Lot 38
Of Time and Towers

1 – 6 Liter 1986 Château Latour
3 – 750ml 1970 Château Latour
3 – 750ml 1990 Château Latour
3 – 750ml 2000 Château Latour
3 – 750ml 2002 Château Latour

It is appropriate that Latour’s fortress-like tower is depicted on its wine’s label, as Latour is a landmark wine - not simply for Pauillac, but all of Bordeaux. While estates within the region may be compared with each other, “Latour is simply Latour” – and no other estate can rival its reputation for power, uniqueness and longevity.

This remarkable estate traces its beginnings to the height of the Hundred Year War in the 14th Century; but the longevity of Latour is not measured just in its history. Its wines are often described as masculine - massive, structured and powerful. In an exceptional vintage, its wines often require two decades or more before revealing their depth and richness. Its legacy is that of legendary wines; wines which, if well-cellared, may have another half century of life.

The heart of Latour is the 166 acre estate vineyard known as L’Enclos. Beginning merely 200 yards away from the Gironde, the river-born breezes exert a warming influence accentuated by the granitic soil that traps the warmth of the sun. These factors give Latour’s terroir a near-perfect microclimate that has made it the most consistent Château of the 20th century, the quintessential red wine producer. Latour’s signature style is a wine of power - firm and rich. Even after decades of cellaring, its wines show port-like concentration along with a class and refinement that is distinctly Latour.

The five superb examples from four decades of Latour in this lot demonstrate why its wines have been a Bordeaux benchmark for centuries. A magnificent Imperial of the outstanding 1986, along with a showcase of 750ml bottles from the 1970, 1990, 2000 and 2002 vintages. The 1990, while called the “greatest modern vintage of Latour” by James Laube of Wine Spectator, is not to be overshadowed by the brilliance of the 100-point 2000 Latour, the mature 1970 and the extraordinary 2002 – considered by many to be the wine of the vintage.

For over four centuries, this wine has inspired poets and legends. Write a new chapter today.

DONORS: Suzanne & Bob Chute