critic reviews
Still concentrated and powerful, you could mistake this for a 1996 with its confidence muscular structure and dark spicy fruits. Just beginning to show truffle, mushroom and smoked earth as it unrolls in the palate, a thoroughly enjoyable wine. This was 2nd vintage under current director Frederic Engerer, harvest September 15 to 27, touch of rain during harvest after hot and dry summer, with three times less rain than average during June, July, August. In 1855, Latour was in the hands of the de Beaumont family, descendants of the long term de Ségur, who had arrived in 1670.
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. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.
Deep ruby-red color. More expressive aromas of crystallized dark berries, dark chocolate and animal fur. Lush and sweet; thick but delineated. Wonderfully concentrated. This, too, seems rather withdrawn today, but the strength of material is clear to see. Finishes with firm tannins and explosive fruit that goes on and on.