Chateau Latour 1999

WEINWISSER: "Dunkles Granat, satt in der Mitte. Wuchtiges, ausladendes Bouquet, warm, viel reife Pflaumen, Cassis und Brombeeren, klare Cabernet-Expression, schön und erstaunlich offen. Im Gaumen volle Harmonie, geschmeidige Tannine, stoffig, reife Beeren, delikate Süsse in den Gerbstoffen, macht jetzt enorm viel Freude."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 1999 Latour doesn't quite dominate the competition the way the 1994 does, but it, too, is a lovely wine, exhibiting notes of blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, rich soil tones and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, with velvety tannins, ripe acids and a long, expansive finish, it is showing beautifully today."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Reminding me slightly of the 2001, the 1999 Château Latour offers an utterly classic Latour elegance and complex in its beautiful dark fruits, lead pencil, cedarwood, dried tobacco, and assorted spice-like aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a balanced, mature, seamless mouthfeel, polished and integrated tannins, and a great finish. It's not a blockbuster but excels on its finesse and complexity. I was able to follow this bottle for two days, and it never showed a hint of oxidation or fatigue, and unquestionably has another two decades of longevity. There's no need to delay gratification, however, since this beauty is drinking at point."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Medicinal and sinewy on the nose. Exciting and vibrant. Deep-flavoured. Long but the tannins are still very evident (though in this case there seems to be enough fruit to stand up to them). Ambitious – needs quite a bit of time yet."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Focused and fresh, with milk chocolate and berry aromas. Subtle and refined on the nose. Full-bodied and very elegant, featuring a solid core of ultrafine tannins and a long, long finish. So much finesse here. Still tight, needing time in the bottle to open. No longer big, this is in just the right proportions for the vintage.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009)."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Close to full maturity, this medium-bodied, forward, early-drinking Latour starts off just fine. But it leaves you wanting more as the finish is too short with a touch of green leaf and cedar to accompany the bright, piquant red fruits you find on the nose and palate."