Chateau Latour Reviews
Learn More About Chateau Latour Through its Reviews.
2014 Chateau Latour Reviews
99 Pointz James Suckling
So much violets, licorice, pencil, flowers, and currants define this on the nose before it moves to fresh mushrooms. It’s full-bodied yet compacted with tension and a compressed center palate. Incredible, fine-grained tannins and energy. The length is truly great.
97 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2014 Chateau Latour is one of the very finest wines of a vintage that favored the northern Médoc. Mingling aromas of wild berries and cassis with hints of cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffles, and classy new oak, it’s full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, its broad attack segueing into a deep, tightly wound mid-palate that’s framed by powdery, chalky tannins and bright acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. This classically balanced, youthfully structured young wine looks set to enjoy prodigious longevity. It’s reminiscent of a modern-day version of a cooler vintage such as 1996, though of course these days maturity is more complete and selection even more rigorous than was the case two decades ago.
97 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
The tannins in this fine vintage of Latour are still enormous, dominating the black currant fruit. It has spice, tannins, impressive fruit and a pure, cool character. To be released in the mid-2020s, the wine is likely to age for many years.
97 Pointz Wine Spectator
This shows terrific cut and drive from the start, with mouthwatering acidity and a chiseled graphite note leading the way, backed by a core of pure cassis and blackberry preserves. Licorice snap and sweet tobacco details flitter through the finish, where the graphite edge reemerges and sails on and on.
96 Pointz Decanter
Reddish purple rim. Expressive on the nose; cocoa powder, truffle, soft spices, blackcurrant pastilles, black cherries, and mint – the best Cabernet aromatics. Great delicacy here, this is so poised and elegant, a touch of soft sweetness to the red and black fruits. Tannins fill the mouth but this is well handled, less plump and round, more direct and linear but with a beautiful fragrance, delicacy, and texture that fills the mouth but gently. Still so much juice and freshness as well as softly cooling mint tones. The fresh, vibrant flavour makes you think you could drink it now but it’s only the tannins that suggest it needs longer. Still, it’s lovely, with such well placed fruit flavours that hits all sides of the mouth and lingers long after the finish.
96 Pointz Vinous
The 2014 Chateau Latour captures the personality of the year in its linear, lithe construction. It’s a decidedly understated Latour that is more about finesse than brawn. Bright red cherry/plum fruit, spice, mint, and sweet tobacco open over time, but at this level, wines are more about a feel, an expression of place and a vintage. The 2014 Latour embodies all the best this cool, late-ripening growing season had to offer. I loved the 2014 when it was first shown, about five years ago, and I love it today. It is a super-classic Pauillac.
Bonus Review:
19/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Tasted blind. Big and bold and spicy with intensity. So much on the end! Massive density. Dry tannins but luscious fruit too. Really pure and so Pauillac!.
2013 Chateau Latour Reviews
A blend 95.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.3% Merlot and 0.4% Petit Verdot.
93 Pointz James Suckling
This is really racy with ultra fine tannins. Pretty mint, currants, blackberries, and fresh. Full body, with firm tannins and a long and intense finish. Finesse and textured. Tannic backbone.
93 Pointz Vinous
Dark red cherries, plums, smoke, and new leather flesh out in the 2013 Latour. This is a relatively easygoing Latour with good overall depth and fine balance if not the thrill of the very best years, something that would have been impossible. At the same time though, the Latour is one of the bigger wines of the vintage. Violets, rose petals, and dark spices flesh out on the resonant finish. There is plenty to look forward to here. The blend is 95.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.3% Merlot and 0.4% Petit Verdot.
93 Pointz Wine Spectator
Tight and primal, with a taut plum pit and iron frame around a core of red currant, cherry, and raspberry fruit. Flecks of white pepper line the finish, which features a long iron spine that shows impressive cut. Comes up short on flesh, but the precision is there, offering echoes of pomegranate, blood orange, and bitter cherry allied to the minerality. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Tasted non-blind.
92 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
(95.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.3% Merlot, and 0.4% Petit Verdot; 31.5% of the total production went into the grand vin; 12.7% alcohol): Deep ruby. Fresh aromas of blackcurrant complicated by loam, flint, and violet are somewhat camouflaged by a strong oak element. Then smooth and balanced on the palate, with good density and a hint of iron to the fresh dark berry and graphite flavors. Finishes long, with polished tannins. One of the lighter-styled Latours I’ve tasted to date but a very successful wine for the year, as it has none of the rigid tannins of many other Bordeaux wines in 2013.
