Château Latour 1944

Château Latour 1944 is a Bordeaux wine that was produced in one of the most turbulent years of the 20th century - the last year of the German occupation of France during the Second World War. This report summarises the most important information about this historic vintage.

📜 Historical context: a wine from wartime

The year 1944 was a turning point in the Second World War. While the Allies and the French Resistance fought to liberate Bordeaux from German occupation, the harvest of Château Latour was brought in under the most difficult conditions. The château itself was a place of testimony: Jean-Paul Gardère, a former director of Latour, left behind detailed diaries about life in Bordeaux during the occupation, which provide a vivid insight into this era.

🍷 Wine description and sensory characteristics

• Character: When mature, the wine is considered "transparent and well-rounded".

• Fullness & body: It is described as "medium-bodied", "round" and with "silky tannins".

• Flavours & Texture: Tasting notes describe a palate that can seem leaner but still concentrated compared to other vintages, with notes of camphor, iodine and spice. Another tasting also mentions "very nice caramel/brandy notes" as well as fruity flavours of strawberries.

• Drinking maturity: The wine is fully mature. Most experts recommend enjoying it until around 2025.

🏷️ Rarity and provenance

This vintage is extremely rare. Most bottles from this era have already been consumed and it is now a rarity to find a complete original case. Due to its age, bottles are often "reconditioned" by the château itself, i.e. re-corked, re-labelled and re-capped to preserve the quality. Auctions show that many bottles show clear signs of age, such as dirty, torn or missing labels and corroded capsules.

📈 Market prices and auction results

Prices for this rare wine vary greatly depending on condition, provenance and auction house. Here are some examples from recent years:

• Century Wines (Germany): A bottle was offered for €1,390.00 (current price).

• Christie's (Hong Kong, 2024): A bottle realised HKD 15,000 (approx. €1,750) with an estimate of HKD 9,500-13,000.

• Wine-Searcher (current): The average ex-farm price (ex-tax) was recently around $1,659 (approx. €1,520). In November 2024, an average price of $2,076 was still quoted.

• Christie's (2004): Over 20 years ago, a bottle was auctioned for €391.

• Bonhams (2014): A case of twelve bottles was estimated at £4,000 - £4,800.

In addition to these examples, there is also a second wine from Château Latour, "Les Forts de Latour". This is significantly cheaper and was traded for around $117, for example.

To summarise, Château Latour 1944 is a rare and historically significant wine that bears witness to the turbulent history of the 20th century and the art of Bordeaux winemaking. Its value is determined both by its provenance and its increasing rarity.