France

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Cabernet Franc

Petit Verdot

Ch. Latour

Chateau Latour Premier Cru Classe Pauillac

Bordeaux

Pauillac

Impressively precise and muscular, no question that this needs longer in the bottle before really being ready to drink, but everything is in place for decades of pleasure. Smart timing of this release, a vintage that underlines without question just why Latour is so revered, and why there is a clear logic to holding it back at the estate for almost a decade, allowing the first part of its ageing cycle to take place under fully controlled conditions. Very much a classic Pauillac, with confidence and character, waves of mint leaf, coffee bean, cola, crushed rocks, crayon and liqourice root, opening up to show fragrant nuances of rose petals and peony. 100% new oak for ageing. Hélène Genin technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant, and at this point Latour was farming entirely organically and biodynamically, with organic certification coming in 2018.

Inside Bordeaux

An incredibly pure and intense perfume offering floral and elegant notes with violet, inky dark fruit, crème de cassis, fine tobacco with stony and gravelly notes. The palate is impressive combining tremendous power and elegance with an immense and unprecedented length, very classy and complex with layers of pure inky fruit, tobacco, gravel, fine oak that keeps lingering forever, unquestionably one of the finest young wines I ever tasted.

Sommelier

28.12.22

Tredjevinen til Latour,

Lukter “clean” og konsentrert. Veldig konsentrasjon av primæraromaer, ikke så mye utenom dette. 

Smak: Samme som lukt, ferskvarevin, veldig kompleks primærsmaker.

Men til 1000kr…….

Expert

Intense, concentrated, muscular, this is very much a textural powerhouse, not looking generous right now, think chamomile tea, cassis bud, crayon, slate, oyster shell salinity, gunsmoke and steel, with lean blue fruits. Should be an earlier drinking Latour than some vintages, although there is latent power here, and this wine has the unquestionable ability to grow in stature with a few years in bottle. 44% of the production. 5,5% press wine. Harvest September 19 through to October 9. 100% new oak for ageing. 5.5% press. 76IPT. New AI optical sorting machine in the cellar. Hélène Genin technical director. 11hl/ha yield.

A stunning Latour, with luscious tannins, slow movement throgh the palate, cocoa bean, cigar box, cassis, ink, bilberry and liqourice root, but the extra layers of interest come not with the power, but the more sotfly spoken tomato leaf, fennel, pomegranate and salt-scraping minerality. This offers light and shade, nuanced texture, with an overall structure that stretches slowly out through the palate. 100% new oak, Hélène Génin director.

The 2022 Latour, composed of 92.45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.4% Merlot, and 0.15% Petit Verdot,  is deep garnet-purple in color. The nose slowly unfurls to offer beguiling scents of wild blueberries, blackcurrant pastilles, black raspberries, and crushed rocks, with hints of cardamom, cinnamon, orange peel, and lilacs. The medium to full-bodied palate beautifully maintains its poise and sophistication in spite of the heat of the vintage, with layer upon layer of bright, vibrant black fruits and very fine, silt-like tannins, supported by seamless freshness, finishing beautifully long and earthy. This includes 7.6% press wine and represents 38.8% of the year's production. pH 3.85, TPI 75.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot, the 2021 Latour has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It is quite subdued and closed to start, needing a lot of swirling to coax out fresh, pure notes of blackcurrants, fresh raspberries, and pomegranate, giving way to nuances of graphite, fragrant soil, and rose bud tea, with a touch of Sichuan pepper. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is very tightly wound, featuring great tension with nervy red and black fruit layers and loads of mineral accents, with a firm, fine-grained texture, and finishing on a lingering ferrous note. Nicely done!

The 2020 Latour, a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot, is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs considerable shaking to bring out profound scents of creme de cassis, boysenberries, and ripe plums, giving way to an undercurrent of dark chocolate, molten licorice, tar, wood smoke, and crushed rocks with an emerging waft of violets. The medium-bodied palate is very condensed, packed tight with bright black fruits, mineral and floral layers, supported by lovely tension, finishing long and perfumed. The finish absolutely sparkles! This is very cerebral and a vintage for those looking for the pinnacle of quiet intensity.

