Wine Advisor
Pauillac de Latour 2015
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Description
This wine has been made every year since 1989, and was developed primarily for the restaurant market. The Pauillac is made primarily from young vines, growing on the less prestigious terroirs in the vineyard, and from wines that do not meet the selection criteria for Forts de Latour (specific to each vintage). About 20% new barrels are used in the vinification of the Pauillac, the precise proportion varying depending on the characteristics of the vintage. The blend for Château Latour’s Pauillac typically consists of nearly 45% Merlot. This generous, fruity wine is an excellent introduction to the family of wines produced by Château Latour. It can be enjoyed after four to five years of ageing, and will continue to improve for several more years.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Pauillac de Château Latour is a great introduction to the vintage. Round, succulent and juicy, the 2015 offers lovely depth and radiance throughout. Bright red stone fruit nuances dominate in a wine that will be absolutely delicious whenever Latour decides to release it. Winemaker Helene Genin's decision to add a bit less press wine than normal, along with the radiance of the vintage, has yielded an especially forward, fruit-driven wine in 2015. Tasted two times.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Le Pauillac de Château Latour has gone up in my estimation since I tasted it from barrel. It has a fleshy, ripe, raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry scented nose, a little smudged with subtle hints of marmalade in the background. It is open and inviting. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and well judged acidity. As a Troisième Vin, even for a First Growth, it only achieves moderate complexity, but there is something winsome about this wine with an attractive pencil lead finish that is impressively well defined. Crack this open now and over the next 3-5 years.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2015 Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour is a blend of 54.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41.7% Merlot and 4.1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it sails out of the glass at a fantastic clip, delivering wonderfully fragrant notes of baked blackberries, blueberry compote and redcurrant jelly with hints of licorice, red roses and cigar box. Medium-bodied, generously fruited, open-knit and tantalizingly drinkable right now, the palate is chock-full of expressive red and black fruits, featuring approachable, ripe, soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with compelling purity. Very impressive showing!
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is is very fruity and refined with blackberry and fine tannins. Medium to full body. Clean finish. Third wine of Latour.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A firm and linear red with currant, blackberry and stone aromas and flavors. Full yet closed and tight. Acidity drives this one. Third wine of Paulliac. Serious. Needs two or three years to come together.
About the Producer
Château Latour is located in the heart of the Médoc wine region, about 50 km north-west of Bordeaux, where the legend of the vineyards of Bordeaux began. The château's prime terroir, l’Enclos, overlooks the Gironde estuary: it is the river and the ocean that, over the centuries, have given the vineyard its geological complexity and, on a daily basis, ensure a mild climate. Château Latour’s superb location, just 300 metres from the estuary, gives it its special character and tempers any extreme weather conditions, especially spells of severe cold or frost, as for example in 1991. There are two factors that have a benign influence: • The proximity of the Atlantic, bringing the generosity of an ocean climate; • The immediate proximity of a large mass of water in the form of the estuary, protecting against possible cold spells early in the growth cycle and also enabling earlier ripening of the grapes, which can be an important factor as the harvests approach.
