Pauillac de Château Latour has been made every year since 1989. Originally conceived and developed for the restaurant market, its blend varies from year to year, though for the most part the fruit comes from the younger vines of the château. Depending on the vintage it will also contain wines normally destined for Les Forts de Latour.
Typically around 45% Merlot, it is aged in 20% new oak. It is invariably attractive in its youth, though recent bottles of the 2009 and 2010 vintages that we have enjoyed have shown that it ages very well and, qualitatively speaking, is up there with some of Pauillac’s more serious classed growths.
Further to the release of the outstanding 2019 Latour (limited stocks remain in bottle format; large formats now sold out), we can offer two particularly strong vintages of Pauillac de Latour, which are lying with us and ready to go.
2019 Pauillac de Latour is a wine that typifies all that is great about 2019, and is a perfect example of just how good this wine can be, offering an insight into Latour's stellar efforts in this great vintage. Combining the property's power with the year's succulence, it is ready to drink but has decades ahead. Neal Martin scores it 92 points on vinous.com, saying it is "difficult to believe this is in fact the third wine!", whilst William Kelley is at 91 “The 2019 Le Pauillac de Château Latour is another impressive rendition of this bottling from Latour… I'm sure it will show even better when it's released.” Thomas Parker MW, tasting in January, scores it 93+: “this is a delicious, moreish wine from Latour that offers depth, drinkability and Pauillac personality”.
2020 Pauillac de Latour again pulls of the trick of being both approachable whilst clearly having the capacity to age. Scored 94 points by Antonio Galloni “The 2020 Pauillac is superb.”, 92 by Neal Martin and 90+ by William Kelley “it combines immediate charm with aging potential”. Thomas Parker is at 91+, blind at Southwold: “this sleek and tender Cabernet gives you the medocain character you want, propped up by chalky but not obtrusive tannins”.
Qualitatively these vintages are close, though we'd probably lean toward the 2019, especially so for drinking now. Both wines epitomise Pauillac within the style of each vintage, and both clearly carry the Latour DNA.
