97–99 Barrel Sample. Seriously structured and yet also so smooth, this wine has great concentration and powerful tannins. There is wonderful juiciness here as well as dense, dusty tannins that are never hard, always velvet. It is going to be a great wine when it is released in maybe 10 years time. The wine comes only from vineyards that are biodynamic.
Aromas of iron, oyster shell, rust and stones with blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, yet ever so polished and refined. It rolls off the palate with fruit and salty flavors. Tight, focused and always refined. Pretty length. 97% cabernet sauvignon gives this brightness. Drink in 2022.
Really gorgeous aromatics, so perfumed, acutely aromatic, pristine, clear and precise with tobacco, cocoa, ash and liquorice. Round, heady, a sexy wine, with a lot to say, generous and open, smooth and layered - this deepens straight away vertically. I love the juiciness, there’s clarity to the raspberry, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, sleek and joyful but the texture is there with a wet stone and liquorice to the tannins that gives such grip and edge of power. Still youthful and quite serious but there’s something so appealing about it with a sexy character and complexity. Bright and sharp but also with sweetness from the ripe vintage and savoury notes of truffle, cocoa, dark chocolate giving contrast. Such enjoyable floral violet scents too that follow the wine from start to finish. Excellently controlled and delivered with supreme appeal. One you want to sit with and take your time over, and then gulp down! 69 IPT, 30% of production. Harvest 15 september to 10 October. Technical director Hélène Genin.
Lastly, the Grand Vin is a heavenly wine that offers a quintessential Latour bouquet of pure crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, and a liquid rock-like minerality. It shows a touch of the riper, sexy style of the vintage, yet still stays tight and compact on the palate, with full-bodied richness, fine yet building tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. Not far off the style of the 2009, this is going to be approachable with just 4-6 years of bottle age and will have 40 years of longevity.
TWI
98pts
The Wine Independent
The 2015 Château Latour is a blend of 97.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.6% Merlot, and 0.3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it requires a considerable amount of shaking to wake up the nose of plum preserves, warm cassis, and black cherry compote, giving way to exotic nuances of licorice, sandalwood, rose oil, and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate slowly expands in the mouth to reveal opulent notes of exotic spices, black fruit preserves, and floral accents, leading to a compelling minerally undercurrent. Wonderfully taut, firm, grainy-textured tannins and tantalizing acidity lend gravitas to all this flamboyant fruit, delivering a very long and fragrant finish.
This packs some serious warm dark currant, fig and blackberry compote flavors together at the core, with charcoal, singed bay leaf, tobacco and roasted alder notes forming the foundation. Grippy for sure, but there's already alluring perfume and violet elements weaving around here. This has put on some serious weight and dark fruit since the barrel tasting, but remains all tensile strength. It will be fun to watch this age. Best from 2025 through 2045.
A rich and demonstrative vintage for this estate, the 2015 Latour unfurls in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, loamy soil, espresso roast, pencil shavings and a subtle hint of potpourri. Medium to full-bodied, supple and elegant, with a velvety attack that segues into a sweet, layered mid-palate, it's enveloping and complete, concluding with a sapid finish. The tauter, more classical 2014 is likely to prove longer lived, whereas the giving 2015 is a Latour that it wouldn't be a crime to drink young.
The 2015 Latour was bottled in July 2017 and contains 13.04% alcohol. It is blessed with a refined and focused bouquet: perfumed blackberry and raspberry scents, iodine, pine and light pencil shaving aromas. It has dispensed with the subtle fig-like/exotic notes noticeable three years ago, arguably a little more conservative today. The palate is medium-bodied, with fine-grain tannins; harmonious and poised, clean and precise, understated with an irresistible silky texture. The 2015 does not possess a peacock's tail like a top-tier Latour. No, it prefers to remain cool, calm and collected for now. This sublime First Growth will cruise for many years.