Chateau Latour

This is an interesting as well as great vintage for Latour. The wine possesses an antipically high percentage of Merlot (27%) in the final blend. Because of this, the wine appears to have a sweeter, more fleshly texture than is typical for a young Latour, but do not make the mistake of thinking this will be a commercially-styled, easy to drink wine. It exhibits an opaque dark ruby/purple color, and a backward, intense textbook nose of walnut and cassis scents complemented by smoky pain grille notes that build in the glass. This full-bodied, powerfull, layered Latour reveals high tannin, but no bitterness or astringency. The superb purity, fabulous precision, and remerkable length should ensure 35-40 years of longevity. Readers will find more fat, flesh, and glycerin than usual for a young Latour, but not be deceived, this wine requires 8-10 years of cellaring.
Anticipated maturity : 2005-2035.

Quite deep, but with a lighter rim. More muted nose. Less fragrant at first, though it opened out in the glass. Big and blobby. Chewy end. Again, quite stern. Slightly smudgy. Lots of tannin.Date tasted 5th May 03.

Very, very deep purplish crimson. Full, ripe and opulent nose. Very gentle and well handled. Not very intense, but very correct and chewy. Lots of tannins underneath.Date tasted 7th Oct 02.

A spectacular Latour, the 1996 may be the modern day clone of the 1966, only riper. This vintage, which is so variable in Pomerol, St.-Emilion, and Graves, was fabulous for the late-harvested Cabernet Sauvignon of the northern Medoc because of splendid weather in late September and early October. An opaque purple color is followed by phenomenally sweet, pure aromas of cassis infused with subtle minerals. This massive offering possesses unreal levels of extract, full body, intensely ripe, but abundant tannin, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. Classic and dense, it displays the potential for 50-75 years of longevity. Although still an infant, it would be educational to taste a bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050.

Fifty-six per cent of the 1996 production made it into the grand vin, a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. It is a massive, backward wine that comes close to being a monster. The 1996 appears to be a modern day version of the 1966 or 1970, rather than the sweeter, more sumptuous, fatter styles of the 1982 or 1990. The wine reveals an opaque ruby/purple colour, as well as reticent but emerging aromas of roasted nuts, blackberry fruit, tobacco, and coffee, with hints of pain grillé in the background. Massive and full-bodied in the mouth, it possesses extremely high tannin, fabulous concentration and purity, and an impeccably long finish. This wine, bottled in July 1998, will require at least a decade of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040.

The 1996 is a fabulous wine that should rival, and even eclipse the extraordinary 1995. The 1996 is huge, massive, it boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, as well as extraordinary, thick, monster-sized fruit, glycerin, and extract on the palate, an a finish that lasts for 40 seconds. In addition to being a classic Pauillac, it is a textbook Latour, with formidable power, compelling purity, and remarkable presence on the palate. The nose is just beginning to offer some of the minerals, roasted herbs, grilled meats, cassis, and blackberry character of this great first- growth. Full bodied and layerded, with amazing power and richness, but no sensesof heaviness, this is a wine to buy for your children.
Anticipated maturity:2015-2040

The 1996 Latour was the first to be made in the new vat room that was completed in the nick of time before the fruit came in. Frédéric Engerer told me that they had no "Plan B" if it had not been ready! He also told me that the 1996 underwent little sorting and no green harvest. It was picked around 22-23 September. Now at 20 years of age, it has quite a complex bouquet that is approaching full maturity, laden with blackberry, charcoal, pencil lead and cedar scents that display impressive precision. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well balanced with a keen thread of acidity. It is foursquare, correct and very "Latour": saline in the mouth with good depth towards the finish and this bottle showing a dash of black pepper and a hint of licorice on the finish. While not in the same division as say, Mouton-Rothschild or Château Margaux this vintage, it remains a splendid, if quite "serious" Latour. Drink this now and over the next 15-20 years. Tasted July 2016.

Nose wonderful, complex and open, developed yet youthful, mature damp earth and charcoal hints, dark blackcurrant fruit, cedar wood with cranberry and ripe black cherry, very complex and deep, just starting to open up. Excellent. Drink 2009-2026.Date tasted 7th July 09.

