2006 Chateau Latour Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac 12x75cl

Vinous 95

Bright full ruby. Slightly stern aromas of cassis, graphite, licorice, incense and flowers. Then dense and penetrating, with terrific energy to the subtle dark fruit, licorice and mineral flavors. There’s a coolness to the fruit that makes this wine dramatically different from the Forts de Latour. Finishes with big, building tannins and a powerful sense of structure. A fairly large-scaled Latour but not particularly sweet in the early going. In fact, this went into a shell with 24 hours in the recorked bottle. [Stephen Tanzer, 05/01/2009]

Robert Parker 95

Not an outstanding vintage overall for Bordeaux, 2006 had the potential to be very good. Things got off to a pretty impressive start in Pauillac this year, and then it all went a bit pear-shaped toward the end with a cool, rainy August and late September. Vineyard diligence and a take-no-prisoners attitude on the sorting table were the keys to relative success here. While it is clear Latour had their work cut out for them with this 2006 release, they managed to produce an incredibly impressive grand vin, which is drinking beautifully now yet should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years. The 2006 Latour was just released this year and is composed of 91.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Petit Verdot. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and lovely open nose with florals and red fruit aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and minerally with a compelling iron ore character and great length. 10,000 cases were produced (representing 38% of production). [23/01/2019]