A superb wine, aging well, the 1990 Latour still seems deceptively youthful, with plenty of ripe mulberry and blackcurrant fruit aromas and a graceful evolution, with truffle, earth, and smoke notes. The texture is supple and warm, but it avoids the softness of some of the clarets from 1990. The tannins are still reasonably firm. Although the wine should continue to improve in the cellar for at least another 20 years, it is already at a nearly perfect point between youth and maturity. (CC)

Poured from double magnum, this has a great colour in the glass especially taking into account the fact that it is over thirty years old now, showing a wonderfully dense core with a concentrated rim. The nose has some nicely developed and welcoming sense of impending maturity, but at the same time it reinforces its youthful status with layers of damson, currant and liquorice, with a touch of powdered chalk, features which seem almost resistant to the passing of time. The only overt note suggesting some evolution is a certain hint of smoky truffle. The palate is a tour de force, with impactful gloss and presence. It feels immediately dense, and textured, and yet it also demonstrates tension and drive. A very complete style, with a finely grained tannic structure, tightly knit and toasted, carrying it forward. A divine composition, so impressive, with such superb cohesion, this is just brilliant. Surely the (joint) red wine of the night? Drink or hold.

A classic, powerful, regal Latour, the 1990 is solidly in its drink window and has a still-ruby hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of darker currants, tobacco leaf, new saddle leather, and graphite. It opens up beautifully with air and has the perfect mix of great fruit and purity with mature and complex, cedary nuances. Full-bodied on the palate, perfectly balanced, and with sweet yet still present tannins, it can safely be enjoyed any time over the coming 40-50 years.