Latour 1976: A stunning drop

What a summer it was...

It's not often one gets to try a really special wine.

A friend of mine very generously bought this 1976 (my birth year) to share to celebrate my upcoming birthday.

I've not had many wines from the 1970s.

A '78 Haut Brion that had 'gone', and a '78 Petit Cheval which was fabulous.

But the Latour '76 was something extra special.

Reviews put it only the 80s. It's not a heralded year I am told.

That was a scorching summer which, like 2003 seems to have meant early ripening and big bold fruit.

I thought it was fabulous.

Throw in the terroir and skill of Latour and 35 years of ageing and it adds up to rare and wonderful.

I'm not sure it's a 'bargain' at £300 a bottle from Planet of the Grapes in London but it's certainly a rare gem.