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Located in the famous Medoc wine region, about 40 kilometres north-west of the city of Bordeaux, the vineyard of Château Latour belongs to the Pauillac appellation. The quality of its wine depends partly on the type of grape variety that is being used, but also on the exceptional combination of natural elements (geography, geology and climate) that constitutes its "Terroir".
Today the Estate consists of 65 hectares of vineyards. The 47 hectares which surround the château, the heart of the estate, are called "l'Enclos". Only the grapes from these 47 hectares make the "Grand Vin de Château Latour". This vineyard has a typical Médoc topography, with a gentle rise in the ground, bounded on the north and south by two small streams, and on the east by the "Palus", the low lying meadows by the river. But this "Enclos" benefits from a very unique terroir that combines an optimized sub-soil nutrition for the vines, the Gironde river which tempers extreme weather conditions, and a typical Médoc climate, largely influenced by the Atlantic ocean, which allows the grapes to reach maturation under favourable conditions.
This combination, a true gift of Nature, determines the personality and the characteristics of the wine of Château Latour. It also imposes, almost naturally, a selective choice of grape varieties:
There is, first of all, a perfect association between the Cabernet Sauvignon and this terroir, as it represents around 75% of the total planted. This grape variety manages to take the best out of this poor gravels soil by digging deep to its resources and water, in the layers of clay underneath. This very selective nutrition will naturally bring concentration, deep colour and tannic structure to the wine.
The Merlot represents 20% of the Grand Vin, and plays an important role in regulating and softening the Cabernet Sauvignon. It is planted mainly on the lower parcels of the "Enclos", where the gravels layers are a little less deep, and where the marls and clay layers can be reached more easily by the vines. This will bring roundness and power to the final wine.
Two other grape varieties, the Cabernet Franc and the Petit Verdot, make up respectively for 4% and 1% of the total planted vineyard, and are in most cases mixed in with the parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
  
Facts & Figures
Area under vine
65 hectares
Production
220,000 bottles of The Grand Vin
150,000 bottles of Les Forts de Latour (second wine)
Soil
Top soil consists of a layer 0,6 to 1 meter thick of gravels (pebbles) and only vines can grow on such a poor pebble soil. These natural conditions force the roots of the vines to make their way down to find their vital nutrition. These layers of gravels are very permeable and allow the water to run down to the sub-layers of marls and clays, situated just underneath. This richer sub-soil plays an essential role in summer, when the drought prevents the vines from finding water.
Grand Vin de Château Latour
Grape varieties
75% Cabernet Sauvignon
20% Merlot
4% Cabernet Franc
1% Petit Verdot.
Ageing
In new barrels, for 18 months.
Les Forts de Latour (second wine)
Grape varieties
70% Cabernet Sauvignon
30% Merlot
The exact proportion of grape varieties will vary slightly from year to year depending on the quantity of demoted Grand Vin.
Ageing
50 % new barrels, 50 % one vintage barrels, for 18 months.
  
Wines available
All wines sold by BDXV come direct from Bordeaux and have been stored at the Chateaux or in professional storage facilities since the time of bottling. BDXV’s wines have never ever been in the hands of private collectors. This gives you the customer the highest level of quality guarantee that the wines you buy have been stored in optimal conditions since the time they were bottled.
Chateau Latour 2005, EUR POA*
Score: 96 points. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060.
Robert Parker: 96 points
April 2008: Only 44% of the production made it into the dense ruby/purple-hued 2005 Latour, a powerful, backward, 12,000-case blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Petit Verdot and Merlot. As I wrote last year, this classic effort is built for the ages, and is largely destined to be drunk by our offspring rather than anyone over the age of 50 today. Complex aromas of crushed rocks, graphite, black cherries, creme de cassis, new saddle leather, and dried mushrooms are still tightly wound. The wine is full-bodied and powerful with exceptionally high tannin combined with zesty acidity, and laser-like focus. It will require 15 or more years of cellaring. I still prefer the 2003, but administrator Frederic Engerer says this “is more Latour.” Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060.
Latour is always the most difficult Medoc first-growth to find, largely because the vineyard and production are much smaller than its’ peers and because of the severe selection routinely done by owner Francois Pinault and administrator Frederic Engerer.
