Chateau Latour 2014

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: William Kelley

The 2014 Latour is one of the very finest wines of a vintage that favored the northern Médoc. Mingling aromas of wild berries and cassis with hints of cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffles and classy new oak, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its broad attack segueing into a deep, tightly wound mid-palate that’s framed by powdery, chalky tannins and bright acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. This classically balanced, youthfully structured young wine looks set to enjoy prodigious longevity. It’s reminiscent of a modern-day version of a cooler vintage such as 1996, though of course these days maturity is more complete and selection even more rigorous than was the case two decades ago.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2014 Latour, which was bottled in July 2016, but of course will not be released for several years depending upon subsequent vintages, has a very pure, tightly-wound bouquet with blackberry fruit infused with black olive and graphite, just as it was out of barrel during en primeur. After several minutes, it is joined by subtle hints of pressed violets. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is very classic in style, exhibiting superb freshness and harmony, the texture perhaps a little silkier than I recollect from barrel. It fans out with a very attractive marine influence that it shares with its neighbor Léoville Las-Cases, whilst the persistence is very impressive and reinforces its First Growth pedigree. This should be a quintessential Latour once released: aristocratic and noble.

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The Château Latour 2014 is a blend of 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9.2% Merlot, with a pinch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Harvest took place from 18 September with the Merlot vines and finished with the Cabernet, picked between 6 and 15 October. The alcohol level here comes in at a modest 12.89%. It has a very pure and seductive bouquet with an irresistible cocktail of black and red fruit (perhaps more towards the red side of the fruit spectrum compared to Lafite-Rothschild), flanked by hints of black olive and pencil lead. The palate is underpinned by a lattice of very fine tannin matched with well-judged acidity. Despite the irregularity of the season this is quintessential Latour with that unmistakable stoic, aristocratic finish. This is a serious Grand Vin that should age in consummate fashion, and there is some irony that possibly the finest contribution to the 2014 vintage will not be made available to consumers for a number of years. In a word - regal.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2014 Latour captures the personality of the year in its linear, lithe construction. It's a decidedly understated Latour that is more about finesse than brawn. Bright red cherry/plum fruit, spice, mint and sweet tobacco open over time, but at this level, wines are more about a feel, an expression of place and a vintage. The 2014 Latour embodies all the best this cool, late-ripening growing season had to offer. I loved the 2014 when it was first shown, about five years ago, and I love it today. It is a super-classic Pauillac.

vinous91

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Château Latour's 2014 Pauillac is delicate, refined and super-polished, with brilliant fruit, expressive aromatics and lifted aromatics. This is an especially strong showing for the château's third wine. Rose petal and savory herb notes shade into the expressive, gracious finish. The Pauillac will drink well to age 15 or 20.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2014 Latour is deep and beautifully layered in the glass, with deceptive power and plenty of structure lurking in the background. Powerful and vivid, yet also super-refined, it possesses remarkable nuance and polish for a young Latour. It will be interesting to see if it develops more explosiveness or remains on the more understated side of things. There is plenty of time. If the current schedule of releases from bottle is any indication, the 2014 will likely not be released before its 15th birthday.

vinous90

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2014 Pauillac is an attractive, mid-weight offering that will likely drink well as soon as Latour decides to release it. Crushed rose petal, plum, mint, sweet herbs and red stone fruits add nuance in a delicate, lithe wine that shows the more feminine side of Pauillac.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2014 Latour is one of the most inward wines of the vintage. It is also incredibly refined, with less overt muscle and tons of pure sophistication. A striking bouquet laced with lavender and violet melts into layers of dark red and blue stone fruits in a wine that is clearly at an embryonic stage in its development. The Latour tannins are there, but they are pretty much buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. In 2014, the Grand Vin represents 36% of the chateau's production.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2014 Latour has a beautifully defined bouquet with intertwined blackberry, briary, crushed stone and pencil box scents. This takes time to unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with tobacco and graphite-infused black fruit framed by svelte tannins. This has a fine bead of acidity, cohesive with straight-down-the-line Pauillac tropes of graphite and tobacco towards the finish. Strict and aristocratic, the tobacco element has been accentuated with time. Superb.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2014 Latour has a backward and austere bouquet that does not respond to coaxing from the glass. This is so broody and sultry, only reluctantly eking out pencil shaving and sous-bois aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, finely judged acidity, quite dense and “solid” at the moment and yet there is elegance and stylishness to spare here. It just needs to manifest more charm and personality à la Mouton-Rothschild, but do not under-estimate this Latour whenever it is released. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.