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Chateau Latour

2003 Chateau Latour Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac 1.5L

France Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot Bordeaux Pauillac Premier Cru Classe 1.5L

Wine Advocate

100

Vinous

93
/
2003 Chateau Latour Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac 1.5L
Chateau Latour

2003 Chateau Latour Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac 1.5L

France Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot Bordeaux Pauillac Premier Cru Classe 1.5L

Wine Advocate

100

Vinous

93
/
5 In Stock

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Perhaps the apex of Left Bank Bordeaux, Latour is the longest-lived and most balanced of the First Growths. Predominantly Cabernet- and Merlot-based, there is a splash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot which, though minuscule provide a signature to the scent and makeup of the Grand Vin. Latour also represents the maker of perhaps the finest "Second" wine in its "Forts de Latour".

Chateau Latour

One of the original First Growths in the 1855 classification, Chateau Latour has retained, if not built on to, the glory that elevated its stature above all but three others nearly two centuries ago. Located about 300m from the Gironde estuary, the microclimate has a direct impact on the wines, in that te river provides moderating influence, and helps to prevent not only from frost, but with an earlier ripening due to the consistency of climate, the wines are hardly ever subject to any sort of mildew or other malady. These days, it is mostly farmed biodynamically, and treated as one large ecosystem to itself. 

Latour is renowned for their selection process, declassifying any fruit not deemed perfect enough for the Grand Vin. This perfectionist approach has reaped benefits not only in top-scoring vintages like 1990, 2005 and so on, but to even greater success you could say in "lesser", or less ripe, vintages. In just about any year, compared to a Lafite or Mouton, Latour could even be called austere; much like a great Barolo, the juice inside each bottle seems to pack on weight with age, softening and showing its plush elegance. 

I find it humorous that, in old copies of his Bordeaux tome, Parker calls Latour "One of the most concentrated, rich, tannic and full-bodied wines in the world." Granted, he does counter this two lines further, stating that it "Can be a wine of extraordinary richness, yet it is never heavy." This serves to highlight one critic's wish of a wine, rather than what it actually is. If the five first growths were Burgundy villages, and Lafite were the Vosne-Romanee, Latour would be Chambolle-Musigny, specifically Le Musigny: clear in its intent with a taut core of pinkish-red fruits, silky, ethereal and tickling your imagination with what power it could develop, if only you had the patience to wait. 

Meet the Producer

Chateau Latour

Perhaps the apex of Left Bank Bordeaux, Latour is the longest-lived and most balanced of the First Growths. Predominantly Cabernet- and Merlot-based, there is a splash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot which, though minuscule provide a signature to the scent and makeup of the Grand Vin. Latour also represents the maker of perhaps the finest "Second" wine in its "Forts de Latour".

One of the original First Growths in the 1855 classification, Chateau Latour has retained, if not built on to, the glory that elevated its stature above all but three others nearly two centuries ago. Located about 300m from the Gironde estuary, the microclimate has a direct impact on the wines, in that te river provides moderating influence, and helps to prevent not only from frost, but with an earlier ripening due to the consistency of climate, the wines are hardly ever subject to any sort of mildew or other malady. These days, it is mostly farmed biodynamically, and treated as one large ecosystem to itself. 

Latour is renowned for their selection process, declassifying any fruit not deemed perfect enough for the Grand Vin. This perfectionist approach has reaped benefits not only in top-scoring vintages like 1990, 2005 and so on, but to even greater success you could say in "lesser", or less ripe, vintages. In just about any year, compared to a Lafite or Mouton, Latour could even be called austere; much like a great Barolo, the juice inside each bottle seems to pack on weight with age, softening and showing its plush elegance. 

I find it humorous that, in old copies of his Bordeaux tome, Parker calls Latour "One of the most concentrated, rich, tannic and full-bodied wines in the world." Granted, he does counter this two lines further, stating that it "Can be a wine of extraordinary richness, yet it is never heavy." This serves to highlight one critic's wish of a wine, rather than what it actually is. If the five first growths were Burgundy villages, and Lafite were the Vosne-Romanee, Latour would be Chambolle-Musigny, specifically Le Musigny: clear in its intent with a taut core of pinkish-red fruits, silky, ethereal and tickling your imagination with what power it could develop, if only you had the patience to wait. 

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

100

2003 was one of the hottest, earliest Bordeaux vintages ever. Some vines suffered from lack of moisture, but old vines and clay subsoil at Enclos saw this vineyard through. The Merlot harvest occurred between September 8 and 13, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between September 22 and 30. The 2003 Latour is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Six percent of the press wine was added to the final blend. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color, then wow—it explodes from the glass with bombastic black and blue fruits, followed up by meat, wood smoke, sandalwood and Indian spice accents with underlying floral wafts. The palate is full, rich, velvety, seductive and very long on the finish. There were only 10,800 cases made (rather than the normal 15,000-20,000).

Vinous

Vinous

93

The 2003 Latour is a wine that I have tasted many times, even buying some en primeur. Now it is reaching 20 years, and like other 2003s, I am beginning to think that even the best wines in the early days are starting to fall short of expectations. That is not to say it is a bad wine by any means. With layers of black fruit on the nose and hints of cedar, white pepper and aniseed, it is pretty burly aromatically and opens nicely with 20-30 minutes in the glass. The palate is structured and assertive, with grippy tannins and plenty of tobacco-infused black fruit. However, compared to other vintages, there is something just a bit "static" about this First Growth, an immovable object. Moreover, the longer I remain in its presence, it seems a little removed from a typical Latour as if the imprimatur of the growing season is beginning to influence the wine more than the terroir. I've scored this wine high in the past, but it's a complex wine to really love at the moment. Tasted at Medlar restaurant.

What the Critics are Saying

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

100

2003 was one of the hottest, earliest Bordeaux vintages ever. Some vines suffered from lack of moisture, but old vines and clay subsoil at Enclos saw this vineyard through. The Merlot harvest occurred between September 8 and 13, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between September 22 and 30. The 2003 Latour is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Six percent of the press wine was added to the final blend. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color, then wow—it explodes from the glass with bombastic black and blue fruits, followed up by meat, wood smoke, sandalwood and Indian spice accents with underlying floral wafts. The palate is full, rich, velvety, seductive and very long on the finish. There were only 10,800 cases made (rather than the normal 15,000-20,000).

Vinous

Vinous

93

The 2003 Latour is a wine that I have tasted many times, even buying some en primeur. Now it is reaching 20 years, and like other 2003s, I am beginning to think that even the best wines in the early days are starting to fall short of expectations. That is not to say it is a bad wine by any means. With layers of black fruit on the nose and hints of cedar, white pepper and aniseed, it is pretty burly aromatically and opens nicely with 20-30 minutes in the glass. The palate is structured and assertive, with grippy tannins and plenty of tobacco-infused black fruit. However, compared to other vintages, there is something just a bit "static" about this First Growth, an immovable object. Moreover, the longer I remain in its presence, it seems a little removed from a typical Latour as if the imprimatur of the growing season is beginning to influence the wine more than the terroir. I've scored this wine high in the past, but it's a complex wine to really love at the moment. Tasted at Medlar restaurant.