New release: The “Magnificent” Chateau Latour 2016

No other château in the Médoc excels to such an extent and with such frequency as Latour. Hélène Genin has fashioned yet another masterpiece from this legendary terroir. The 2016 is simply spellbinding, one of the greatest wines from this highly decorated vintage, a creation that Neal Martin believes sits in the same exalted company as the 1900, 1924, 1959, 1961, 1982 and 2010. In short, it doesn’t get better than this. Latour fans around the world will be thrilled when they finally get their hands on this beauty!

“The 2016 Latour is a vintage that I have tasted a couple of times post-bottling. On one occasion, it warranted a perfect score, but that was then moot since this vintage had not been released. Now that it is due to hit the shelves this coming March, does the wine still merit that three-digit accolade? Without question, yes. Deep lucid deep purple in color, it seems to shimmer in the glass. The bouquet plays with you, a bit of a femme fatale, distant for the first few minutes during which I chatted with the superstar of this First Growth, winemaker Hélène Genin. Then, it magically coalesces and gains incredible intensity with blackberry, pencil lead, background hints of oyster shell and notes of Japanese wakame. The aromatics announce exactly which château you are doing business with. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins, again, as I found before, blessed with beguiling symmetry and ineffable poise. Residing firmly on the black side of the fruit spectrum, there is underlying mineralité. Veins of cassis run through the persistent finish. This is everything you could really wish for in a Latour. The 2016 can be uttered in the same breath as the 1900, 1924, 1959, 1961, 1982 and 2010. Magnificent. 100/100” – Neal Martin, vinous.com

The château has also released their excellent second wine, Les Forts de Latour 2019. Again, the product of another exceptional vintage, Les Forts ‘19 is a serious, brooding example, very much made in the Latour mould. Expect copious quantities of beautiful dark fruit and effortless, filigree tannins.

“The 2019 Les Forts de Latour has a lovely nose with copious black cherry and cassis scents, quite floral; the new oak beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fine-boned and exquisite in terms of balance, quite tensile towards the mineral-driven finish. One of the most elegant Pauillacs in this vintage. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. 93/100” – Neal Martin, vinous.com