One of the more concentrated, structured wines of the vintage, 1981 La Tour Haut-Brion is drinking well today, delivering aromas of roasted black fruits, mesquite smoke, rich soil, cigar wrapper and burnt sage, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and muscular palate. At age 40, its tannins are largely melted, but this remains a robust, even virile wine laden with character. No, it isn't as good as the profound 1982, which can flirt with a three-digit score, but it will delight anyone who loves the wines the Woltner family made under this label.
The 1981 La Tour-Haut-Brion is a robust, aggressive, rather tannic wine, with plenty of power and guts, but lacking finesse. The color is impressively dark, the weight of fruit and body on the palate considerable, but this is not a wine for Bordeaux enthusiasts who want immediate gratification. Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. Last tasted, 3/88.