90 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A blend of 95.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4.7% Merlot, the 2013 Latour represents only 31.5% of the total crop. It is a surprisingly soft, charming, fruit-forward Latour with moderate concentration, a deep ruby/purple color, and no herbaceousness. Although not terribly deep or rich, it is an excellent effort that will not hit the market for another 5-7 years given their new policy of holding Chateau Latour until it is deemed ready for sale.
2012 Chateau Latour Reviews
97 Pointz Decanter
This will be by far the biggest release since Chateau Latour brought in the new system, as the 2012 has not been on the market before. It’s a good one to start with as this is a vintage where the drinking window is starting to come into view. This is pure liquorice, graphite, profoundly dark fruits, gourmet brushed damson, and crushed stones, with a silky, appealingly open texture. The tannins are as bracing as you hope for from this estate, not giving an inch yet, but there is air between them and the structure is starting to loosen up. Harvest from September 24 to October 16, under rainy conditions after a super hot summer and early September that ensured the grapes stayed in good condition, but turned the concentration from impenetrable to an altogether more approachable style.
96 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet colored, the nose slowly, measuredly emerges with notions of preserved Morello cherries, baked blackcurrants, and blackberry compote, giving way to nuances of pencil shavings, unsmoked cigars, Chinese five spice and sandalwood plus ever so subtle hints of cardamom and eucalyptus. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit preserves with a firm, grainy-textured frame, and fantastic freshness, finishing with a veritable firework display of lingering spices and minerals.
This is a more restrained, relatively elegant vintage of Latour that may not have that “iron fist in a velvet glove” power of the greatest vintages but nonetheless struts its superior terroir and behind-the-scenes savoir faire with impressive panache. It is drinking nicely now with suitably rounded-off, approachable tannins, and the tertiary characters are just beginning to bring some more cerebral elements into the compote of temptingly primary black fruits. But, if you’re looking to drink it in full, flamboyant swing, give it another 5-10 years in bottle and drink it over the next 20-25 years+.
96 Pointz Vinous
The 2012 Chateau Latour has a potent bouquet of blackberry, graphite, and distinctive tertiary notes [instead of more marine scents observed four years earlier]. Initially, the palate is slightly disjointed on the entry and displays a subtle herbal quality, plus hints of pencil shavings. The 2012 demands a few minutes to really coalesce and achieve the precision and pixelation that have been the hallmark of this Grand Vin in its youth.
Layers of black fruit coat the mouth, and a bitter edge lends tension, particularly toward the very persistent finish. Though its release implies, and the rhetoric from the château indicates, that it is ready to drink, if you want my advice, cellar the 2012 for another five or six years to witness it in full flight. It has always been a candidate for wine of the vintage… just have a bit of patience.
95 Pointz Wine Spectator
This features a terrific, gorgeously delineated graphite note that runs from start to finish, letting the dark plum, black cherry, and cassis fruit play out beautifully. Shows a lovely backdrop of charcoal and iron on the finish. Ever so slightly rigid, with a strong graphite expression, this is straight rather than expansive in feel, but seriously long nonetheless.
94 Pointz James Suckling
Very perfumed with hints of minerals, currants, wet earth, and stones. Full-bodied, muscular, and chewy. Polished tannins, tight acidity, and a savory finish. Very reserved. Muscular.
Bonus Reviews:
18/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Luscious-looking colour. Profound, complex with lots of depth. Really complete and spicy with a dry, very Latour, mineral nose. Not the most concentrated Latour but with great character and Latour expression. Very muscular and not nearly ready.
2011 Chateau Latour Reviews
A blend of 84.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 0.5% Petit Verdot.
97 Pointz Decanter
A delicious wine that stands out from many in the vintage. A ton of personality, with a sappy, raspberry, autumnal berry fruit as it opens and travels through the palate, with rose petals on the edge that give a beautiful uplift along with the classic trace of mint. Its tannins are a little more angular than you find in the 2010 and 2009, but it is starting to lengthen and open, although this was a vintage that was not immediately impressive in the way that the previous two had been. A stately Latour, one that needs another few years to really show its place. The last Latour to be sold en primeur in the old system. 34% of overall production.
97 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
This wine has a juicy character and firm tannins. Its fruit is packed around the dense core, showing weight and intensity.
96 Pointz James Suckling
A Latour with a steely backbone and a savory character. Blueberries and currants with hints of violets. Full body, with a long and racy finish. The texture is very tight and racy. Classy for the vintage.
96 Pointz Wine Spectator
This has a gorgeous core of steeped plum, boysenberry, and black currant coulis flavors, backed by a prominent graphite note that drives through the lengthy finish, where extra hints of anise and sweet tobacco flitter in the background. Regal. Best from 2018 through 2035.
