Chateau Latour - Pauillac Ex-Chateau with Proof Tags 2017 (Pre-arrival) (750ml)
Price: $585.00
| Producer | Chateau Latour |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Pauillac |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blends |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Sku | 8096 |
| Size | 750ml |
The Wine Independent: 98 Points
A blend of 92.1% Cabernet Sauvignon 7.8% Merlot and 0.1% Petit Verdot the 2017 Latour has a deep garnet-purple color. It sashays out with showy notes of warm cassis mulberries and Morello cherries followed by emerging tertiary hints of unsmoked cigars rose oil cardamom and star anise with a waft of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and mineral-laced featuring loads of exotic sparks and velvety tannins finishing on a lingering anise note. Beautiful! While it's in a nice place right now another 2 to 4 years in bottle should allow for even more of this gorgeous emerging perfume. It will easily cellar for another 30 years beyond that. Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown Review date: 2024-03-12
Wine Advocate: 98 Points
The 2017 Latour is a blend of 92.1% Cabernet Sauvignon 7.8% Merlot and 0.1% Petit Verdot with 13.3% alcohol and an IPT of 66. Deep garnet-purple in color it starts off a little broody before exploding from the glass with powerful scents of ripe blackcurrants blackberry pie and preserved black cherries plus touches of cedar chest fenugreek cumin seed and charcoal with emerging wafts of violets dark chocolate star anise and fertile loam. Medium-bodied this may be one of the most elegant great Latours ever revealing layer upon layer of fresh crunchy black fruits with a vast array of exotic spice and floral nuances framed by super ripe super fine-grained tannins finishing very long with mineral sparks coming through. This is so nuanced and perfumed that I imagine in 50 years this wine could be mistaken for a great red Burgundy. In 2017 some areas inland and to the north of Pauillac were frosted (plots that go into Les Forts and Pauillac) but its enviable proximity to the estuary meant the L?Enclos was completely spared. ?The viticulture as well as winemaking have dramatically changed the styles of wine a vintage like 2017 can produce? Frederic Engerer commented during my Primeurs visit adding a reference to the vintage?s phenomenal ability to produce wines that are ?approachable now and have the ability to age.? Winemaker Helene Genin added that 2017 was the last year for Cabernet Franc which is a minor component in Les Forts de Latour this year. It was pulled out at the end of 2017. Some areas inland and to the north of Pauillac were frosted (plots that go into Les Forts and Pauillac) but the Enclos? enviable proximity to the estuary meant it was completely spared. ?The viticulture as well as winemaking have dramatically changed the styles of wine a vintage like 2017 can produce? Frédéric Engerer commented during my en primeur visit adding a reference to the vintage?s phenomenal ability to produce wines that are ?approachable now and have the ability to age.? Engerer speaks from a somewhat unique position now being in control of one of Napa Valley?s top estates what I fondly refer to in my own mind as the region where you can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to drinking windows. Published: Mar 16 2020
Jane Anson: 98 Points
A seriously pretty Latour not a phrase often associated with this most concentrated of wines with real lyricism. Beautifully layered with muscles that have a cushion of air underneath them. As during En Primeur its sculpted character highlights the impact of biodynamic farming but bottle ageing has seen it take on the customary concentrated layers of this Pauillac First Growth. The signature pencil lead crayon mint leaf and crushed rocks are here in abundance along with cassis and bilberry fruit kissed with rosebud and peony florality and textured slate tannins that slow things down through the mid palate. A delicious wine vibrant balanced decades ahead of it even if the soft sculpting of the vintage means it will be ready to drink earlier than 2016 or 2018 on either side. First year in full organics although not certified until 2019 and the first without Cabernet Franc in the blend. 100% new oak. No frost on the Grand Vin plots in a year where many parts of Bordeaux were impacted proof again of what a favoured site this is. TASTED BY JANE ANSON - 13 MARCH 2024
Vinous: 97 Points
The 2017 Latour is just starting to open aromatically. Medium in body with tannins that have begun to soften the 2017 is super-expressive and inviting today. It?s a charming relatively accessible young Latour that is all about finesse and understatement. Bright saline notes and lifted floral top notes convey class. - By Antonio Galloni on February 2024 The 2017 Latour lives in the realm of the totally sublime. Vertical and deep with soaring intensity Latour is simply magnificent in 2017. I especially like the energy and aromatic depth of the 2017 but all the elements are just impeccably balanced throughout. Constantly changing in the glass the 2017 is a mesmerizing Latour that will thrill those lucky enough to own it. - By Antonio Galloni on December 2019 The 2017 Latour which was bottled mid-June and mid-July has a tightly wound bouquet with black fruit pencil lead and a strong marine influence. This is utterly compelling. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins what you may call an "athletic" Latour. There is no "fat" hear just pure black mineral-infused fruit with quintessential Pauillac notes of graphite and a touch of cedar on the persistent finish. Superb. - By Neal Martin on September 2019
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