In my initial tasting notes i just wrote perfect! That sums it up, it´s just to take the notes from Les Forts and distil them into this. It´s certainly bigger and denser with a plethora of layers of the dark fruits, the refined spices, the gravely notes et al. on the palate its rather massive without heaviness, exemplary tannin and a fresh backbone, with exceptional purity of fruit and a never ending finish.

Latour 2018 is deep garnet-purple in color. It delivers classic scents of cassis, cedar, and unsmoked cigars, with undertones of violets, black raspberries, chocolate, and iron ore. Big, concentrated, full-bodied, with pedal to the metal flavors, it has super-ripe, super-fine tannins and layer upon layer, finishing epically long with provocative minerality. 

A seriously pretty Latour, not a phrase often associated with this most concentrated of wines, with real lyricism. Beautifully layered, with muscles that have a cushion of air underneath them. As during En Primeur, its sculpted character highlights the impact of biodynamic farming, but bottle ageing has seen it take on the customary concentrated layers of this Pauillac First Growth. The signature pencil lead, crayon, mint leaf and crushed rocks are here in abundance, along with cassis and bilberry fruit, kissed with rosebud and peony florality, and textured slate tannins that slow things down through the mid palate. A delicious wine, vibrant, balanced, decades ahead of it, even if the soft sculpting of the vintage means it will be ready to drink earlier than 2016 or 2018 on either side. First year in full organics, although not certified until 2019, and the first without Cabernet Franc in the blend. 100% new oak. No frost on the Grand Vin plots, in a year where many parts of Bordeaux were impacted, proof again of what a favoured site this is.

Aromatically this floats out of the glass, intense and concentrated but full of light and life. Waves of flavour come at you, from crushed raspberries, pomegrante and blackcurrant to fresher redcurrant and lemongrass set against richer truffles, crayon and smoked earth. Mouthwatering, this really is a vintage where you can see the impact of the biodynamic vineyard work, with a greater sense of sculpting and violet florality than you would have found in this Pauillac powerhouse a decade earlier, without sacrificing structure and depth. As it opens, the sweetness of a ripe vintage comes through in edges of smoked caramel. A beautiful wine, thoroughly enjoyable, extremely well-handled and set to power through the decades. Harvest September 15 to October 10, 30% of production in the main wine. Hélène Genin technical director.

Lukt av sylta, mørke plommer, blåbær, fiken, sopp, toast, elegante krydder- toner, en flint- preget mineralitet som er veldig fremtredende på lukt. 

Smak av sammensatt preg av kjølig integrert frukt, hvor den «varme»
konsentrasjonen skinner igjennom. Smak av syrlige kirsebær, sylta blåbær, lær, tobakk, sigarboks, og jordbunn. Mineraliteten er også nok så fremtredende på smak også, hvor syren er veldig passende, og godt integrert. Helt enorm høy drikkeglede. 🍷

Medium garnet in color, the 2013 Latour starts off with a fragrant nose of dried roses, powdered cinnamon, clove oil, and star anise, giving way to a core of warm cassis, plum preserves, and black cherry compote with a touch of cast-iron pan. The medium-bodied palate is beautifully poised and elegant, with soft acidity and plush tannins, finishing long and perfumed.

The 2012 Latour is medium to deep garnet colored. It is a little sluggish to begin, delivering oaky notes over a core of creme de cassis, baked plums, and new leather, plus hints of cast-iron pan and cigar box. Medium-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins with seamless freshness and taut, muscular fruit, finishing long and earthy.

This is still revving up to reach its drinking window, and although for now it is showing just a touch below the 2009 vintage, don't be surprised if it overtakes it within the next decade. It demands patience though. Classic brooding, muscular, concentrated old school Latour, uncompromising in its sculpted tannins and bristling blueberry and cassis fruits. 36% of overall production.

A blend of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot, the opaque garnet-black colored 2009 Latour prances from the glass with showy notes of black cherry preserves, blueberry pie, and black currant jelly, leading to an undercurrent of camphor, clove oil, and cinnamon toast. The medium to full-bodied palate is decadently stacked with black and blue fruit layers, framed by super-plush tannins and jaw-dropping tension, culminating in a fragrant finish that just goes on and on. It’s flat-out delicious right now but promises to reward the patient.

