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Latour 1998
HED71952
75 cl
12.5%
£525.00
Taxes included.
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Latour 1998 is a full-bodied, Cabernet Sauvignon-based red wine from the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux. Château Latour is one of the oldest Bordeaux wine producing properties in the appellation of Pauillac and has a history dating back to the 14th Century. It was classified as a First Growth in 1855 and is widely regarded as one of the most consistent of all the elite châteaux, with a reputation for wines of remarkable longevity. On the 1998 grand vin. "As with many of the wines from 1998 that I have tasted recently, the Latour was surprisingly open and approachable. Today the wine has a smoky, almost roasted nose with black plum and fig fruit, hints of smoke, leather, and an undercurrent of ground coffee. The texture is surprisingly open and soft but not falling apart. It is drinking well today and doubtless will hold for another 10 to 15 years but is probably not one for long-term ageing. The spring and the growing season were hot and dry, and although there was rain at harvest the grapes were able to resist rot and dilution due to their thick skins."
92
Vinous
The 1998 Latour was in fact the first vintage I ever tasted en primeur at the château. It was an early vintage after budburst on 20 March and the picking began on 20 September until 5 October, the Grand Vin a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot (compared to around 9% these days), 4% Cabernet Franc 1% Petit Verdot. It has an open-knit bouquet with notes of black fruit, iron, undergrowth and autumn leaves. You cannot help noticing its rusticity compared to present-day Latour. The palate is medium-bodied, well balanced, a tang of soy marking the entry, brambly red berry fruit and an almost Graves-like, tertiary, slightly short finish. It is a mid-weight Latour, one that I cannot envisage improving further but it will cruise at this level for the next decade. Tasted at the château.
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Chateau Latour
A Towering First Growth
Situated on the Bordeaux's Left Bank in the appellation of Pauillac, this superb First Growth is produced from the estate's 92ha of vines, spread across 138 plots, (47 hectares of which are located in renowned 'L'Enclos'). The clay and gravel soils give superbly concentrated, textural Cabernet Sauvignon dominant reds, with Merlot and smaller percentages of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc making up the blend.
The estate also produces two further celebrated reds, Les Forts de Latour and Pauillac de Latour. Certified organic since 2018, biodynamic techniques are also used in the vineyard.