95 Pointz James Suckling
The nose is complex, featuring smoke, meat and hints of wood, with currants, olives and berries underneath. Full body with super-velvety tannins. The strong acidity gives the wine an edginess. Love the spicy, subtly fruity finish. Steely.
95 Pointz Vinous
The 2011 Latour is well-defined on the nose with blackberry, bilberry, cedar, hoisin and a touch of mint. There is impressive intensity here, regal and convincing. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins. There is a solid backbone to this wine, plenty of freshness, quite powerful towards the finish with superb persistence. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A blend of 84.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the 2011 Latour represents only 34% of the crop. It hit 13.1% natural alcohol. One of the vintage-s most compelling wines, it possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet, open-knit personality with ripe tannin, superb intensity, good purity and harmony, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and lots of crushed rock, floral and black as well as blue fruit notes in addition to hints of ink and forest floor. This beautifully rich, savory Latour will be surprisingly drinkable in 4-5 years, and should age easily for two decades or more.
Bonus Review
18+/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Tasted blind. Very deep crimson. Lighter nose than some – more high toned. Rich and dense, this wine really grew in the mouth. But tannins were lighter than in some. Attractive savoury finish.
2010 Chateau Latour Reviews
A blend of 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Merlot, and .5% Petit Verdot.
100 Pointz Decanter
I get the same peony and violet aromatics here as I did in Forts de Latour. This is powerful, muscular, not even getting close to being ready. The tannins crowd in from the mid palate onwards, extremely physical in the way they make their presence felt. Behind them, if you give the wine enough time in the glass, it gives black pepper spice, pencil lead, slate, and compressed earth, along with cassis, bilberry and all the tight compact dark-berried fruits you can think of. Don’t even consider this for another five years at least. This is a monumental Latour and a flashing signpost for how good this vintage is in Pauillac.
100 Pointz James Suckling
The aromas of flowers such as roses, violets, and lilacs jump from the glass then turn to dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries. It’s full-bodied, with velvety tannins, and dense and intense with a chocolate, berry, and currant character. This is juicy and rich with wood still showing a bit, but it’s all coming together wonderfully. Muscular yet toned. Another perfect wine like the 2010. Try in 2022.
100 Pointz Vinous
The 2010 Latour can be summed up in two words: “The king.” It convincingly asserts its superiority over other 2010s, including First Growths, in terms of its aromatic complexity, precision, balance, intensity, complexity and persistence. Simply a faultless Latour that ranks among its greatest achievements. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.
100 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
One of the perfect wines of the vintage, Frederic Engerer challenged me when I tasted the 2010 Latour at the estate, asking, “If you rate the 2009 one hundred, then how can this not be higher?” Well, the scoring system stops at 100, (and has for 34 years,) and will continue for as long as I continue to write about wine. Nevertheless, this blend of 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Merlot, and .5% Petit Verdot hit 14.4% natural alcohol and represents a tiny 36% of their entire production.
The pH is about 3.6, which is normal compared to the 3.8 pH of the 2009, that wine being slightly lower in alcohol, hence the combination that makes it more flamboyant and accessible. The 2010 is a liquid skyscraper in the mouth, building layers upon layers of extravagant, if not over-the-top richness with its hints of subtle charcoal, truffle, blackberry, cassis, espresso, and notes of toast and graphite. Full-bodied, with wonderfully sweet tannin, it is a mind-boggling, prodigious achievement that should hit its prime in about 15 years, and last for 50 to 100.
99 Pointz Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection.
Stern, almost severe initially, this great wine takes time to show its immense fruit power. Black currant and blackberry notes are packed into the wine, along with an impressive array of spices from new wood that gives a more exotic element. At the end, though, it has a fine, structured sense of proportion. Obviously for aging over decades, so don’t drink before 2022.
99 Pointz Wine Spectator
Unbelievably pure, with distilled cassis and plum fruit that cuts a very precise path, while embers of anise, violet, and black cherry confiture form a gorgeous backdrop. A bedrock of graphite structure should help this outlive other 2010s. Powerful, sleek, and incredibly long. Not perfect, but very close. Best from 2020 through 2050.
Bonus Review
18.5++/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Tasted blind. Deepest garnet. Opaque core. Minty cassis and lots of sweetness. Powerful, dense, compact. Nowhere near ready. Massive power and yet it is balancing the fruit and the structure. Closed. Keep away.
