Two firsts: Chateau Latour 2012, Les Forts de Latour 2014
27 May 2020

At the very height of its prowess, Chateau Latour took the bold decision to leave the en primeur system. Ever since, we’ve debated whether this was a courageous new dawn or foolhardy arrogance. It’s fair to say that the initial ‘back vintage’ releases have been met with a mixed response. However, today marks a very significant moment in this project. This is the first ‘new release’ of Chateau Latour since the 2011 was offered en primeur. That’s a gap of almost eight years, in which we have continued to taste the new vintages and marvel at these majestic wines, with more than a touch of frustration…

As we have already commented, this is a particularly splendid era for the wines of Chateau Latour. Under the watchful eye of Frédéric Engerer, Latour regained its position as the most stately and grandiose of the First Growths. In what is usually considered a charming and refreshing vintage, Latour produced a towering, imposing Pauillac, brooding with mineral infused cassis, laser like precision (as one would expect from the most fastidious selections and winemaking regime), and statuesque tannins. This is unequivocally a vin de garde, a rare example from 2012 that will last well into the middle of this century.    Read More

“Tasted blind at the 2012 Southwold tasting, the 2012 Latour put in a deeply impressive showing. It has a precise bouquet: graphite-infused black fruit, hints of iodine and a light marine influence—shucked oyster shell and Japanese nori. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well-judged acidity, quite sensual and harmonious with seductive purity on the finish. This possesses exquisite precision and detail that evinces a wine of genuine class. Of course, perhaps this tasting note is irrelevant for the moment, at least until the Grand Vin is released onto the market. It will be intriguing to re-taste it when it does see the light of day. 97/100” – Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate #227

The Chateau has released at a price designed to entice clients back to Latour. At £2100 per 6, it is priced below the current price for the 2011 vintage, and it is clearly a superior wine. We expect demand to be high, so we’d encourage collectors to register their interest with their account managers as soon as possible. Large formats are available upon request.