April 2007: A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, the powerful 2005 Latour is even higher in alcohol and tannin than the extraordinary 2003 (which I believe is a more generously styled wine). The 2005 is a quintessential Latour built for the ages. Monumental levels of concentration and tannin are found in this dense ruby/purple-colored effort. Aromas and flavors of liquid stones, graphite, black cherries, and cassis emerge from this massive yet fresh, lively, incredibly well-delineated Latour. This offering will test the patience of its purchasers as it will require 10-15 years of cellaring, and will keep for a minimum of 4-5 decades. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060. Ask just about anybody which first-growth is pushing quality to the highest level, and the majority will claim it is Latour. With owner Francois Pinault giving perfectionist administrator Frederic Engerer carte blanche, this estate has been producing spectacular wines since 2000. New cellars, winemaking facilities, and barrel rooms only add to their ability to produce classic wines. Production is much smaller than at other Medoc first-growths with only 44% of the 2005 production making it into the grand vin.
April 2006: The colossal 2005 Latour (44% of the total production) is a wine for the ages. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, it possesses the highest alcohol of recent vintages. Different both structurally and texturally from the extraordinary 2003 (which I tend to prefer, although Frederic Engerer clearly disagrees), the black/purple-hued 2005 exhibits high tannin, prodigious concentration, unbelievable purity, amazing freshness and vibrancy, and almost surreal definition and nuances for such a young wine. It is a huge, fresh, backward yet incredibly pure effort that represents a modern day classic, but don’t expect the opulence and exotic sweetness of the 2003. It will close down after bottling, and require at least a decade of cellaring before consuming.
Jancis Robinson: 19.5/20 points
Excellent depth of colour. Very intense and spicy. Intriguing – this is a wine that drags you in to the glass! Full, ample, wonderful grand spread across the palate. Such magnificence – rides over the palate. All lovely fine tannins and subtlety. No obvious alcohol – dense but not tricksy. Yet there is the squareness and rigour of Latour. Just 13.35 per cent alcohol. Deliberate choice not to go for monstrous alcohol. Very intense and extremely fine. Intense and funnily enough it reminds me a bit of Ausone. The focus of it… The density of it…. Smoky character – a bit of woodsmoke. Very dry tannins but not drying on the finish. Cool, restrained, less aromatic than the Margaux. But very solid. This wine may still be motoring along after the Margaux. Very mineral. Structured like 2004 but with more flesh.
Chateau Latour 2003, EUR POA*
Score: 100 points. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.
BDXV:
The very cold climate during the maturation cycle slowed down the development of the vine. As a result it was more difficult to obtain a good level of phenolic maturity. The climate in September helped us to obtain round and soft tannins in exceptional sanitary conditions. The balance of the “Grand Vin” gives a fruity mouth, full and fleshy. The structure is powerful and intense with a very long finish. Without doubt, the Latour 2003 will be one of the best vintage of the estate, with a similar style to the 1989 vintage. (for BDXV by Chateau Latour)
Robert Parker: 100 points
There are only 10,800 cases (rather than the normal 15,000-20,000) of the 2003 Latour, a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot (13.3% finished alcohol). A prodigious effort, it boasts a saturated purple color as well as a gorgeous perfume of smoke, cedar, creme de cassis, flowers, crushed rocks, and blackberries. Massive and multi-layered, with huge richness and low acidity, it is about as unctuous as a young Latour can be. It could be compared to the 1982, but it may be even more pure, at least at this early stage, than that monumental wine. The level of intensity builds prodigiously in the mouth, and the finish lasts nearly a minute. Disarmingly accessible (although analytically the tannin level is high), I suspect it will ultimately shut down, but it was performing impeccably when I tasted it. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040+.
What can one say about proprietor Francois Pinault and his manager, Frederic Engerer? A strong argument can be made that in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Latour produced the wine of the vintage, although it has plenty of competition in the Northern Medoc in 2003. Moreover, the bargains are the estate’s least expensive cuvee, Pauillac, followed by Les Forts de Latour, Latour’s second wine which continues to increase in quality.
Chateau Latour 2000, EUR POA*
Score: 98 points. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.
BDXV:
Once the first vinifications were completed, we could confirm the extraordinary concentration of the berries that was first noticed during the maturity controls. The color is dark and deep and the wines have a powerful and harmonious structure. Right before harvesting, it seemed that the Cabernets’ skins were firm and slightly crushing, containing a sweet juice and a fine acidity. The first tasting revealed dense structures and the tannins’ quality seemed to be better than that of the 1996 or 1990 vintages. The Grand Vin is harmonious and combines race, rigor, complexity and a wonderful finesse of the fruit. At this stage, the aromas reveal notes of prunes, dried fruits, tobacco, dark chocolate, and spices. (for BDXV by Chateau Latour)
Robert Parker: 98 points
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.
