Château Latour 2015
Review of the Estate
Established in the 1670s, the vineyards of Château Latour are some of the oldest in the Mèdoc, pre-dating the existing Château (which was built between 1862 and 1864) by almost 200 years.
The grandiose Tower of St Lambert depicted on the wine's label is instantly recognisable. Built as a fortress during the Hundred Years' War in the late 1300s, it was burned to the ground in the 1450s and replaced by a pigeon tower, built from the stones of the former Château, between 1620 and 1630.
It was not until the early 18th century that Chateau Latour came to prominence as a producer of first class wines. This success can largely be attributed to the demands of a budding wine market in Northern Europe and the Marquis de Sègur's concurrent investment in Chateau Latour's vineyard and winery. Ownership remained in the de Sègur family for almost 300 years until 1963 when three quarters of the shares in Château Latour were sold to a British company, the Pearson group.
The intensive modernisation and attention to detail that followed this change in ownership has continued with the management of Francois Pinault, the current owner of Chateau Latour, who acquired the estate in 1993. Together Pinault and Frèdèric Engerer, his estate manager, are renowned for producing exemplary yet consistent wines, which are especially fine, even in weaker vintages. This notable finesse, as any discerning consumer will attest, is an exceptional and rare occurrence.
Vineyard
Surface area: 247 acres
Grape Varieties: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot
Average age of vines: 45 years
Density of plantation: 7,500 vines per hectare
Average yields: 48 hectoliters per hectare
Average cases produced: 17,500 per year
Plateau of maturity: 10-50 years
Château Latour 2015 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 96
Blended of 97.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.6% Merlot and 0.3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Latour is exquisitely perfumed, displaying fragrant notes of crushed black cherries, raspberry preserves, cassis and black plums with nuances of roses, dark chocolate, garrigue, menthol and a waft of sandalwood. The medium-bodied palate beautifully struts its taut, toned, muscular fruit with a frame of very firm, smooth, rounded tannins and compelling freshness, finishing with alluring earth and mineral layers. At once intellectual and sexy, this truly evocative vintage brings to mind the Melanie Griffith line from "Working Girl," possessing a sultry "head for business and a bod for sin."
Neal Martin
Point Score: 97
The 2015 Latour, which was bottled in July 2017, has an immediately impactful bouquet with intense black fruit laced with subtle notes of seaweed and sea spray, as if a little of the Gironde estuary imparts its character into the aromatics. It is extremely well defined and very focused, that slate-like note replaced by a subtle mintiness. The palate is silky smooth on the entry that almost betrays the depth and volume of this Latour. This is a voluminous, multifaceted Latour rather than a powerful one, layers of black fruit infused with graphite and cedar that leads to a very long finish. It will require a decade in bottle before it enters its drinking plateau although there is a sense of approachability that I suspect will deceive some into broaching this too early. Anticipated maturity: 2025 - 2065.
James Suckling
Point Score: 98
Aromas of iron, oyster shell, rust and stones with blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, yet ever so polished and refined. It rolls off the palate with fruit and salty flavors. Tight, focused and always refined. Pretty length. 97% cabernet sauvignon gives this brightness. Drink in 2022.