Château Latour Grand Vin 2017 750 ML (Pre Arrival – ETA August 2024)

 Ripe and very powerful aromas of black licorice, currants and violets. Full-bodied, dense and flavorful with lots of very new, flashy wood. Sexy and gorgeous. Round and polished tannins. Superb wine for the vintage. Try after 2028.  (12/2019)

 Smells gorgeous - highly scented with lots of floral notes and ripe blackcurrants - the aromatics burst out of the glass. Succulent and juicy, lively and bright straight away, this is gorgeous - it's direct and focussed, certainly lean but not austere with a wonderfully silky texture and well defined tannins that give energy and frame the wine from start to finish. This really packs a punch, the concentrated flavour while not heavy or plush lingers a long long time and is so enjoyable. Cool blue fruits, pencil led salinity, cola edges and bright acidity - clean, pure and precise. And so drinkable. It's not exuberant, chewy or dense, it's light footed, still with a mineral salty grip but carefully controlled and calm yet generous in all the right places. This will age no doubt, but there's lots of zestiness giving a sense of freshness and approachability that is so delightful. A wine that knocks it out of the park and one so representative of Bordeaux and the Pauillac terroir. (GH)  (1/2024)

 A seriously pretty Latour, not a phrase often associated with this most concentrated of wines, with real lyricism. Beautifully layered, with muscles that have a cushion of air underneath them. As during En Primeur, its sculpted character highlights the impact of biodynamic farming, but bottle ageing has seen it take on the customary concentrated layers of this Pauillac First Growth. The signature pencil lead, crayon, mint leaf and crushed rocks are here in abundance, along with cassis and bilberry fruit, kissed with rosebud and peony florality, and textured slate tannins that slow things down through the mid palate. A delicious wine, vibrant, balanced, decades ahead of it, even if the soft sculpting of the vintage means it will be ready to drink earlier than 2016 or 2018 on either side. First year in full organics, although not certified until 2019, and the first without Cabernet Franc in the blend. 100% new oak. No frost on the Grand Vin plots, in a year where many parts of Bordeaux were impacted, proof again of what a favoured site this is.  (3/2024)

 A blend of 92.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.8% Merlot, and 0.1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Latour has a deep garnet-purple color. It sashays out with showy notes of warm cassis, mulberries, and Morello cherries, followed by emerging tertiary hints of unsmoked cigars, rose oil, cardamom, and star anise, with a waft of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and mineral-laced, featuring loads of exotic sparks and velvety tannins, finishing on a lingering anise note. Beautiful! While it's in a nice place right now, another 2 to 4 years in bottle should allow for even more of this gorgeous, emerging perfume. It will easily cellar for another 30 years beyond that. (LPB)  (3/2024)

 A pure, sleek, seamless beauty, featuring a crystal-clear core of cassis, cherry and damson plum fruit racing along, glistening with lilac, iron and wet pebble notes. Shows terrific spine and clarity, with well-buried grip running throughout. (BS)  (3/2020)