Château Latour: 2023 Releases

BY NEAL MARTIN | MARCH 06, 2023

Since 2012, Château Latour has released their three wines onto the market according to when vintages are deemed ready instead of the orthodox spring following harvest. I visited the estate in late January to assess the trio due to see the light of day. where I tasted with technical director Hélène Genin.

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. 96/Drink 2025-2055.

The 2017 Les Forts de Latour conveys airiness on the nose, reflecting the relatively lightest vintage in recent years. Graphite and sous-bois infuse black fruit, offering a slightly welcome herbaceous/undergrowth tincture. The palate is very well-balanced and will appeal to those seeking a sleeker, lighter style of Pauillac. Not lean by any account, but this Les Fort de Latour is understated, with appealing black pepper and tobacco notes emerging on the finish. Fine. 92/Drink 2023-2040.

The 2018 Pauillac de Latour, bottled in June 2020, has a floral, almost Margaux-like bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit infused with crushed violet and a nuanced pencil box note in the background. The palate is medium-bodied and quite animated upon opening. The acidity is a little more heightened than I expected. With modest weight, the 2018 is linear yet reassuringly elegant towards the finish. Contemplating this Troisième Vin, maybe it is more low-key than expected, but in a positive sense. It should drink well over the next decade. 89/Drink 2023-2033.

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