The 1959 Latour is a magical bottle today and one that nips at the heels of the legendary 1961, even if it doesn't quite hit the same level of quality. Still a youthfully saturated garnet-black in hue, it unwinds in the glass with a rich bouquet of cassis, English walnuts, cigar box and vanilla pod, along with a discreet touch of volatile acidity, which lends aromatic lift more than it detracts (and which actually reminded me of 1960s Unico). Full-bodied, rich and muscular, with huge levels of concentration, ripe tannins and a broad, textural profile, it concludes with a long, resonant finish. Given its structure and substance, this could easily prove to be a 100-year wine, and it will certainly be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage.

Superb, but I have had an even better bottle of this wine; usually it's worth two points more. Equal in quality to the perfect 1961. Thick and rich, with berry, cherry and tobacco character, it shows layers of ripe fruit and velvety tannins that go on and on at the finish. Exciting wine.--Latour vertical. Drink now.