Château Latour
There are few – if indeed any – more evocative names to the drinker of Bordeaux than that of Château Latour. The merchants who drew up the 1855 classification of the wines of the Médoc may well have placed Lafite, later to be Château Lafite-Rothschild, at the very top of the four estates they ranked as first growths, but that hasn’t stopped legions of wine drinkers placing Latour at the top of their personal list of favourites. I would have to count myself among those who, on the whole (because no first growth can dominate in every single vintage) favour the wines of Château Latour over those from the other first growth châteaux.
Indeed, every visit I have made to Château Latour – even if most of them have been rather fleeting visits made during the primeurs tasting week – remains lodged in my memory. First there comes the trial of getting past the security guard on the gate, who has a reputation matched only by Cerberus, guardian of the gates of Hades (yes, I know Cerberus was there to prevent people from leaving, rather than entering, and that he was far from humanoid in form, but surely I am allowed at least one fanciful analogy per Bordeaux profile?). Once past his shiny motorised bollards there then comes the hunt for the tasting room.
