderful decadence with meaty, dark chocolate and ripe plums on the nose that follows through on the palate. It's full bodied, with super silky tannins that caress your palate. The fruit in the wine changes to a spicy, stony undertone. It seems to evolve all the time in the glass. This has a long life to it. But why wait? So delicious.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, November 20th 2010