Beschreibung:

GREAT VINTAGES OF LATOUR, INCLUDING LARGE FORMATS, SHIPPED DIRECTLY FROM THE CHATEAU A History Château Latour entered into the history books in 1378, at the height of the Hundred-Year War, when the Anglo-Gascon army established a garrison there. The emblem of the château - its squat, battlement tower, standing in the vines - serves to remind us of those times, when Acquitaine needed protection from marauders and pirates. Acquired in 1670 by the de Ségur family, and notably Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, known as 'le Prince des Vignes' Château Latour remained in the hands of his ancestors until 1963. In the 18th Century Château Latour, like many of its highly-regarded peers, started to be recognised around the world thanks to the conquest of the British market, and the flourishing trading routes to Northern Europe out of the Bordeaux river port. The reputation of Latour for making wines of great colour, complexity, purity of fruit and longevity was well known by the time of the Médoc and Graves Classification in 1855 and Latour was named as one of only four Premiers Crus Classés. Between 1963 and 1993, the château came under British stewardship, at which time investments were made in the vineyard, vat-house and cellar. Latour returned to French hands in 1993, when it was purchased by François Pinault. In 1999 work began on a further modernisation of the cellars and vat room as Château Latour remains one of the greatest wine estates in the world. New vinification systems and cellar as well as a tasting room make Latour a truly modern operation with the most ancient of roots. Château Latour - The Vineyard In Spring 1963, it was decided to extend the vineyard by 12.5 ha, by planting two plots situated outside the Enclos which were owned by the Domain since 1850. This extension was not meant to produce a wine that could enter the Grand Vin, but to add a second wine named Les Forts de Latour. This project was undertaken immediately and took about two years to be completed. Lying in Twickenham, Middlesex (EHD) Offered duty-paid, but available in bond All the Latour lots offered for sale have original corks. Please also note that some levels may be at base of the neck. All bottles older than 1990 will bear the back-label: "Ce vin a quitté nos chais en 2006" Château Latour--Vintage 1945 Pauillac, 1er cru classé Tasting Note: A great wine. Surely one of the best ever Latours, drinking beautifully now but with many years more life. As with Lafite, not tasted in my early years in the trade. My first note was made in October 1967: 'deep', very rich, 'packed' (bouquet); dry, extremely vigorous and youthful for a 22-year old, with plenty of tannin and acidity. 'A good strapping drink'. And so on for another 28 notes through the next three decades. 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 from Lenoir Josey's cellar at a Wine and Food Society dinner in Houston in 1983. Served last it trounced the preceding 'stars', including Lafite and Margaux '53, the exquisite Mouton '49, and others. Last noted dining at a charming lakeside restaurant in Pfaffikon near Zurich, following Manfred Wagner's Ch Margaux tasting, Nov 2000 ***** M.B. 1 bottle per lot