Tasted at the La Tache vertical at The Square. The La Tache 1952 is one of the better wines of the decade, one of the pleasant surprises. Clearly deeper in color than the 1950, it has lovely definition on the nose with vestiges of decayed, leafy red berry fruit, dried herbs, rose petals and lavender. With aeration it loses with its femininity and becomes earthier with a whiff of the old Lapsong Souchang. The palate is nicely structured and masculine–the remnants of rustic tannins firm and rendering this almost Bordeaux-like in style. There is a touch of dryness on the finish, but otherwise this is a very pleasurable La Tache that continues to give pleasure, albeit in a more austere style than the 1953.