In the commune of Pauillac, home to three of the five Bordeaux first growths, lies Château Latour, an estate famed for the phenomenal longevity and consistent quality of the wine that it has been producing for centuries
Latour possesses some of the best soils in Bordeaux. Gently sloping, the gravelly surface provides exceptional drainage and consists of both large stones and small pebbles. Beneath this is a moist subsoil composed of marl, chalk and clay, which provides nourishment to the roots and encourages them to dig deeper, an important factor when considering that it is the oldest vines with the deepest roots that are often considered to produce the finest fruit. This is crucial in hot years, such as 2003.
Of the 92 hectares of vines which comprise the vineyards of Château Latour, the 47 hectares around the Château are known as the ‘Enclos’. The best and oldest vines of the estate are to be found here, in what is considered to be one of the best vineyards in the whole of Bordeaux.
Although Latour makes legendary wines in the best vintages, it is this estate’s consistent ability to turn out exceptional wines in vintages that are deemed to have been off-years that marks it out from its peers.
100 Points Lisa Perotti-Brown MW
The 2010 Latour is deep garnet in color, and—WOW—it erupts from the glass with powerful crème de cassis, Black Forest cake and blackberry pie scents plus intense sparks of dried roses, cigar boxes, fragrant earth and smoked meats with aniseed and crushed rocks wafts. Full-bodied, concentrated and oh-so-decadent in the mouth, it has a firm, grainy texture and lovely freshness carrying the rich, opulent fruit to an epically long finish. It is incredibly tempting to drink now, but I suspect this hedonic experience isn’t a scratch on the mind-blowing, otherworldly secrets this time capsule will have to reveal given another 7-10 years in bottle and continuing over the following fifty years++. 2024 – 2080
100 Points James Suckling
The aromas of flowers such as roses, violets and lilacs jump from the glass then turn to dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries. It’s full-bodied, with velvety tannins and dense and intense with a chocolate, berry and currant character. This is juicy and rich with wood still showing a bit, but it’s all coming together wonderfully. Muscular yet toned. Another perfect wine like the 2010. Try in 2022.
100 Points Robert Parker
One of the perfect wines of the vintage, Frederic Engerer challenged me when I tasted the 2010 Latour at the estate, asking, “If you rate the 2009 one hundred, then how can this not be higher?” Well, the scoring system stops at 100, (and has for 34 years,) and will continue for as long as I continue to write about wine. Nevertheless, this blend of 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Merlot, and .5% Petit Verdot hit 14.4% natural alcohol and represents a tiny 36% of their entire production. The pH is about 3.6, which is normal compared to the 3.8 pH of the 2009, that wine being slightly lower in alcohol, hence the combination that makes it more flamboyant and accessible. The 2010 is a liquid skyscraper in the mouth, building layers upon layers of extravagant, if not over-the-top richness with its hints of subtle charcoal, truffle, blackberry, cassis, espresso and notes of toast and graphite. Full-bodied, with wonderfully sweet tannin, it is a mind-boggling, prodigious achievement that should hit its prime in about 15 years, and last for 50 to 100.
100 Points Vinous
The 2010 Latour can be summed up in two words: “The king.” It convincingly asserts its superiority over other 2010s, including First Growths, in terms of its aromatic complexity, precision, balance, intensity, complexity and persistence. Simply a faultless Latour that ranks among its greatest achievements.
100 Points Decanter
Just over a third of the harvest made it into the grand vin to give a wine of startling concentration and purity, with lovely, forward cassis fruit and a hint of spice on the attack. The texture is fresh but not overly tannic, and there is a surprisingly sweet, silky feel cloaking the powerful extract. Best to wait another decade before trying this, but it will last a half-century beyond that.