Vinous - Score: 85 (2018 July)

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.