Jancis Robinson: 19.5/20 points
Very, very deep purple. Pure. Dark. Bluish. Fruit so ripe and healthy, they hardly needed to do anything in the cellar, according to Frédéric Engerer. Callow, but very intense. Neat and dry, but less dry than the 1996.
Chateau Latour 1996, EUR POA*
Score: 99 points. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2050.
BDXV:
When the wine was drawn off, it seemed at first hard and austere in comparison with the initial opulence of the 1995. But after the malolactic fermentation and a few months in barrel, the concentration took on a seductive and rich charm : the wines are at the same time silky and full of intense classy ripe fruit but also very structured and built for long term keeping. (for BDXV by Chateau Latour)
Robert Parker: 99 points
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.
Jancis Robinson: 19.5/20 points
Very, very deep crimson. Very, very lively. Pure and intense. Very slight digestive biscuit note. Lovely young wine. Quite unevolved. Complete. Perfection. Such great balance. Tannins closed.
Chateau Latour 1995, EUR POA*
Score: 96 points. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.
BDXV:
From their early stage the Grand Vin and Les Forts de Latour were full of ripe fruit, smooth, opulent and very rich. Both wines have developed a more classic and firm structure since 1999. The Grand Vin displays aromas of chocolate, red berries and hints of fresh mint. The mouth is full-bodied, dense with a rich structure but also a long and firm finish. Les Forts de Latour is more expressive at this stage, displaying caramel, red berries, roasted nuts, dry fruits and light spices aromas. The mouth is well-balanced, elegant, very expressive and savoury with a very good length and a sweet finish. (for BDXV by Chateau Latour)
Robert Parker: 96 points
A beauty, the opaque dense purple-colored 1995 exhibits jammy cassis, vanillin, and minerals in its fragrant but still youthful aromatics. Medium to full-bodied, with exceptional purity, superb concentration, and a long, intense, ripe, 40-second finish, this is a magnificent example of Latour. As the wine sat in the glass, scents of roasted espresso and toasty new oak emerged. This classic will require considerable cellaring.
Jancis Robinson: 17.5/20 points
Deep, purplish crimson. Very, very ripe and round and full. Big and bold and bloody and gamey. Lots of tannin. Quite tough at the end. John Shafer, who was sitting on the pale at this tasting, opined that it could almost be a Californian wine!
Chateau Latour 1990, EUR POA*
Score: 96 points. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030.
Robert Parker: 96 points
This is a beauty, but not the awesome blockbuster I remembered. There is a roasted, earthy, hot year character with extremely low acidity, fleshy, seductive, opulently-textured flavors, and a full-bodied finish with considerable amounts of glycerin and tannin. The wine was sweet, accessible, and seductive on the attack, but it closed down in the mouth. Interestingly, when I previously tasted this wine (about six months ago) from a bottle in my cellar, I found it to be impenetrable, needing at least 6-10 years of further cellaring. Based on this example from the Chateau's cellar, it could be drunk now. In any event, it will last 25-30 years, but is it the immortal classic many observers, including myself, thought it was?
Jancis Robinson: 18.5/20 points
Dark crimson with just a bit of evolution. Gentle, open, sightly brûlée and 'ready to drink' on the nose. Almost overripe notes on the nose, and then the tannins come in. Lots of tannin afterwards. Milk chocolate character. Very much tastes of the vintage more than the terroir.
Chateau Latour 1982, EUR POA*
Score: 100 points. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040.
Robert Parker: 100 points
As I indicated in the review of the 1982 Bordeaux, this is an unusual Latour in the fact that it has always been precocious. It has been jammy, forward, and delicious no matter when the cork was pulled, in total contrast to its two first-growth siblings, Mouton Rothschild and Lafite-Rothschild. The dense, opaque garnet-colored 1982 Latour reveals slight amber at the edge. Sweet, smoky, roasted aromas in the nose combine with jammy levels of black currant, cherry, and prune-like fruit. It possesses extraordinary concentration and unctuosity, with a thick, fat texture oozing notes of cedar wood, tobacco, coffee, and over-ripe fruit. Low acidity as well as high alcohol (for Bordeaux) give the wine even more glycerin and textural chewiness. The finish lasts forever. The only Latour that remotely resembles the 1982 is the 1961, which has a similar texture and succulence.
Jancis Robinson: 19.5/20 points
Glossier than the 1990, but just as deep and with a brick rim. Very similar blackish ruby to the 1990. More subtle on the nose. Lovely, glossy, elegant and refreshing - more so than the 1990. Very, very subtle.
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