2009 Chateau Latour Reviews
A blend of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot,
100 Pointz James Suckling
A breathtaking combination of dried flowers and minerals, with dark fruits such as currants and blackberries. Full-bodied, with fabulous fruit concentration, yet its compacted. Velvety tannins. So much fruit and beauty. It’s the quality of the tannins that are magic. It is the famous 1959 all over again. Amazing. Try in 2022.
100 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A blend of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot with just under 14% natural alcohol, the 2009 Latour is basically a clone of the super 2003, only more structured and potentially more massive and long lived. An elixir of momentous proportions, it boasts a dense purple color as well as an extraordinarily flamboyant bouquet of black fruits, graphite, crushed rocks, subtle oak, and a notion of wet steel. It hits the palate with a thundering concoction of thick, juicy blue and black fruits, lead pencil shavings, and a chalky minerality. Full-bodied, but very fresh with a finish that lasts over a minute, this is one of the most remarkable young wines I have ever tasted. Will it last one-hundred years? No doubt about it. Can it be drunk in a decade? For sure.
99 Pointz Decanter
This is still closed, although a softening of the tannins is apparent. It has a gorgeous nose full of Pauillac power and finesse, with brambled fruits and touches of hedgerow as the Cabernet Sauvignon count heads upwards. The fresh core is clear from start to finish, giving that high-wire feeling that makes great Médocs so thrilling. There’s a sense of drama to the cassis fruits, controlled but with impact and a sense of purpose, leading to a chewy finish. This is barely bedded down and has the shoulders and backbone to carry it for years. Don’t approach it yet. Drinking window 2024 – 2046
99 Pointz Vinous
The 2009 Chateau Latour is endowed with a simply magnificent nose with intense blackberry and cassis fruit laced with minerals and graphite, extremely focused to the point of overwhelming the sense. Wow. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, multilayered black fruit infused with crushed stone, and a hint of white pepper, though it clams up towards the finish as if to say, not yet. Outstanding. This is Latour firing on all cylinders. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.
99 Pointz Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection
A big, powerful wine that sums up the richness of the vintage. It is densely fruity, spicy with an enormous black plum and berry fruit character to go with the acidity. It’s concentrated while still showing such wonderfully pure fruit. The aging potential is immense.
99 Pointz Wine Spectator
This seems to come full circle, with a blazing iron note and mouthwatering acidity up front leading to intense, vibrant cassis, blackberry and cherry skin flavors that course along, followed by the same vivacious minerality that started things off. The tobacco, ganache, and espresso notes seem almost superfluous right now, but they’ll join the fray in due time. The question is, can you wait long enough? Best from 2020 through 2040.
96 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Deep purple-ruby. Pungent floral and spice notes enliven complex aromas of dark plum, cocoa, and minerals. Large-scaled and juicy, with lively acidity giving sharp definition to the uncommonly deep, pure flavors of black fruits, forest floor, and dark spices. The impressively ripe, powerful finish features youthfully chewy tannins and outstanding persistence. This big boy will require a lot of patience: forget about it in the cellar for at least 15 years.
Bonus Review
19.24 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Lustrous deep crimson. Sweet yet refined. Recalls juggling or tightrope-walking with its mixture of ripeness and freshness. Dry finish on wonderfully precise sweet fruit. Still very youthful. Clean. Highest average score ever! 19.24 because of five 20/20s.
2008 Chateau Latour Reviews
A blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot combined.
96 Points Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection
Expressive fruit aromas and wood perfumes announce this wine. With 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a complex wine marked by purity of black fruits, berries, toast and tannins. It has power, richness and a lovely edge of spice to go with the acidity. The wine is firmly structured, while bursting with fruit and freshness.
95 Pointz James Suckling
Gorgeous aromas. Sandalwood and flowers, so perfumed and beautiful. Spices and currants with cassis too. Amazing nose. Such beauty and density with an iron and pure fruit character. Solid and racy.
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2008 Latour has a youthfully subdued nose revealing notes of red plums and mulberries with underlying suggestions of damp earth, iron ore, pencil lead and dried Provencal herbs. The palate is superbly structured with firm, tight-knit grainy tannins and crisp acid supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long and savory.
94 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Saturated ruby-red. Subdued but wonderfully pure nose hints at black cherry, graphite, tobacco, licorice, black olive, and crushed stone. Lush, sweet, and deep, with terrific energy and early sex appeal to the dark berry, spice, and vanilla flavors. The sweetness builds on the very long aftertaste, where the solid tannins are in perfect harmony with the wine’s fruit. Leaves a black cherry perfume in the retronasal passage. Likely to be one of the vintage’s longest-lived examples.
