Château Latour, Premier Grand Cru Classé, has not offered its wines en primeur since the 2012 vintage, and releases them to the market only when they are "ready" to drink. On Monday, March 17, 2025, the big "release" of the top 2016 vintage happened, a wine that received a perfect score of 100/100 from 7 critics – the perfect wine!
For me, Château Latour is the greatest wine of the Médoc region. This Pauillac wine is at its pinnacle in terms of quality (partly thanks to the new cellars) and the increasingly strict selection process over the past 10 years. Legendary vintages have also been produced in the past, which have entered history, often receiving a 100/100 score from Parker.
Anyone who visits the Château's vineyard will understand why. The vines are very old, some almost thicker than my leg, with deep roots in a beautiful terroir (stones, clay and sediments) along the Gironde river.
This year marks the release of the top 2016 vintage, in very small quantities, so be quick if you want to secure a case or a few bottles. More than ever, 2016 is regarded as a legendary wine vintage. The wine (92.9% cabernet sauvignon, 7.1% merlot) has an opaque color (almost ink-like), with an incredibly refined aroma in the nose, featuring notes of fresh black fruit (blackberries, freshly cut blueberries), but also floral, spicy (pepper, cloves), and mineral (graphite, typical for this cru). On the palate, the wine immediately shows its magnitude: rich, pure, and complete; with an incredible concentration of fruit, both powerful and refined, with an abundance of tannins that are so ripe they go unnoticed. The finish is immense, lingering, and demands more. This wine has a potential of 30 years or more! A sublime expression of the noble cabernet sauvignon, for lovers of this "king grape", which only improves with age. The pricing seems very reasonable, as other vintages that receive so many 100/100 scores from critics such as 2005 (€1230/bottle incl.) and 2009 (€1450.20/bottle incl.) are much more expensive, as you can see!
At the same time, Château Latour is releasing its second wine, Les Forts de Latour from the 2019 vintage. The 2019 vintage reminds us of a beautiful summer, where the grapes ripened perfectly, and the tannins of this vintage are exceptionally refined. Even though this wine is still young, they have already integrated. This second wine (66% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 2% petit verdot) will certainly not disappoint and can rival with many other first wines of Pauillac! Its color is opaque purple with violet, with aromas of black fruit (blackberries, cherries), but also notes of cedar and tobacco. On the palate, it has a very soft and velvety yet intense start, followed by a rich mid-palate full of fruit, juice, mild tannins, and spicy notes, with a very beautiful finish that lingers. Already very delicious, with potential to last until 2034! This one was also released at an attractive price.
You can already order both wines (delivery foreseen at the beginning of June) with a preorder discount of -5%.
Click here to order them. Act fast, as the allocation we received is not large.