Chateau Latour 2008

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. The Latour 2008 has a reserved, slightly tertiary bouquet that if aristocratic and rather aloof compared to say, Lafite 2008. Yet it has immense focus and tension, mineral-laden blackberry, graphite and cassis. The palate is full-bodied with firm, slightly chewy tannins that will take some considerable time to soften. Clean and crisp with unerring symmetry, yet somehow uncompromising and far less generous than say, the 2009. This will require a couple of decades in the cellar, when that embryonic generosity that is demonstrated in barrel will spring forth. Tasted January 2012.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

An extraordinary wine, the classic 2008 Latour (13.5% natural alcohol) is composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc (40% of the production made it into the grand vin). Its dense purple color is followed by hints of espresso roast, cassis, burning embers, truffles and graphite. Rich with full-bodied power, beautiful purity and graciousness allied to a voluminous, savory, broad mouthfeel, this beauty will be drinkable in 4-5 years and will keep for three decades.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2008 Latour has a youthfully subdued nose revealing notes of red plums and mulberries with underlying suggestions of damp earth, iron ore, pencil lead and dried Provencal herbs. The palate is superbly structured with firm, tight-knit grainy tannins and crisp acid supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long and savory.

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Damn me for saying it, but I actually think the 2008 Latour will turn out to be even better than the 2005 or 2000. I still have a weakness for the 2003, but it is somewhat atypical in how forward, fleshy, and opulent it is. The 2008 Latour is a more concentrated version of the 1996, and that’s saying something. The harvest took place between September 29 and October 7 for the Merlot, but the Cabernet Sauvignon finished around the 19th of October. The natural alcohol of 13.48% may be the highest ever achieved at Latour. The final blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Moreover, in a low yield year, only 40% of the production made it into the grand vin, so even with the global economic crisis, this is going to be a tightly allocated wine – with under 10,000 cases produced. A fabulous infant, it exhibits an inky/purple color as well as extraordinarily pure notes of creme de cassis, crushed rocks, and flowers. The fact that there is no hint of oak is a testament to the vintage’s density and richness. The wine possesses full-bodied power as well as a boatload of tannin, and it is even more backward than Lafite Rothschild. Nevertheless, the hallmark of a great wine and potentially top-notch vintage is the sweetness of the tannin, and that is evident. The wine is young, unevolved, and incredibly pure (another hallmark of this unexpectedly magical vintage) with an amazingly long, textured, layered finish. It should be forgotten for 5-8 years, and consumed over the following four decades.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Frederic Engerer describes this as a mixture of the 01, 02 and 04...he might be right. Tasted at the chateau, 2008 Chateau Latour has an intense blackberry, cedar, graphite-scented bouquet that is very tight at first but opening in the glass. The palate is full-bodied with mouth-coating black fruits infused with a touch of liquorice and black plum. The Latour -08 is underpinned by tensile tannins that lend it a linearity that finally broadens out on the long, persistent finish. Coming back after a few minutes I notice a touch of espresso on the finish. One feels that this could still surprise in a few years-I wonder if this has something up its sleeve? Drink 2014-2035. Tasted October 2010.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

En primeur barrel sample. A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot and representing 40% of the production, this Latour has a ripe blackcurrant nose, cedar, crushed stones, just a hint of sous-bois. Full-bodied on the palate, very fine tannins, ripe blackberry, dark plum, a touch of spice, cedar, very “Cabernet”. Masculine, but very well poised. Minerally towards the finish. Like the Les Forts de Latour, there is an aloofness about it but it certainly a little sulky on the finish. Hopefully it will gain a greater sense of purpose and ebullience throughout its elevage. Tasted April 2009.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 0.75% Cabernet Franc and 0.25% Petit Verdot, the 2008 Latour gives a medium to deep garnet color and slips sensuously out of the glass with Chinese five spice, unsmoked cigars, sandalwood and dried roses scents over a core of warm cassis, Black Forest cake, chocolate mint and smoked meats plus a waft of black olives and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is well-sustained in the middle with generous black fruits and lovely red fruit sparks, layered with savory nuances and a firm, grainy backbone, finishing with bags of perfume and freshness.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2008 Latour is dark, brooding and virile, with huge tannins that convey an impression of gravitas. Grilled herbs, leather, sweet pipe tobacco, iron and cedar add to the wine's distinctive aromatic complexity. There is plenty of density and richness, but the color and slightly advanced flavor profile are a bit out of character. Ideally, at this stage Latour should exhibit more freshness and vibrancy. Of course, it is possible the 2008 might remain at this plateau for many years to come. Time will tell. The blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and drops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata

(94% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, and 1% cabernet franc and petit verdot; the selection for the grand vin was just 40% of total production) Opaque ruby-purple. Very intense, pure aromas of blackcurrant, cedar and graphite are complicated by hints of balsamic vinegar and licorice. Enters the mouth quite full, with the middle palate displaying rich flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry syrup and minerals. A beautiful and very precise version of Latour with impeccable balance and deceptive power. The harmonious acids extend the fruit and herbal flavors impressively on the very long, clean finish. This year's high proportion of cabernet sauvignon is a record for Latour (though '07 and '06 were nearly as high). Estate manager Frederic Engerer told me that he and his team tasted the various single-parcel lots over and over, and even though they felt the quality of some of the old-vine merlot was excellent, they didn't like the way it jelled with the cabernet sauvignon, and thus the merlot went into Les Forts de Latour. Along with Leoville-Las Cases and Haut Brion, Latour is an early candidate for wine of the vintage, and one of the three best wines of the Left Bank in '08.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2008 Latour has a more bold and concentrated bouquet compared to the Lafite-Rothschild, scents of blackberry, bilberry, iris, cigar humidor and cold wet stone that all surge from the glass. This is beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with firm in tannin, a light marine influence infusing the black fruit, a little spice towards the finish with superb persistency. It is an authorative Latour as usual, one now beginning to enter its stride although naturally it will last for two or three decades with ease. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)

vinous94

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Saturated ruby-red. Subdued but wonderfully pure nose hints at black cherry, graphite, tobacco, licorice, black olive and crushed stone. Lush, sweet and deep, with terrific energy and early sex appeal to the dark berry, spice and vanilla flavors. The sweetness builds on the very long aftertaste, where the solid tannins are in perfect harmony with the wine's fruit. Leaves a black cherry perfume in the retronasal passage. Likely to be one of the vintage's longest-lived examples.