94 Pointz Wine Spectator
This is dense and muscular, but balanced, with the flesh to offset the sinew, as pure mulled black currant, melted fig, and crushed plum fruit is caressed by substantial but fine-grained structure. The long, iron- and tobacco-filled finish has excellent focus and drive. This could rival LLC for longest-lived wine of the vintage. Best from 2013 through 2022.
93 Pointz Vinous
The 2008 Chateau Latour is dark, brooding, and virile, with huge tannins that convey an impression of gravitas. Grilled herbs, leather, sweet pipe tobacco, iron, and cedar add to the wine’s distinctive aromatic complexity. There is plenty of density and richness, but the color and slightly advanced flavor profile are a bit out of character. Ideally, at this stage Latour should exhibit more freshness and vibrancy. Of course, it is possible the 2008 might remain at this plateau for many years to come. Time will tell. The blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and drops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Bonus Review:
18/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
High-toned, even slightly acetic. Mature Cabernet grapes. Lovely spread across the palate. Not a hint of underripeness. Very flattering richness on the palate. Very complete even if a little dusty on the finish.
2007 Chateau Latour Reviews
95 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
A big and powerful wine, with tannins that are compact and dense. The dryness of the tannins go right to the core, surrounded by chocolate, sweet fruit, and dark berry flavors. The wine is well structured, big, and bold, with plenty of firmness promising aging.
92 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Good bright ruby-red. Rather backward nose hints at cassis, black cherry, shoe polish, graphite, minerals, and spices. Sweet, broad, and rich, but with enticing fresh minerality giving energy to the rather full-bodied middle palate. The wine’s cassis fruit is complicated by an almost decadent floral element. Finishes perfumed and very long, with wonderfully lush, supple, fine-grained tannins.
92 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits’ 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Chateau Latour was late-released last year, and I reviewed it at that time. This bottle reaffirmed my remarks from a few months ago albeit here within the context of all the other First Growth. I noticed that it has slightly more intensity than the Lafite-Rothschild, a touch of menthol infusing the black fruit, certainly more exotic than the Lafite or Mouton with that subtle hint of black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is good muscle and weight to this Latour, with impressive tension and energy on the saline finish. It will drink well over the next 15 years, possibly longer. Tasted February 2017.
92 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Good bright ruby-red. Rather backward nose hints at cassis, black cherry, shoe polish, graphite, minerals, and spices. Sweet, broad, and rich, but with enticing fresh minerality giving energy to the rather full-bodied middle palate. The wine’s cassis fruit is complicated by an almost decadent floral element. Finishes perfumed and very long, with wonderfully lush, supple, fine-grained tannins.
90 Pointz Wine Spectator
Offers floral and berry notes, with currant and licorice. Full-bodied, with a sweet core of fruit. There are silky tannins and a fresh, fruity finish. Reserved and balanced. Best after 2012.
Bonus Review
18/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Dense and round. Thick and only slightly furry. Dry finish. Needs lots of time. Impressive finish though.
2006 Chateau Latour Reviews
A blend of 91.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Petit Verdot.
97 Pointz Decanter
Powerful, concentrated, and seriously young tannins are closed tight around the pure, intense, dark, sweet fruits, followed by a deep undertow of liquorice, cloves, and graphite. Extraordinary balance, polish, and control. Textbook Pauillac.
96 Pointz James Suckling
Dense and rich Latour with layered and velvety tannins and gorgeous fruit. At the same time, there’s lots of wood. Coffee flavor, too. Full-bodied, layered and structured. Needs more time to soften the tannins.
96 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
Latour has always had the reputation of producing great wines in the less great vintages. The 2006 is a case in point. It brings structure and ripeness into a form that is almost ethereal. That elegance doesn’t take away from the powerful fruit. The fruit in fact melds into the structure with ease. And, as a reminder this is a 2006, the density gives way to freshness on the finish.
95 Pointz Decanter
Soft and lush, this perhaps shows a hint of dilution from harvest rains. The texture is firm and dense without being forbidding. It is less angular than the 2007 vintage on the palate, but there is a similar length and weight here. The result has a ripe currant and plum fruit with a bit of leather, spice, and just a suggestion of violets. The harvest began with the Merlot on 19th September and the Cabernets on 9th October. The final blend is over 91% Cabernet, and here Latour has used a splash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with Merlot making up the balance.
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2006 Chateau Latour is composed of 91.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it charges out of the gate with impressively energetic crème de cassis, cured meats, wood smoke and black forest cake notions plus hints of licorice, sandalwood and iron ore, not to mention a fragrant waft of dried roses that emerges with coaxing. Medium to full-bodied, suitably rich, expressive, and accented by sparks of exotic spices, it has a frame of now velvety tannins contributing just a bit of chew to the long, perfumed finish. Drinking beautifully now, it should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years.
