Chateau Latour 1999

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: William Kelley

The 1999 Latour doesn't quite dominate the competition the way the 1994 does, but it, too, is a lovely wine, exhibiting notes of blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, rich soil tones and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, with velvety tannins, ripe acids and a long, expansive finish, it is showing beautifully today.

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Deep garnet colored with a touch of brick, the nose offers notes of cassis, tobacco leaf and tar with hints of tree bark and earth. The palate is taut and savory / minerally with very firm chewy tannins somewhat dominating the restrained fruit at this stage.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Because of extremely hot weather in late August and early September, Latour began harvesting its Merlot on September 14, bringing in grapes with 13.5-14% potential alcohol. Produced from yields of 39 hectoliters per hectare, the final blend was 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. The opulent, rich, concentrated 1999 is atypically forward and luscious. The dense purple color is followed by precocious, sweet black cherry/cassis aromas backed up by noteworthy liquid mineral and subtle smoky new oak notes. Dense and fat, with low acidity, an opulent, chewy texture, medium to full body, superb power, and a seductive character, it will be drinkable at an unusually early age, but, given its stuffing, will last for two decades or more.

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The nose is rather conservative compared to more recent vintages with blackberry, cedar and tobacco with just a faint hint of the sea. The palate is medium-bodied, very clean fruit, supple texture, but rather foursquare. High toned finish with just a hint of black olives. Good length. Fine, but it does not have something to say like more recent vintages. Drink now-2020. Tasted September 2008.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

First tasted in March 2000 at the chateau: an almost impenetrable nose with dense tobacco flavoured fruit. Tough uncompromising structure with fine balance. Possibly lacking depth and complexity to be a classic. Very fine though. Again in April 2003 at Christies: deep black/purple colour. Almost opaque. The nose is quite closed with faint notes of damp earth and hedgerow. The palate exhibits well-knit tannins, elegant and charming but not profound. Dark cherry and mocha notes developing more in the glass. Certainly one of the best 1999`s. Quite subtle. Drink from 2006. November 2003: a lovely classy, authoritive nose of black fruits, sea salt and wet earth. The palate is sprinkled with black pepper, quite austere and dominated by the Cabernet Sauvignon and black cherries. Slight savory edge to the finish. Excellent.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

A terrific effort, this sexy, open-knit, opulent effort possesses plenty of tannin, but it is largely concealed by the wine's wealth of fruit, high extraction level, and noticeable glycerin as well as unctuosity. Dense ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet, evolved nose of black fruits (cassis, leather, and blackberries), cedar, spice box, and liquid minerals, this powerful yet seamless Latour will be surprisingly accessible at an unusually young age. Long and full-bodied, with the acidity, tannin, alcohol, and wood all beautifully integrated, it will be at its finest between 2007-2030. A classic!

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted at the 1999 horizontal at Bordeaux Index. Superb breeding on the nose, pure blackberry, cedar, tobacco and a touch of hot gravel. The palate is full-bodied with very fine but assertive tannins, very good depth (similar to Mouton) but with the finesse of Lafite. There is a vibrant sense of mineralite here, a sense of transparency, relatively high-toned and showy (like the 2004 tasted just days before) that lends it more approachability. Very impressive persistency on the finish. Excellent. Drink 2012-2030. Tasted June 2009.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Readers looking for a modern day version of Latour's magnificent 1962 or 1971 should check out the sensational 1999 Latour. It is a big, concentrated offering, exhibiting a dense ruby/purple color, and a classic nose of minerals, black currants, leather, and vanilla. The wine is long, ripe, and medium-bodied, with high levels of sweet tannin. This surprisingly full, concentrated 1999 should be drinkable in 5-6 years; it will last for three decades.

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Served blind at the chateau. Compared to recent vintage the ’99 Latour is showing a little more maturity in colour than most. The nose is foursquare and masculine, the sous-bois element accentuated here and just missing the breeding of others. Lots of cedar aromas beginning to emerge. The palate is tannic, lifted with a slight graininess to the texture, a digestif quality just inflecting the finish that misses a little length. Fine. Tasted December 2009.

vinous92

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 1999 Latour is a vintage that I have not encountered for four or five years. It has a pH of 3.80 and a yield of 38hl/ha, representing 58% of the total crop. Interestingly, this includes 14% vin de presse compared to the 9 to 10% used nowadays. It has a classic Latour bouquet of blackberry, pencil box and undergrowth aromas, quite strict and conservative in style, and fairly intense but not firing on all cylinders; orange zest aromas evolve gradually. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and nicely detailed, offering blackberry, black truffle, pencil shavings and a touch of spice toward the finish, which shows more grip and density than the 1989 Latour tasted alongside, probably because of that pressed wine. This is beginning to reach its drinking plateau, although judging by this showing it will give another two decades of drinking pleasure. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Full red-ruby. High-pitched aromas of red- and blackcurrant, minerals and leather. Wonderfully harmonious in the mouth, with compelling sweetness of fruit but also superb grip. A lush, rich wine that already displays impressive inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with broad, essentially gentle tannins. Doesn't quite possess the grip or thrust of the '01, but this is wine-of-the-vintage material.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of currant, minerals and lead pencil; unusually floral for the vintage. Very rich in the mouth, but brisk acidity, and strong oakiness, currently mask the wine considerable flesh. Tannins are quite silky. Engerer says this wine is in its period of peak oakiness.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Full ruby. Floral, vibrant aromas of crystallized black cherry and dark berries. Lush, sweet and deep, with much more baby fat than the '98 showed at the same stage. Very rich, dense and suave, with lovely balancing acids. Finishes with big, chewy, ripe tannins and outstanding persistence.