Chateau Latour 2009

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Latour is unashamedly youthful with bold blackcurrants, black cherries and warm plums notes plus nuances of cedar chest, aniseed, beef drippings, truffles and tapenade with a waft of tilled black soil. Full, concentrated and powerful in the mouth, it has a rock-solid frame of super ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and wonderfully minerally. Just a baby—this needs time!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "Dark and chocolatey with a lot of richness, but also a cool herbal freshness this is a very impressive Medoc wine that's already delicious to drink. Very long, surprisingly supple finish for this château. A perfect wine. Drink or hold."

WEINWISSER: "91,3 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 8,7 % Merlot, also ein Latour ohne Cabernet Franc und Petit Verdot! 38,3 % der Produktion wurde für den Grand Vin ausgewählt. Sattes, dichtes Purpur-Granat mit lila Reflexen. Klares, verhaltenes, feines statt mächtiges Bouquet, zuerst fein milchig, dann rahmig, dann sehr reife Brombeeren, parfümiertes Cassis, feinste Edelhölzer und eine besonders zarte Zedernholznote, die sonst eher dem Ducru vorbehalten ist. Perfekter, stilsicherer Gaumen, alles ist an seinem Ort, der Wein ist völlig auf die Reife des Cabernets ausgerichtet, königliche Adstringenz, ein zarter Hauch Karamell. Zweifellos ein ganz grosser Latour, aber irgendwie vermisse ich die brachiale Genialität von früher. Kommt, bei beginnender Reife, der Trüffel noch? Die Tiefe des Terroirs? Die dunklen Steinpilze und frisch gehackten Kräuter? Die Minze? Wird es ein Latour wie früher? Oder zollt man hier der Perfektion des heutigen, jedes Detail betrachtenden «Quality-Managements» Tribut? Die Zeit wird es erweisen – auch wenn nur Wenige zu Zeugen werden dürften, denn dieser Latour wird nicht nur teuer, sondern so richtig extrem teuer."

JEB DUNNUCK: "An incredible wine in every way, the 2009 Château Latour displays the ripe, sexy style of the vintage while still offering classic Latour power, density, and regalness. Currants, spicy wood, smoked tobacco, graphite, and ample minerality all define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, with incredible density, perfectly integrated, ripe, polished tannins, and a finish that leaves no doubt about the insane quality of this wine. Based on 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot, and checking in at 13.7% alcohol, it's drinking brilliantly today given its incredible texture and balance, and I suspect it has another 50-60 years of prime drinking. This is as good a Bordeaux as I've had and is as good as wine gets."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Zart floral unterlegte kleine schwarze Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von Edelholz, zart nach Nougat und Karamell, reifes Brombeer-Cassis-Konfit, tabakiger Touch, sehr facettenreiches Bukett. Komplex, kraftvoll, sehr saftig, vollreife Herzkirschen, tolle Extraktsüße, reife, tragende Tannine, zeigt bereits eine enorme Länge, wirkt kühl und frisch im Abgang, bleibt minutenlang haften, mineralische Nuancen im Abgang, verfügt über eine enorme aromatische Intensität. Bereits antrinkbar, aber besser noch warten."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "A blend of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot, the opaque garnet-black colored 2009 Latour prances from the glass with showy notes of black cherry preserves, blueberry pie, and black currant jelly, leading to an undercurrent of camphor, clove oil, and cinnamon toast. The medium to full-bodied palate is decadently stacked with black and blue fruit layers, framed by super-plush tannins and jaw-dropping tension, culminating in a fragrant finish that just goes on and on. It’s flat-out delicious right now but promises to reward the patient."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "You can sense the ripeness of the sunny vintage in the nose, with its joyous red berries, tobacco leaf, oyster shell, vanilla smoke, mint, cigar box and dark chocolate. Sensuous on the palate, with silky tannins and sweet, ripe, pure fruits, the wine is all power, grace, symmetry and elegance. This is a sexy vintage of Latour that you can really feel, as the wine rests and expands on your palate. Yes this is young. So if you are going to open a bottle, give it 2-3 hours of air, or wait another decade. This is one of the memorable tasting experiences that was impossible to spit."

DECANTER: "This is still closed, although a softening of the tannins is apparent. It has a gorgeous nose full of Pauillac power and finesse, with brambled fruits and touches of hedgerow as the Cabernet Sauvignon count heads upwards. The fresh core is clear from start to finish, giving that high-wire feeling that makes great Médocs so thrilling. There's a sense of drama to the cassis fruits, controlled but with impact and a sense of purpose, leading to a chewy finish. This is barely bedded down and has the shoulders and backbone to carry it for years. Don't approach it yet."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "A big, powerful wine that sums up the richness of the vintage. It is densely fruity, spicy with an enormous black plum and berry fruit character to go with the acidity. It's concentrated while still showing such wonderfully pure fruit. The aging potential is immense."

WINE SPECTATOR: "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. 9,580 cases made. — JM"

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Very, very dark. Blackish crimson. Ripe blackcurrant fruit. Just a slightly sour note on the end but very intense, almost raw. Very dramatic. Drying finish. Energy. Very, very youthful for the moment. Favourite of the group."