95 Pointz Wine & Spirits
In describing the feel of this wine, Lacey Burke of Gotham Bar & Grill said it was “like a cat wrapping around your ankles.” Such a sensation clearly separates the ’06 Latour from the ’05, which is anything but cuddly. This does have the gravity of classic wines from the deep pile of river stones that counts for soil in this vineyard-its harmonious intensity a direct result of the superior drainage of those stones (and the rigorous farming and selection of the fruit). The tannins hold their share of mystery, both luscious and muscular at once, the source of the wine’s minerality and strength. The fruit is black and compact, completely filling those tannins, with a hint of earthy root vegetable flavor that gives the sweeter aspects a savory cut.
95 Pointz Wine Spectator
Offers a pure nose of currant and blackberry, with crushed fruit. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and very polished, refined tannins. Long and classy. Best after 2016.
2005 Chateau Latour Reviews
100 Pointz Vinous
The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice, and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That’s about all I can really say.
100 Pointz Wine & Spirits
How rare to confront a wine of this inner strength and perfect form. Grown at a 116-acre vineyard at the southern border of Pauillac, some of the vines now reaching 100 years of age on a gravel bar overlooking the Gironde, Latour harvests Cabernet Sauvignon with natural power. I could describe it as colors, from glistening ruby to purple-black then back to scarlet tannins that vibrate in red. Or just the pure, unadulterated flavor of black currant, unformed as a child is unformed, beautiful as a child is beautiful. However I might describe it, the wine is stronger than I am and will outlast me by decades. This is the most provocative and most brilliant Latour I have tasted on release.
100 Pointz Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection
A great wine, the summation of a great vintage in Bordeaux. The core of richness, the dense, bone-dry tannins, the black currants, red berries and black plum skins are the elements, but it’s the way they have been integrated that makes this such an impressive wine. There is great elegance as well, a fabulous counterpoint to such power. Cellar for at least 15 years, but this will keep forever.
99 Pointz James Suckling
Very open and beautiful now with currants, light chocolate, and spices. Incense as well. Full-bodied, tight, and reserved with a fantastic center palate of fruit and firm tannins. Closed and hiding behind the structure and depth. Needs time to open still but already a joy to taste (drink!).
99 Pointz Wine Spectator
Dark ruby black in color. Brilliant, intense aromas of mineral, blackberry and currant, with hints of Indian spices and cigar box, lead to a full-bodied palate, with ultrafine tannins and a beautiful balance of blackberry, raspberry and mineral. There’s subtlety, yet also great depth. Lasts for minutes on the palate. This is a Latour with fabulous tone and vigor.
98 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2005 Chateau Latour has long been a formidable wine. I was granted the opportunity to re-taste the 2005 at the property after their estate released library reserves in February 2017. Now at twelve years of age, it has retained that riveting bouquet of black cherries and black plum, crème de cassis, and graphite, although I find less of the latter compared to previous bottles (including the one tasted blind just three weeks earlier). The palate is very well balanced with blackberry, black plum, sea salt, a hint of balsamic, quite spicy in the mouth with a hint of cloves. There is immense weight and presence in the mouth, although I wonder whether the tannins are as fine as say the 2010 or even the nascent 2016 Latour tasted alongside? Either way, it remains a fabulous First Growth destined to last many, many years.
95 Pointz Decanter
The Chateau Latour was magnificent but is now, unfortunately, in something of a dumb phase. The aromas showed a balanced mix of red and black fruit with appropriate accents from the maturation in new casks and the trademark earthy undercurrent accented with tar and leather notes. The extract has a substantial feel, and yet the tannins remain silky. One has the sense that, like all Latour, it will age exceedingly well, but it is far from showing its full potential.
Bonus Review
19/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Along with Margaux, another standout 2005. Still closed on the nose, this is a precise, concentrated Latour which has the structure to age effortlessly for a further two (or more) decades. Intense lead-pencil character on the nose with a plush, rich, intense palate of vibrant, dark, concentrated fruit. Extremely glossy tannins and beautifully integrated oak, finishing with a fine, lingering graphite note. A thoroughbred, drinking beautifully already but will age extremely well. 19/20 points
2004 Chateau Latour Reviews
97 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
There are tannins, structure, and power, but also supreme elegance. The 2004 acidity comes through in the sweet cassis flavors, supported at the back by dry tannins. Currently, the wine is closed up, losing some of its fresh fruit, but this is a moment in its slow evolution towards a classic Latour.
