Chateau Latour Pauillac Premier Grand Cru Classe 2003

WS 98 (3/2006): Intense aromas of blackberry, licorice, currant and mineral. Full-bodied, with very well-integrated tannins and a long, long finish. Very refined and beautiful. Goes on for minutes. This reminds me of the fabulous 1996. But even better. Best after 2012. 10,000 cases made.

October 2008

IWC 97 (6/2006): Red-ruby. Explosive aromas of plum liqueur, currant, minerals and lead pencil. Huge, lush, sweet and utterly seamless; this has the palate-caressing texture of liquid velvet. About as deep as this extreme vintage gets. Finishes with noble, compellingly sweet tannins and great length. This is amazing wine, and only its exotic character prevented me from giving it an even higher score. Interestingly, the IPT here is 65, compared to 67 for the 2005. But this voluminous and powerful wine will be more fun to drink than the 2005 for many years simply due to its sensual appeal, even read more...if the 2005 should ultimately surpass it in verve, minerality and overall aromatic complexity. (Incidentally, Latour's third wine, simply called Pauillac, is extremely good in both 2005 and 2003-the former vintage showing terrific energy and loads of early personality, and the latter fat, round and exotic, with what Engerer described as a "Napa nose.")    (hide)

October 2008

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; Only 6 bottles or less available. The "Grand Vin" is exclusively produced from the old vines which are situated in the "Grand Enclos" (the main vineyard of 47 hectares)- some of them being centenarian. Ageing : In new barrels- for 18 months. Grape varieties : 75 % cabernet sauvignon 20 % merlot 4 % cabernet franc 1 % petit verdot. Average production : About 220-000 bottles per vintage- that is to say 55 % of the total production on average.Chateau Latour Web SiteChateau LatourChâteau read more...Latour is a French wine estate- rated as a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. Château Latour lies at the very southeastern tip of the commune of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Bordeaux- at its border with Saint-Julien- and only a few hundred metres from the banks of the Gironde estuary. The estate produces in all three red wines. In addition to its Grand vin- since 1966 there has been produced the second wine Les Forts de Latour- and a third wine released every year since 1990 simply named "Pauillac". The estate has 78 hectares of vineyard- of which 47 hectares near the château are termed l'Enclos. The composition of grape varieties is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon- 18% Merlot- and 2% of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The Grand vin Chateau Latour- typically 75% Cabernet Sauvignon- 20% Merlot- with the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc- normally has an annual production of 18-000 cases. The second wine Les Forts de Latour- typically 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot- has an average annual production of 11-000 cases.    (hide)

October 2008

The very cold climate during the maturation cycle slowed down te development of the vine. As a result it was more difficult to obtain a good level of phenolic maturity. The climate in September helped to obtain round and soft tannins. The impression of the "Grand Vin" is of dense, ripe fruit, full and fleshy. The structure is powerful and intense, and the finish is impressively long. Without doubt, Latour 2003 will be one of the ver best vintages of the estate and, in the best sense, one of the most atypical. Robert Parker 100.

November 2009

Jancis score: 18.5/20

June 2009

Berry Bros & Rudd score: 19.5/20

June 2009