Mature rim. Inky mineral nose. Delicate, lively wine. Really racy. Very dry finish. A bit gawky. Drink 2008-20

Deep garnet-black in color, the 1996 is classic Latour at its utmost. The nose offers a tantalizing array of complex notes including dried Chinese plums, toasted nuts, Indian spices and black olive tapenade over a core of dried cherries and aged meat. The palate is pure power that is stunningly balanced giving a generous level of fruit concentration perfectly offset by a high level of very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness. Possessing a finish that just goes on and on, this is as good as it gets.

Minerals and savour and sappiness. Certainly nothing as simple as fruit! Although in this vintage Latour does not outshine the others as obviously as in some more recent years. Really sappy perfume. Great rich spread across the palate is impressive. Density and energy. Dry finish. Good lift. Suitably dense and very mineral. But polished too.

The 2000 Latour (a relatively abundant 14,000 cases compared to what they produced in 2009, 2008, or 2005) is "packed and stacked." The extremely rich, black/purple color to the rim is followed by a wine with some subtle smoke, loads of minerals, a hint of vanilla, and plenty of creme de cassis as well as roasted meat and a slight scorched earth character. Broad, savory, and rich, the wine seems to be about 5 years away from full maturity and should drink well for at least 40-50 more years. A great effort, probably eclipsed only by 2003 and 2009.

My original ratings appear to have been dead on the money for both of these efforts from Chateau Latour.

Only 48% of the crop made it into the prodigious 2000 Latour. A synthesis in style between the 1996, 1990, and 1982, it has the structure of the 1996, but the succulence, ripeness, and rich, concentrated fruit of both the 1990 and 1982. The 2000's satuiated ruby/purple colour is accompanied by sumptuous aromas of jammy black fruits intermixed with earth, vanilla, grilled nuts, and minerals. It is remarkably seamless for a young Latour, but as the wines sits in the glass, its acid and unevolved high tannin level begin to make an impact. This is an unctuously styled effort where tasters may not discern the tannin until the finish. A fascinating offering, it will flirt with perfection when fully mature. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.

There are only 14,000 cases (only 48% of the crop made it into the grand vin) of the 2000, which flirts with perfection. Truly great stuff, it reveals perfect equilibrium, great finesse, yet colossal size, with a thickness and density that rival the brilliant 1996. This saturated black ruby/purple colored wine seems almost discreet on first inspection, but with aeration, notes of vanilla, exceptionally pure, mineral-infused creme de cassis, and earth emerge. Full-bodied and tannic, it should come close to representing perfection. Latour's 2000 is hard to compare with previous vintages. It obviously does not have the opulence of the 1990 and 1982, yet there is an extraordinary purity, delineation, seamlessness, and freshness to this wine that sets it apart from previous vintages. In any event, it is prodigious, with at least five decades of evolution ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2050.

Only 48% of the crop made it into the prodigious 2000 Latour. The wine's saturated ruby/purple color is accompanied by sumptuous aromas of jammy black fruits intermixed with earth, vanilla, grilled nuts, and minerals. It is remarkably seamless for a young Latour, but as the wine sits in the glass, its acid and unevolved high tannin level begin to make an impact. This is an unctuously-styled effort where tasters may not discern the tannin until the finish. A fascinating offering, it will flirt with perfection when fully mature. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.

The 2000 Latour is one of the vintage's most compelling efforts. Yields from the old vines from which most of this cuvee is produced were 37 hectoliters per hectare. Forty-eight percent of the crop was utilized in the grand vin. It is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.

A prodigious effort, it appears to be the star of the Medoc first-growths. Despite its thick, viscous appeal, the total acid is 3.7 grams per liter, quite high considering that most great vintages of Latour possess 3.2-3.3. This wine possesses sweet tannin, amazing presence and concentration, extraordinary purity, and phenomenally ripe, pristine, unctuous, but not heavy notes of black fruits. It is a model of power, symmetry, and grace, with a finish that lasts for over 45 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2050.

