"This seems to come full circle, with a blazing iron note and mouthwatering acidity up front leading to intense, vibrant cassis, blackberry and cherry skin flavors that course along, followed by the same vivacious minerality that started things off. The tobacco, ganache and espresso notes seem almost superfluous right now, but they’ll join the fray in due time. The question is, can you wait long enough? Best from 2020 through 2040. From France." (WS)
"A blend of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot with just under 14% natural alcohol, the 2009 Latour is basically a clone of the super 2003, only more structured and potentially more massive and long lived. An elixir of momentous proportions, it boasts a dense purple color as well as an extraordinarily flamboyant bouquet of black fruits, graphite, crushed rocks, subtle oak and a notion of wet steel. It hits the palate with a thundering concoction of thick, juicy blue and black fruits, lead pencil shavings and a chalky minerality. Full-bodied, but very fresh with a finish that lasts over a minute, this is one of the most remarkable young wines I have ever tasted. Will it last one-hundred years? No doubt about it. Can it be drunk in a decade? For sure.
Proprietor Francois Pinault and his director, Frederic Engerer, have pulled out all the stops to produce one of the most monumental Latour’s ever made." (WA)
"(a 91/9 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot; 13.7% alcohol; 87 IPT; roughly 38% of the total crop) Purple ruby. Flamboyant aromas of red cherry, cassis, graphite and cedar soar from the glass. Then very dense, supple and smooth, with a noble texture and great breadth to its red cherry, blackcurrant, spicy plum, ink and cedar flavors. Finishes with exceptionally velvety tannins and a very ripe, almost perfumed quality to the red and black fruit flavors. A large-scaled and clearly great wine that calls to mind a combination of the 1982 and 2005 Latours. That said, while this wine shares some of the 2009 Mouton's voluptuous perfume, it lacks the extraordinary finesse of either the 2009 Lafite or Margaux, but is much more powerful than both of those wines. Millionaires will have a lot of fun over the years comparing the first growths of 2009 and arguing over which is the best." (IWC)
"So velvet you cannot imagine that this is also a powerfully dense and tannic wine. The black berry fruits have just the right ripeness, while the texture is soft, spiced a little with wood. Under the extreme richness, powerful chocolate and delicious final acidity." (WE)
"2009 Latour is inky black. The exotic nose of dark berries, flowers, coffee, truffle, fudge, boysenberry, anise, vanilla, lead pencil, and assorted berry liqueurs is powerful, complex, and intense. The wine is full bodied, concentrated, and mouth coating. The long, fresh finish is viscous, opulent, and silky. Everything is in harmony with this probably perfect wine. The seamless finish lasts more than a minute." (JL)
"A breathtaking combination of dried flowers and minerals, with dark fruits such as currants and blackberries. Full-bodied, with fabulous fruit concentration, yet its compacted. Velvety tannins. So much fruit and beauty. It's the quality of the tannins that are magic. It is the famous 1959 all over again. Amazing. Try in 2022." (JS) |
