2010

Château Latour

1er OHK / OWC
AOP - Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOC)

Château Latour

Description

2010 Château Latour 1er Grand Cru Classe, Pauillac

Im Glas präsentiert sich der Latour in einem dunklen Rubingranatrot mit violetten Reflexen. Sein feines Bukett besticht durch florale Nuancen und angenehmen Aromen von dunklen Beeren. Im Gaumen zeigt er sich stoffig, sehr kraftvoll mit perfekt eingebundenen Tanninen, hat er seine Trinkreife erreicht. Auch Aromen von Edelschokolade, Beerenkonfit sowie eine herrliche Extraktsüsse umschmeicheln den Mund. Ein Wein mit sehr grossem Potenzial, der noch eine lange Zukunft vor sich hat.

Decanter:
I get the same peony and violet aromatics here as I did in Forts de Latour. This is powerful, muscular, not even getting close to being ready. The tannins crowd in from the mid palate onwards, extremely physical in the way they make their presence felt. Behind them, if you give the wine enough time in the glass, it gives black pepper spice, pencil lead, slate and compressed earth, along with cassis, bilberry and all the tight compact dark-berried fruits you can think of. Don't even consider this for another five years at least. This is a monumental Latour and a flashing signpost for how good this vintage is in Pauillac.

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.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
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.

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. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

Wine Enthusiast:
Stern, almost severe initially, this great wine takes time to show its immense fruit power. Black currant and blackberry notes are packed into the wine, along with an impressive array of spices from new wood that gives a more exotic element. At the end, though, it has a fine, structured sense of proportion. Obviously for aging over decades, so don’t drink before 2022.

Wine Spectator:
Unbelievably pure, with distilled cassis and plum fruit that cuts a very precise path, while embers of anise, violet and black cherry confiture form a gorgeous backdrop. A bedrock of graphite structure should help this outlive other 2010s. Powerful, sleek and incredibly long. Not perfect, but very close.