Tasting Notes
Neal Martin 98
The 2019 Latour has a discrete nose that unfurls gradually, taut and fresh, with touches of graphite and cedar. This just wants to underplay everything. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit framed by fine tannins. Very precise though it feels as if it is closing down on the finish. Yet there is clearly a very long aftertaste. A really cerebral Left Bank for long-term consideration. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Anticipated maturity: 2027-2060
Antonio Galloni 98
The 2019 Latour is every bit as impressive as it has always been. Silky and caressing on the palate, with exceptional balance, the 2019 has so much going on. Dark red fruit, new leather, spice and a kick of blood orange are some of the notes that build in the glass, but ultimately the 2019 impresses most with its textural finesse. There was a bit of rain during harvest, but that does not appear to have been much of an issue. The 2019 is a quintessentially modern Latour, a wine that deftly marries power with elegance. Yields came in at 45 hectoliters per hectare, quite a bit higher than the long-term average of 34 hectoliters per hectare.
Anticipated maturity: 2029-2069
Jeb Dunnuck 100
Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2019 Chateau Latour is another perfect wine in the vintage and is as prodigious as they come. Revealing a deep purple hue, it displays a powerful and complex array of pure Pauillac cassis-like fruit as well as lead pencil, graphite, chalky minerality, truffle, and espresso and shows the vintage s more elegant style perfectly, with nothing out of place. It is medium to full-bodied, with ripe, sweet tannins, but it still has that classic Latour regalness, concentration, structure, and class, with just a hint of its normal youthful austerity. This flawless balanced, structured, insanely good Latour will be drinkable in just 7-8 years but evolve for 40-50 years in cold cellars. Hats off to the team of technical director Helene Genin and CEO Frederic Engerer.
The Wine Independent 100
Composed of 92.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.5% Merlot, the 2019 Latour is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes barreling out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant jelly, blackberry pie, and plum preserves, followed by suggestions of pencil shavings, cast-iron pan, and charcoal. The medium to full-bodied palate is exquisitely constructed with a myriad of very fine layers, supported by ripe, grainy tannins and beautiful tension, finishing epically long and mineral-laced. It’s still very tightly wound and will require at least 5 to 7 more years in cellar, then should age gracefully for a good 50-years+.
