Chateau Latour 2006

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. The Latour ’06 has a wonderfully defined nose with blackberry, macerated black cherries, a hint of quince jus, graphite and scorched earth. At this early juncture, it comes across as a little sullen compared to the other First Growths, but that will change in time. The palate is medium-bodied with that power channelled brilliantly across the mouth. Vibrant acidity, expanding with each sip; refined with a meaty/dried blood note towards the austere, earthy finish. Beautifully integrated new oak, this is an excellent Latour. Tasted January 2010.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2006 Latour’s inky/ruby/purple color precedes pure aromas of red and black fruits, high tannin, medium body, impressive sweetness and purity as well as a long finish. Thirty-eight percent of the production (about 10,000 cases) made it into the final blend (86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc). A modern version of the 1986 and 1996, the slightly austere 2006 will need a decade of aging. It should keep for 40-50 years.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Deep garnet-black in color, the 2006 is just starting to show evolutionary mocha and baking spice notes. The palate gives a great purity of fruit with an appealing line of firm chewy tannins, lively acid and finishing long.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Not an outstanding vintage overall for Bordeaux, 2006 had the potential to be very good. Things got off to a pretty impressive start in Pauillac this year, and then it all went a bit pear-shaped toward the end with a cool, rainy August and late September. Vineyard diligence and a take-no-prisoners attitude on the sorting table were the keys to relative success here. While it is clear Latour had their work cut out for them with this 2006 release, they managed to produce an incredibly impressive grand vin, which is drinking beautifully now yet should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years. The 2006 Latour was just released this year and is composed of 91.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Petit Verdot. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and lovely open nose with florals and red fruit aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and minerally with a compelling iron ore character and great length. 10,000 cases were produced (representing 38% of production).

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Bottled in mid-July, this has a very controlled, superbly defined nose with blackberry, cassis, vanilla and macerated black cherries. Very pure and elegant. The palate is medium-bodied, beautifully interwoven tannins, a slight bitterness on the finish but there is a beguiling sense of purity. Notes of cedar and tobacco leading a slightly earthy, blackberry and blueberry tinged finish. Very lithe and expressive with great length. A fabulous Latour. Drink 2016-2040. Tasted September 2008.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted at the chateau. A very deep purple hue. The nose is extremely well focused with blackberry, cedar and wonderfully defined vanillary new oak. Very intense and harmonious. The full-bodied palate has a beautiful texture and exquisite balance: controlled and restrained, but with wonderful purity. Much finer, more filigree tannins than in recent vintages, much more feminine. I am parsimonious with my score simply because compared to others it is lacking some depth and persistency on the finish. Still a marvelous wine, yet surpassed by others in 2006. It will be fascinating to see how this progresses in bottle. Tasted April 2007.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Latour has quite a vibrant bouquet with lively raspberry, wild strawberry, cedar and pencil lead scents that all gently unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, slightly chewy red berry fruit, a dash of spice, maybe a little tight towards the finish, unlike the Lafite-Rothschild and Mouton-Rothschild. It has a grainy texture and offers fine precision on the finish, although I would have liked a little more persistence to come through, a tad more conviction. It is not quite the revelation of say the 2002 Latour that transcends the limitations of the vintage, yet it still has much to offer. Tasted January 2016.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2006 Latour performed even better from bottle than from barrel. Only 38% of the production (10,000 cases) made it into the grand vin, a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. From barrel, I thought it was a modern day version of the 1996 or 1986, and certainly the 1996 comparison still holds. I thought it was somewhat austere from barrel, but that is no longer an issue. This is a beautifully rich Chateau Latour boasting a dense ruby/purple color, a sweet, smoky, charcoal, cassis, graphite, and forest floor-scented nose, full body, an attractive freshness, and sweet, noble tannins. This layered Latour is one of the vintage's top dozen or so wines. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2030. Latour's brilliant manager, Frederic Engerer, has purchased 15 hectares of old vine Grenache and Syrah in the Cotes du Rhone region, the Drome, at a cool-climate elevation. I can't wait to see the first vintage from this Cotes du Rhone project.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Served blind at the chateau. The nose on this particular bottle takes time to coalesce, eventually offering smoke, blackberry, a touch of iodine, graphite and earth. Fine definition although very compact and not as generous as the previous wine (that was de facto Latour ’03). The palate is tight but feisty, youthful and vibrant which contrasts nicely with the more austere, reserved finish that implies a cooler growing season. Tasted December 2009.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2006 Latour is composed of 91.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it charges out of the gate with impressively energetic crème de cassis, cured meats, wood smoke and black forest cake notions plus hints of licorice, sandalwood and iron ore, not to mention a fragrant waft of dried roses that emerges with coaxing. Medium to full-bodied, suitably rich, expressive and accented by sparks of exotic spices, it has a frame of now velvety tannins contributing just a bit of chew to the long, perfumed finish. Drinking beautifully now, it should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2006 Latour is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It is a vintage that I have followed closely since first tasting the wine from barrel, both in sighted and blind conditions. The 2006 has long been one of the best offerings from the Left Bank and this bottle was consistent with previous notes. It retains a disarming sense of purity on the nose: blackberry, raspberry, cedar and pencil shaving scents that seem to burst from the glass with a sense of vim and vigor. There is an underlying ferrous note, signs of secondary scents emerging over the horizon. The palate immediately exerts an insistent grip in the mouth, maybe a touch more backward than I expected. But it still conveys a sense of energy and there is a sense of brightness that Latour does not necessarily always possess. Laden with black fruit, with aeration it leans more towards red and manifests impressive depth allied with a fine bead of acidity that imparts mouth-tingling tension. In banal terms, it is an unashamedly “drinkable” Latour rather than one predisposed to impress and though it does not offer the persistence of giants like the 2005 or 2010, its joie de vivre will be appreciated by those tempted to splash out on one of around 4,000 cases kept back from its original release.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Bright full ruby. Slightly stern aromas of cassis, graphite, licorice, incense and flowers. Then dense and penetrating, with terrific energy to the subtle dark fruit, licorice and mineral flavors. There's a coolness to the fruit that makes this wine dramatically different from the Forts de Latour. Finishes with big, building tannins and a powerful sense of structure. A fairly large-scaled Latour but not particularly sweet in the early going. In fact, this went into a shell with 24 hours in the recorked bottle.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Deep ruby-red. Sexy nose offers currant, graphite, coffee and cedary oak. Sweet, vibrant and deep, with terrific spine giving strength to the middle palate and extending the finish. As powerful as this is, it has sweetened up beautifully in the past year and is very easy to taste today; it's hard to believe that this is only 12.9% alcohol. Fatter and longer than the 2007, finishing with wonderfully polished tannins. If only I could afford this!

vinous95

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Saturated ruby-red. Pungently mineral aromas of black cherry, bitter chocolate, violet and minerals. Densely packed, juicy and precise; powerful but not at all musclebound. This is most impressive today on the gripping back half, where the toothcoating tannins are serious but suave, and there's a rare rebound of graphite, iodine, licorice and black fruits. This offers great potential and a sense of brooding energy and will clearly be a long-distance runner. After a very strict selection (just 38% of the crop went into the grand vin) there will be just 10,000 cases of this wine, as low a total as in the drought year of 2003. It's tempting to compare this wine to the 1996 Latour, but the flavors here seem a tad cooler.