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A terrific effort from Administrator Frederic Engerer and owner Francois Pinault, the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Latour exhibits a strong cassis character intermixed with notes of crushed rocks, earth, cedar, and forest floor. Racy, elegant, but powerful with medium to full body, and sweet tannin, it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring, and should keep for three decades. It is a very impressive offering.
95 Pointz Wine Spectator
Captivating aromas of currant, black licorice, and spices, with just a hint of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Structured and racy.
94 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Bright ruby-red. Classic aromas of currant, plum, graphite, and minerals. Suave and smooth in the mouth, with a compelling sweetness and lushness for the vintage. At once easygoing and wonderfully complex, conveying a powerful soil character. The finish is ripely tannic, sweet, and very long. This is wonderfully expressive today but the young 2006 may have even longer aging potential. Along with Chateau Margaux, my candidate for wine of the vintage.
94 Pointz Wine & Spirits
The modern Latour has a vast architectural presence. The edges of ferrous power here are tamed on a supple texture, though the choice seems to have been to trade some freshness for that textural grace. The tannins have the potent austerity that grows out of Latour’s deep hill of stones. Closed off for now, the fruit aspect of the wine will not likely show for more than a decade, and the wine will likely need 20 years to reach maturity.
93 Pointz James Suckling
This is surprisingly approachable, especially from a big bottle. It’s soft and fruity with balsamic and sweet tobacco character. Full and round mouthfeel. It will obviously improve with age, but why wait? Served from imperial bottle.
2003 Chateau Latour Reviews
100 Pointz James Suckling
Fascinating nose of fresh flowers, currants, and sandalwood. Full bodied, with a seamless core of fruit that goes on and on. Love the polished tannins and the beauty here. A powerful and rich wine with so much class and finesse for such a hot vintage. Pull the cork after 2016. Find the wine
100 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Administrator Frederic Engerer says the 2003 is “the sexiest Latour ever made.” He also described it as “the 1990 without any brettanomyces.” I loved this wine from the barrel and was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a small quantity, enjoying every bottle I have had. A profound example of Chateau Latour, the full-bodied, opulent 2003 is already performing well at age eleven, which is somewhat atypical.
The pH is a relatively high 3.8, which also indicates low acidity. The wine is very ripe, but not over-ripe, offers great freshness, and lots of creme de cassis and camphor as well as hints of blackberries and chocolate. Dense, thick, and unctuously textured, this staggering Latour is undeniably the most sumptuous, opulent wine made here since the 1982 or 1961. Drink it over the next two decades.
98 Pointz Wine Spectator
Intense aromas of blackberry, licorice, currant and mineral. Full-bodied, with very well-integrated tannins and a long, long finish. Very refined and beautiful. Goes on for minutes. This reminds me of the fabulous 1996. But even better. Best after 2012.
97 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
What makes a great Latour is a sense of completeness, of restrained power and of levels of complexity which the other first growths rarely achieve. That’s why Latour 2003 is a great wine.
97 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Red-ruby. Explosive aromas of plum liqueur, currant, minerals, and lead pencil. Huge, lush, sweet, and utterly seamless; this has the palate-caressing texture of liquid velvet. About as deep as this extreme vintage gets. Finishes with noble, compellingly sweet tannins and great length. This is amazing wine, and only its exotic character prevented me from giving it an even higher score.
97 Pointz Vinous
The 2003 Latour remains a redoubtable First Growth and a testament to its terroir that manifested such a great wine in a challenging growing season. You could argue that it does not disguise the heat of that notorious summer as deftly as the 2003 Montrose since there is still a touch more volatility here than other vintages. But there are gorgeous notes of black cherry, black truffle, cedar and a touch of cooked meat. The palate is full-bodied with saturated tannin. The acidity is very finely tuned considering the season and there is plenty of glycerine towards the sumptuous finish. Maybe it is more a great 2003 than a great Latour, but there are few recent vintages that are so delicious.
Bonus Review:
19/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson
Magisterial! Immediately profound on the nose, delivering rock-solid classic Bordeaux. So lengthy, so refined. A rich tapestry of flavours from the darkest fruits to the most lifted fragrance. And so lengthy! Truly worth the accolades, and who knew 2003 would turn out so well?
2002 Chateau Latour Reviews
96 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
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.
96 Pointz Vinous
One of the most pleasant surprises in this tasting, the 2002 Latour is just beginning to show the full breadth of its aromatic complexity, but it is also has more than enough depth to drink well for several decades. Tar, graphite, incense, and smoke open up in the glass in a Latour that leans towards the more delicate, feminine side of things. Silky tannins add polish and creaminess through to the finish. The 2002 is surprisingly delicious today for a young Latour, but it also has the pedigree and density to age nicely for decades.
