A sublime wine, unbelievably youthful and vibrant still and one that holds attention from the first sip. Beautiful aromatic complexity on the nose; floral notes, patchouli, sandalwood, cotton candy, salted caramel and cherries. Feels like a thoroughbred that hasn't yet hit its stride. A beautifully lifted expression with mouthwatering acidity, tobacco and smoke, dark plum and berry fruit underpinned by beautiful yet tight tannins – articulated and nuanced, confident and powerful. This is structured and evocative with persistence and poise: should easily go strong for another 10-20 years. Winemaker at the time Jean-Noël Malbec. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

Just a few months since I last tasted this wine, and once again it was the standout of the lineup (last time I wrote 'pretty much the easiest 100 points I will ever give'). Latour in 1982 was owned by the Pearson Group, headed up by Lord Cowdray, with Henri Martin and Jean-Paul Gardère as co-directors in Bordeaux. It would have been made in a far more traditional way than today, although the 1855 1st Growth properties were regularly using new oak barrels for ageing by this point. What you are seeing instead is the impact of the exceptional location and soils that underpin Latour - giving power that continues to surprise more than 40 years after harvest. It silences the table every time, with its gourmet layers of rich plum, blackberry and raspberry fruits, coupled with liqourice, fennel, cigar box and mint that signify great mature Pauillac. The tannins are fully integrated at this point, and yet they still manage to convey the hidden power that the estate is known for. A masterclass in fine wine. 100% new oak.

A spell-binding example of the most, consistently stunning wine from the legendary 82 vintage. Everything here is on target, in-place and balanced. There is a wall of ripe, regal, powerful, black and red fruits with a stately air of refinement and aristocracy that coat and fill your palate, leaving with a seamless, 60-second, plus finish. Drink from 2023-2060.

One of the three or four very greatest wines of the vintage, the 1982 Latour delivers aromas of dark berry fruit, rich cigar wrapper, loamy soil, walnuts and smoke. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it's deep, seamless and immensely concentrated, its fleshy core framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, expansive finish. A monument to the greatness of Bordeaux, it is one wine that's worthy of all the praise that has been lavished on it over the years. - William Kelley

The 1982 Latour is the most consistent of the First Growths in this auspicious vintage. Tasted from both bottle and magnum in the UK in recent months, this note comes from an ex-château magnum tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux. It exudes class and majesty on the nose with its copious but brilliantly focused black fruit laced with cedar and graphite. To use a phrase I have written before, it is blue-blooded...regal. That comes through on a palate that has a haunting symmetry and a killer finish that is brilliantly defined and audaciously long, graphite lingering on the aftertaste. Quite simply, claret does not come better than this. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux. -- Neal Martin

This shows wonderful decadence with meaty, dark chocolate and ripe plums on the nose that follows through on the palate. It's full bodied, with super silky tannins that caress your palate. The fruit in the wine changes to a spicy, stony undertone. It seems to evolve all the time in the glass. This has a long life to it. But why wait? So delicious.

Magnum. What a treat to compare this with Lafite 1982. The Latour was stunning. Rich and dense and clearly with a glorious future. Gorgeous and with the same vitality as the Lafite 1982 in magnum but with much, much more potential. Wonderful with the main course at this Berry Bros dinner in aid of Room to Read. Long and glorious and it really opened out in the glass. A marvel. 19.5/20