Tasting Notes
Neal Martin 95
The 1982 Latour-a-Pomerol has a superb bouquet that marks a return to form after the 1970s. It features mainly black fruit intermingling with bay leaf, cedar and gravel, moving toward a light seaweed/estuarine note with aeration. This is quite vigorous and generous. The palate is medium-bodied with satisfying balance and much finer tannins than other vintages. It is fully mature and conveys a little softness toward the black cherry- and kirsch-tinged finish, yet it has the substance to suggest it will enter a long and graceful decline. Tasted at the Latour a Pomerol dinner at Taillevent in London.
Anticipated maturity: 2019-2035
Robert Parker 95
Tasted at the Latour-a-Pomerol vertical in London. The 1982 Latour-a-Pomerol has been a great wine for many years and this might well be the best that I have ever encountered. It has an exceptional bouquet that here is surprisingly youthful. It comes armed with black fruit, bay leaf, cedar and gravel, almost Left Bank in character. Further investigation yields an intriguing marine-like, seaweed scent that expands upon its engaging personality. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful balance and fine tannin. It has melted a little since my last encounter, softened around the edges and yet there remains that core of intense black fruit and kirsch that will ensure that it continues to age for many years. The Moueix team made several immense wines in 1982 and this is one of them. Tasted December 2015.
Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035
Vinous 93+
Saturated dark red. Liqueur-like aromas of red berries, rose petal, mocha, roast coffee and animal fur; really compelling retention of fruit. Thick and powerful but still rather backward, with an edge of acidity and a cool whiff of menthol adding to the impression of structure. Quite powerful on the back end. Can’t match the greatest vintages of this wine for sheer otherworldly extract and concentration, but this is a superb vintage for Latour a Pomerol, probably the best since ’61.