This has a very fine nose: wonderful lift and definition, blackberry, raspberry, graphite, a touch of espresso, smoke and burning embers. In the background, there is a slight hickory element. The palate is medium-bodied, fine but very structured tannins, blackberry, soy, tar, graphite and an ethereal sense of symmetry towards the vibrant, brilliantly defined finish. Aristocratic. Drink 2015-2050.

Nose solid and firm, quite tight, very fine and elegant, hiding lots of power and complexity, fruit on palate solid, weighty tannins very youthful, great elegance and class, young thoroughbred racehorse. Will age fantastically. Drink 2012- 2020. Date tasted 7th July 09.

Deep garnet in color, the 2000 Latour has aromas of kirsch, crème de cassis and dried mulberries with nuances of leather, incense, salami and fertile loam. The palate is just starting to mature into a wonderfully satiny texture, with layer upon layer of berry preserve, baking spice and earth notes resulting in a wine of incredible poise.

The wine of the vintage? There are only 10,000 cases of this extraordinarily rich, dense 2002 that is as powerful as the 2003 (even the alcohol levels are nearly the same, 12.85%) . It is dark ruby/purple to the rim, with notes of English walnuts, crushed rocks, black currants, and forest floor, dense, full-bodied, and opulent, yet classic with spectacular aromatics, marvelous purity, and a full-bodied finish that lasts just over 50+ seconds. Huge richness and the sweetness of the tannin are somewhat deceptive as this wine seems set for a long life. Administrator Frederic Engerer seems to be more pleased with what Latour achieved in 2002 than in any other recent vintage. Hats off to him for an extraordinary accomplishment in a vintage that wouldn’t have been expected to produce the raw materials to achieve something at this level of quality. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2045.

No guts, no glory? If I had to choose today, this would be my pick for the wine of the vintage. It is a colossal, remarkably concentrated, highly extracted, formidably endowed Latour as well as a potential legend in the making. Circa 2003, it will be interesting to see how such recent great Latours as the 2000 and 1996 stand up against the 2002, which will probably never have the “acclaim” of those two vintages. Latour’s administrator, the meticulous Frederic Engerer, told me that yields were a measly 23-24 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The pH is remarkably high (3.87), and the natural alcohol (no chaptalization) is over 13%, so this is a surprisingly powerful offering. It demonstrates that those who picked late benefited from the Indian summer. About 51% of the production made it into the grand vin. So what’s it taste like? This is a behemoth that is also extraordinarily pure and elegant. Opaque purple to the rim, it boasts a strikingly intense liquid minerality, creme de cassis, and licorice-scented nose. The wine’s incredible purity, fascinating texture, full-bodied power, and massive display of fruit, extract, and harmony suggest a monumental Latour that will require a considerable amount of time to become drinkable. I do not believe it is as backward as the 2002 Mouton, but certainly it is far less accessible than the 2002 Lafite. The brilliant 2002 Latour is a tour de force from a great estate that has hit all cylinders, producing a surprisingly profound wine in an irregular vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+

Served blind at the chateau, it is amazing how well this wine performs in blind tastings. There is great clarity on the nose, you can almost smell those “caillou” in the vineyard, pure black fruits, freshly rolled tobacco, crushed stone and just a faint hint of Xmas cake (must be the time of season!) The palate is well structured with firm tannins, quite masculine even for Latour with cedar and graphite, underpinned by exquisite delineation on the finish. Wonderful.

Tasted blind at Farr's 2002 Bordeaux tasting. A great showing. Wonderful lift on the nose, very generous compared to some of the other First Growths with notes of blackberry, raspberry leaf, hot bricks and cedar, gaining intensity all the time in the glass. The palate is firm on the entry with bold tannins, ebullient black fruits laced with cedar and graphite, leading to a convincing, tannic finish. This is really coming in to its own. Tasted October 2009.

Loads of ripe currants, licorice and toasted oak on the nose. Subtle yet impressive. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and chewy tannins. Big and juicy. Deep midpalate for the vintage. A sold, classic Latour that needs bottle age.

Drink 2011-16 Very rich and sweet at first, with hints of cumin on the palate and then notably dry tannins on the finish. Not much fun at present.