2014 Chateau LatourBlend from France
Ratings Ratings 99 97+ ...
99 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com
"So much violets, licorice, pencil, flowers and currants define this on the nose before it moves to fresh mushrooms. It’s full-bodied yet compacted with tension and a compressed center palate. Incredible, fine-grained tannins and energy. The length is truly great. Should be even more beautiful in 2024. Give it time."
97+ William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2014 Latour is one of the very finest wines of a vintage that favored the northern Médoc. Mingling aromas of wild berries and cassis with hints of cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffles and classy new oak, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its broad attack segueing into a deep, tightly wound mid-palate that’s framed by powdery, chalky tannins and bright acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. This classically balanced, youthfully structured young wine looks set to enjoy prodigious longevity. It’s reminiscent of a modern-day version of a cooler vintage such as 1996, though of course these days maturity is more complete and selection even more rigorous than was the case two decades ago."
97 Wine Enthusiast
"The tannins in this fine vintage of Latour are still enormous, dominating the black currant fruit. It has spice, tannins, impressive fruit and a pure, cool character. To be released in the mid-2020s, the wine is likely to age for many years. Enjoy from 2027. -RV"
97 Wine Spectator
"This shows terrific cut and drive from the start, with mouthwatering acidity and a chiseled graphite note leading the way, backed by a core of pure cassis and blackberry preserves. Licorice snap and sweet tobacco details flitter through the finish, where the graphite edge reemerges and sails on and on. Best from 2022 through 2040. 7,632 cases made. — JM"
96+ Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com
The 2014 Château Latour is still a baby and relatively closed and backward, offering darker, meaty black fruits, tobacco, truffly earth, and graphite on the nose. It's much more dense and structured than I would have imagined from tasting on release and offers full-bodied richness, a beautiful mid-palate, fabulous overall balance, and no shortage of tannins on the finish. This vintage was terrific for the Médoc, particularly the northern Médoc, and this beauty warrants another 7-8 years of bottle age, after which I suspect it will have well over 3 decades of overall longevity. The blend is 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 12.8% alcohol.
96 Antonio Galloni - Vinous
"The 2014 Latour is deep and beautifully layered in the glass, with deceptive power and plenty of structure lurking in the background. Powerful and vivid, yet also super-refined, it possesses remarkable nuance and polish for a young Latour. It will be interesting to see if it develops more explosiveness or remains on the more understated side of things. There is plenty of time. If the current schedule of releases from bottle is any indication, the 2014 will likely not be released before its 15th birthday."
96 Neal Martin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2014 Latour, which was bottled in July 2016, but of course will not be released for several years depending upon subsequent vintages, has a very pure, tightly-wound bouquet with blackberry fruit infused with black olive and graphite, just as it was out of barrel during en primeur. After several minutes, it is joined by subtle hints of pressed violets. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is very classic in style, exhibiting superb freshness and harmony, the texture perhaps a little silkier than I recollect from barrel. It fans out with a very attractive marine influence that it shares with its neighbor Léoville Las-Cases, whilst the persistence is very impressive and reinforces its First Growth pedigree. This should be a quintessential Latour once released: aristocratic and noble."
Specifications Specifications
Color | Red |
ABV | 13.0% |
Size | 750mL |
Closure | Cork |
Varietal(s) | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot |
Taste | currant, blackberry, cherry, bell pepper, olive, asparagus, spice, ginger, oak, vanilla, black cherry, plum, smoke, toast, tar, tobacco, raspberry, cassis, violet, pepper, green bean, lead, cedar, molasses and dark fruit |
Nose | currant, blackberry, cherry, cedar, cigar box, violet, rose, truffle, earth, coffee, leather, tobacco, broccoli, berry, flower, mocha and vanilla |