The 2008 Latour is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 0.75% Cabernet Franc, and 0.25% Petit Verdot. It reveals a deep garnet-brick color, with broody opening notes of tar, underbrush, and dusty soil, giving way to an evocative core of baked plums, warm cassis, and anise. The medium-bodied palate features impressive vibrancy and freshness with fine-grained tannins and a long, savory finish.

Expectations are high when you open a top flight estate in one of Bordeaux’s most revered vintages, and the 2005 Latour, while still being stubborn, is poised to deliver the goods. So many layers to get through, and it moves in distinct stages, from sweet-salty dark chocolate and soy sauce through to earthy cassis and blackberries, finishing up with a delicate burst of rosebuds and violet flowers, and a saline, slate and mint kick on the finish. The flavours remain hidden at first and need coaxing - there is definitely no rush to open, and it may still be going through something of a dumb phase, but I have been lucky enough to taste this wine a few times this year, and this week’s example was one of the best, really beginning to grow into its potential, and showing plenty of old school Latour power. There are fireworks but you have to wait for them, and ideally I would still give it another few years. 100% new oak. This wine has been released En Primeur, then again in March 2017, and this is the third and final release. Harvest between September 26 and October 6. Decanted three hours before tasting, and it needs another few hours to fully open.

A great moment to be drinking this Latour, at 20 years old, more ready than the 2005 right now. Black truffle, ink, cassis fruit, crushed rocks, firm tannins, still muscular, with the precision and heft that was typical of the estate in these years. Took its time to come round, now showing finesse and class, with decades ahead of it. Harvest September 23 to October 19.

The 2003 Latour is a blend of 81.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 0.5% Petit Verdot. It explodes from the glass with crème de cassis, stewed plums, licorice, and mocha scents, followed by nuances of charcoal, rose oil, and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate delivers surprising elegance and jaw-dropping poise with well-knit freshness and super-soft tannins, finishing with incredible length and grace. It’s a real paradox of a wine coming from this very hot vintage and a testament to the Enclos’ singular terroir.

Made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-brick colored 2001 Latour rolls out of the glass with ready-to-go scents of unsmoked cigars, cedar chest, fragrant soil, and iron ore, giving way to a core of prunes and red currant jelly, plus a touch of potpourri. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully racy and energetic with lightly chewy tannins and a minerally finish.

The 2000 Latour is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-brick in color, it sashays from the glass with gregarious notes of plum preserves, black currant pastilles, dried lavender, sandalwood, and new leather, giving way to fragrant wafts of aniseed, cigar box, and black truffles. Medium-bodied, the black fruit preserves and exotic spices flavors expand wonderfully in the mouth, complemented by a velvety texture and beautifully knit acidity, finishing on a lingering anise note. Classic.

Rød-lilla farge. Røde bær og lær. Stor kropp! Kirsebær, jordbær, lær, tobakk, krydder, lakris og sjokolade. Myke tanniner og fin syre.

WSET 3

Still concentrated and powerful, you could mistake this for a 1996 with its confidence muscular structure and dark spicy fruits. Just beginning to show truffle, mushroom and smoked earth as it unrolls in the palate, a thoroughly enjoyable wine. This was 2nd vintage under current director Frederic Engerer, harvest September 15 to 27, touch of rain during harvest after hot and dry summer, with three times less rain than average during June, July, August. In 1855, Latour was in the hands of the de Beaumont family, descendants of the long term de Ségur, who had arrived in 1670.

Varm årgang, men den «kjøligste» i 90 - sursøt, steinete, varme solbær, solbærbusk - egen klasse (98+)

Duft av tørket frukt, tørket tobakk, og grønn paprika.

Smak av tørket frukt, med en innsnevret munnfølelse.

A good vintage, the first of an exceptional trio, that remains well structured at this point, with rose petals, fennel and grilled sage, cracked pepper, cedar, cassis and loganberry, starting to soften its tannic grip but still clearly delivering Latour confidence. Served in magnum. Harvest September 28 to October 10.

Amatør

WOW! 

👃Utrolig kompleks nese. Lukten er dyp og intens med en vanvittig konsentrert duft av mørke bær. Spesielt fremtredende er solbær i flere nyanser(fersk/solmoden/tørket). I tillegg er det blåbær og mørk plomme. Videre er det flotte lagringsaromaer med tobakk, tørkede bær, trøfler, sigarboks. Det er også pepper, nellik, sagpuss, mint, lakris og vanilje.

