Often the measure of a great terroir and producer are the so-called off vintages, which frequently surprise and delight to punch far above their weight. The 81 Latour is a classic case in point. From an unheralded year, this particular bottle had clearly been kept in fabulous condition. The youthful colour is not dissimilar to the 96 and the nose still provides plenty of primary Cabernet-based fruit (classic cassis, lead pencil and cedar) with some tertiary notes in the background. Then a lovely attack on the palate; dry with very correct blackcurrant fruit, balsam, a hint of savoury iron rust and a vein of autumnal forest floor. Gentle, melting tannins, medium weight and a clean acidic cut enable the wine to glide effortlessly across the tastebuds. The finish is harmonious, long and cries out for another bottle. In short, a textbook claret which is now at its drinking best, even more so with a cut of roast lamb.

The 1981 tastes remarkably velvety and supple for such a young Latour--not that this is a malevolent occurrence--because the excellence, complexity, and richness of the wine are still present. The color is dark ruby, the bouquet offers plenty of ripe cassis and spicy oak, and the flavor is generous, silky, moderately tannic, and long in the finish. This Latour may turn out to be similar to the 1971. Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. Last tasted, 9/90.

A stiff and upright wine. Medium red color with an amber edge. Attractive aromas of black truffles, berries and cigar tobacco. Medium-bodied, with firm tannins and a slightly dry finish.--Latour vertical. JS

The 1981 Latour is a wine that have encountered on three occasions previously. It has a rather lean and herbaceous nose, fully mature and missing the vigor I expect from a First Growth. The palate is marked by rather rustic tannin with modest amounts of leafy black fruit, but the bottom line is that the 1981 is a rather dull and staid Latour that, whilst perfectly drinkable, is inevitably dwarfed by the following vintage. Tasted at a private dinner in London.

Sweet and sour on the nose. Extremely fresh and pure with marked acidity. This wine cried out for food and went well with our beef carpaccio. In fact with its tannin and acidity, its structure is not unlike that of an Italian red – a superior Chianti perhaps.