Château Latour 2018
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 2018 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 100
Giving the opaque purple-black colored 2018 Latour the obligatory swirl in the glass sets off an eruption of powerful, profound molten black fruit-blackcurrant preserves, boysenberries and blueberry compote-followed by emerging sparks of licorice, Indian spices, Sichuan pepper, rose oil and tree bark, plus wafts of cast-iron pan and pencil shavings. The palate is big, full-bodied and super rich on entry, and yet it has an exquisitely crafted structure, featuring very finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness, acting to curtail and channel the many, many earthy layers, culminating in a supernova display of minerals and exotic spices that just go on and on. A mind-bending paradox, this is a Latour that so clearly evokes time and place, conflict and triumph, energy and elegance; think not of it as a wine so much as a liquid account of history. Like many 2018s, it is delicious right now, but not to allow it 8-10 years in bottle would be missing the point. It will continue to cellar for as long as any of us now living care to imagine.
Side Note:
This vintage of Latour is composed of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, with 14.3% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 81. Only around 6,000 bottles were produced, due to mildew pressure early in the 2018 season, affecting the yields but not the quality. This is the second smallest crop since the terrible frosts of 1991, the smallest being 2013.
Decanter
Point Score: 98
A hugely impressive wine, powerful and concentrated, this is going to make a lot of friends, particularly those who loved the style of Latour in vintages like 2010. It has less fragrant nuances than in recent years but it's full of liquorice, slate, cigar box, pencil lead, bergamot, black tea, black fruit jelly and fresh mint. No one can doubt that this is going to run and run but it will take its time to come around. Low yields of 24hl/ha after one of the most careful sorting processes ever to ensure no berries were affected by mildew. The harvest took place between 17 September and 11 October. 37% of overall production went into the grand vin. 3.7pH. 81IPT. Drinking Window 2029 - 2050
James Suckling
Point Score: 99
A solid and statuesque Latour with an extremely dense yet refined center palate of steely tannins and lots of blue fruit and an undertone of graphite. Some slate, too. It's tight and very powerful. Reminds me of the texture of the 1959 (which I didn't taste in barrel!) But the density here is so, so long. Steely.