👄 På smak følger den opp kompleksiteten og konsentrasjonen du fikk på nesa. Inngangen er hinsides. Du blir møtt av en herlig bærmiks av solbær, mørk kirsebær og blåbær. Denne miksen blir enda dypere og mer konsentrert i midtpartiet. Den har en herlig maskulinitet, samtidig som den er elegant og silkemyk. Som på lukt er det også her flere lag med smaker: Tobakk, tjære og mint og vanilje. Dette sammen med bærene sitter igjen mange minutter etter du har svelget. 
Syren er frisk og løfter vinen(medium).
Tanninene er finkornete, fine integrerte (medium). Både tanninstrukturen og syren viser at vinen fortsatt bare er ungdommen. 


100 - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
98 - Wine Spectator
97 - Jeannie Cho Lee
100 - Falstaff

Critic Average Rating

Sursøte jordbær, skogbunn, cassis, eike, røyk, cigarbox, cedertre, bringebær lukter ganske peak to be honest

Fin balanse, fullmoden bordeaux med myke softy tannins, fiken, dadler, tobakk, 

Peak moden bordeaux, ikke mye å utsette her


WSET 1

Opplever vinen som korrekt, medium duftintensitte, syrlige moreller, noe mer støvete, fyldig anslag, ikke like kompleks som Haut Brion, ikke samme nerve, mer plump frukt, medium pluss tannin og syre, noe bitre tanniner, ikke noe gale, men heller ikke noe spennende.

Brun med lyse kanter. Oooh: camembert ost og kjellerlukt. I munnen får jeg tanker om portvin. Plomme, svisker, kamferkiste, kjeller og sopp. Silkemyke tanniner. Hvem skulle tro at en 54 år gammel vin skulle være så bra!?

Ingen alderdomstegn - kjølig solbærbris - majestetisk strukturert - kompromissløs

Rødere, mer intens og mer behagelig frukt enn ‘61 - ikke mye å ta den på, men en perfekt vin ville hatt litt mer (og integrerte) tanniner. Stor vin. 

Of the three 1961 wines tasted in this lineup, Latour remains the youngest and most identifiably Pauillac in character, despite being in a half bottle. Gorgeous deep plum colour, subdued on the first nose as the fruits remain concentrated and intense, if you can believe it, and need a good few moments to begin to uncurl. Expect waves of cocoa bean, black truffle and grilled earth, with turmeric spice and cigar box, reflecting the tiny yield and concentration that was evident, so we are told, from the first years of its life. Not as joyful perhaps as the Mouton, but seriously impressive, just an absolute lesson in how great Bordeaux can age and why we fall in love with it. 20th century Bordeaux legends Edmund Penning-Rowsell and Michael Broadbent both believed Latour 1961 to be the wine of the vintage (in 2000 Broadbent believed it still had half a century of life ahead of it, and he might just be right). A fascinating history also, as this was last year when Latour was entirely owned by descendants of the famous 18th century 'prince of vines' Nicolas-Alexandre de Segur before selling up to Lord Cowdray the following year. Am now obsessed with trying it out of bottle again rather than half bottle to recapture that extra point that I have awarded with every other tasting of this legendary wine...

Syrlig og kjølig, overraskende sødmefull frukt - noe tørrende finish. (89)

Solbær, lett tørkede svisker, søt tobakk, lavendel, kompleks og elegant, utrolig ren, høy konsentrasjon, fløyeltannine. 

Imponerende ungdommelig og givende frukt, på mange måter alt man leter etter.

Elegant nese - hard, stram og tøff vin. Solid frukt - kjølig. Ingen sjarmør, men fra en tanninrik årgang - rundere etter 60 minutter med luft (93)

Okt '17: Noe medisinal, plomme, sursøt, anelse volatil, kunne gått for en tung naturvin.

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Ch. Latour
Vintages	2016
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pauillac
Bottle	300 cl

Alcohol	13 %
Acid	3,7 %
Sugar	< 3 g/l

Packaging
Cork type
Selection
Wholesaler
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