Chateau Latour 2015

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Still holding on to its depth of color. The wine already shows some development with its truffle, oyster shell, cassis, Asian spice, dark red fruits and cherry tones. This is a Latour of elegance, purity of fruit and silky texture over power that is coupled with layers of concentrated fruits, and the structure to age for generations."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Blended of 97.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.6% Merlot and 0.3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Latour is exquisitely perfumed, displaying fragrant notes of crushed black cherries, raspberry preserves, cassis and black plums with nuances of roses, dark chocolate, garrigue, menthol and a waft of sandalwood. The medium-bodied palate beautifully struts its taut, toned, muscular fruit with a frame of very firm, smooth, rounded tannins and compelling freshness, finishing with alluring earth and mineral layers. At once intellectual and sexy, this truly evocative vintage brings to mind the Melanie Griffith line from “Working Girl," possessing a sultry “head for business and a bod for sin.""

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of iron, oyster shell, rust and stones with blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, yet ever so polished and refined. It rolls off the palate with fruit and salty flavors. Tight, focused and always refined. Pretty length. 97% cabernet sauvignon gives this brightness. Drink in 2022."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2015 Château Latour is a blend of 97.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.6% Merlot, and 0.3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it requires a considerable amount of shaking to wake up the nose of plum preserves, warm cassis, and black cherry compote, giving way to exotic nuances of licorice, sandalwood, rose oil, and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate slowly expands in the mouth to reveal opulent notes of exotic spices, black fruit preserves, and floral accents, leading to a compelling minerally undercurrent. Wonderfully taut, firm, grainy-textured tannins and tantalizing acidity lend gravitas to all this flamboyant fruit, delivering a very long and fragrant finish."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Barrel Sample. Seriously structured and yet also so smooth, this wine has great concentration and powerful tannins. There is wonderful juiciness here as well as dense, dusty tannins that are never hard, always velvet. It is going to be a great wine when it is released in maybe 10 years time. The wine comes only from vineyards that are biodynamic."

VINUM: "Grosse aromatische Komplexität mit fruchtigen und blumigen Noten, transparent, doch mit Spannung und Dichte, erstklassiges Tannin, herrliches langes Himbeer- Minze Finale: der grösste Latour der letzten Jahre."

DECANTER: "Wonderful expression of 97% Cabernet fruit – a complete departure from the brooding Latour of a decade ago. Beautifully fragrant and fresh but the Pauillac weight is there and great purity too. This is a gamble on a new style of Latour, a bet that I am sure the château will win."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This packs some serious warm dark currant, fig and blackberry compote flavors together at the core, with charcoal, singed bay leaf, tobacco and roasted alder notes forming the foundation. Grippy for sure, but there's already alluring perfume and violet elements weaving around here. This has put on some serious weight and dark fruit since the barrel tasting, but remains all tensile strength. It will be fun to watch this age. Best from 2025 through 2045."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frische Herzkirschfrucht, zart nach Orangenzesten und etwas Nougat, dezente florale Aspekte, etwas Lakritz, mit angenehmer Edelholzwürze unterlegt. Saftig, delikate rotbeerige Nuancen, gut integrierte Tannine, lebendig strukturiert, bereits gut entwickelt, salzige Noten im Abgang, zart nach Nougat, gute Länge. Ein finessenreicher, zugänglicher Speisenbegleiter, der tendenziell früher antrinkbar sein dürfte."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Blueish crimson with a pale rim. Very sweet with strong tea-leaf aromas and a little chewiness on the end. Not too forced. Very rich and hedonistic. Long and luscious."