While it is often released much later in the marketplace, a wine to keep a look out for is Latour's third wine, the 2011 Pauillac. An elegant, fresh, lively wine dominated by Merlot blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, it exhibits deep, elegant, rich berry fruit intertwined with tobacco leaf, underbrush and subtle wood as well as earth notes. This pure, richly endowed, supple-textured wine should be consumed over the next decade.
37.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 62.5% Merlot. Dark black cherry colour. Fragrant hedgerow fruit. Fragrant on the nose then much more graphite on the palate. Paper-fine texture and really long across the palate. Very sophisticated for a third wine. Warm gravel all mixed in with the lovely lack of sweetness on the dark fruit. Drink 2016 - 2026
The 2011 Pauillac de Latour has a deep ruby colour. The nose is rich, plummy and plump with cassis and toasted spices. The palate has a ripe core of blackcurrant and mulberry fruit, and spiciness from clove and cinnamon. There is a balanced toast from the oak and ripe, softening tannins. Good intensity and ripeness on a finish which is dominated by black fruit and a little wood spice. This is youthful but ready to drink now, with the structure to drink well over the next decade.