96 Pointz Wine Spectator
Top 100 of 2005, Collectibles* 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 a 2002. This is the wine of the vintage. A solid, classic Latour that needs bottle age.
94 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Red-ruby. Blackcurrant, graphite, and minerals on the nose. Sweet, fleshy and dense, with an impeccable sugar/acid balance. Strong mineral tones and firm acids. Finishes long and gripping, with excellent tannic spine and lift. A bit like the 2002 Les Forts de Latour but turned up a notch or two.
2001 Chateau Latour Reviews
96 Pointz Vinous
The 2001 Latour has an exquisite bouquet of blackberry, hints of sloe, cedar and mint, all very complex and beautifully defined. A slight pitted black olive aroma surfaces with time. The palate is medium-bodied with precise tannins and white and black pepper mixed with clove and tobacco. Pauillac through and through; Latour through and through. This is actually one of the best bottles of the 2001 that I have tasted, and it will battle it out with the 2002 for supremacy.
95 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
A brilliant offering, which should be drinkable much earlier than the blockbuster 2000, the 2001 Latour boasts an inky/ruby/purple color to the rim as well as a glorious bouquet of black currants, crushed stones, vanilla, and hints of truffles and oak. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance primarily Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it reveals a sweetness on the palate that is atypical for such a young Latour. The beautiful integration of tannin, acidity, and wood is stunning. The wine flows across the palate with fabulous texture, purity, and presence. This luscious, full-bodied Latour was surprisingly open-knit on the three occasions I tasted it from bottle. However, do not mistake its aging ability as this 2001, despite its precociousness, will last 20-25 years.
95 Pointz Wine Spectator “Collectibles”
Extremely attractive aromas of blackberries and currants with just a hint of mineral and oak. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, long finish. As it was from barrel; powerful and fast. Serious stuff.
92 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Deep red-ruby. Enticing aromas of roasted plum, currant, graphite and smoky oak. Precise, spicy and juicy; more herbal than the 2002 or 2003 but also very intensely flavored and not at all hard. This very long, pure Latour seems to be shutting down today.
Bonus Review:
19/20 Points Jancis Robinson
Very concentrated. Very convincing. Solid lead-pencil character yet refined too. Long-term stuff with a notably dry finish. Mineral, dense and layered. Fabulously nuanced and persistent. 19/20 points
2000 Chateau Latour Reviews
100 Points James Suckling
Latour has made truly great wines in the past two decades—and this is one of the best. It has fabulous aromas of black truffles, currants, raspberry, and dried flowers. Mind-blowing on the palate, it’s an emotional and soulful red.
99 Pointz Decanter
Dense and complex, this shows layers of dark fruit with aromas of plum, fig and blackcurrant overlaid with spice, leather, and earth. It is not as expressive as the 2001 vintage now, but it is more substantial, almost massive.
99 Pointz Vinous
The 2000 Latour is very deep in color. The nose is backward and demands coaxing from the glass, eventually revealing intense black fruit, cedar, graphite and very subtle Japanese nori aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with an arching structure that grips the mouth. The tannins are a little bolder than the 2001. This unfolds swirl by swirl, with hints of licorice emerging with time, and fanning out audaciously on the finish.
99 Pointz Wine Spectator
A young wine that electrifies every taste bud in your mouth. Compacted aromas of crushed currants and minerals, with roses and lilacs. Full-bodied, with masses of silky, refined tannins and a finish that lasts for minutes. Stunning. Best Latour since 1990. Best after 2012.
98 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
This is such an expressive wine, with elegance a major factor in its character. It is certainly huge, rich, and dense. But there is much more to it. You can peel layers of fruit and tannins away, and still never get to the end of the wine’s complexity. At every stage of its life, it will reveal a new character, but for now it is dominated by powerful tannins and huge, black, fruit.
97 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Deep garnet in color, the 2000 Latour has aromas of kirsch, creme 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.
97 Pointz Stephen Tanzer’s
International Wine Cellar
Full medium ruby. Wonderfully sweet, rich aromas of cassis, minerals and bitter chocolate. A huge wine with almost painful intensity; solid as a rock and at the same time utterly sensual and creamy, with great inner-mouth complexity and depth of flavor, and a complete absence of rough edges. ‘Almost too easy today,’ says Engerer. Sweet notes of roasted nuts and chocolate add to the wine’s early appeal. A powerful, hugely rich Latour with a great building finish and perfectly suave tannins.
Where to Buy Chateau Latour Online
