Chateau Latour - Paulliac 2016 (750ml)

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Producer	Chateau Latour
Country	France
Region	Bordeaux
Subregion	Pauillac
Varietal	Bordeaux Blend
Vintage	2016
Sku	01851
Size	750ml

 

I am dreaming as I smell this wine, perfectly ripe cabernet sauvignon with currants, tobacco and fresh mint. Orange blossoms too. This amazing nose is so complex. Medium- to full-bodied, this has has perfectly integrated tannins that you don't feel but know are there, elevating the wine to another level. It's very drinkable because of its stellar balance, yet the tannic tension gives it energy and seamless texture. A benchmark Latour that reminds me of the 1982 in many ways. Drink or hold.

Château Latour’s 2016 grand vin is a knockout—perfectly encapsulating the estate’s paradoxical signature of at once possessing jaw-dropping power with hauntingly gorgeous fragrance and finesse: Bordeaux’s iron fist in a velvet glove. Very deep purple-black in color, the nose of the 2016 Latour is quite closed to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal chocolate-covered cherries, licorice, red roses and violets with Indian spices, blueberry compote, blackcurrant cordial and cigar box plus wafts of pencil lead and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the mid-palate explodes with densely packed black fruits and tons of earth, mineral and spice accents, with a super ripe, fine-grained frame and seamless freshness, finishing very long and seductively perfumed.

All three releases from Château Latour are brilliant. Starting with the grand vin, the 2016 Château Latour is blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot that represents just 36% of the total production. This tour de force has stunning, classic Pauillac notes of crème de cassis, crushed violets, freshly sharpened lead pencils, and graphite. These give way to a full-bodied, massively concentrated effort that has the austerity, regalness, and stature that puts the hallmark of this incredible estate front and center. With medium to full body, beautiful elegance, and a seamless texture, it’s backward and closed on the palate and in need of a decade or more of cellaring. It should be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage.

The 2016 Latour has a very pure bouquet that soars from the glass, more floral than its peers, with crushed violet petals infusing the mixture of black and blue fruit; hints of blood orange and camphor emerge with time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate displays supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Powerful and quite burly, this bottle does not deliver the finesse and breeding that previous bottles have shown, simply because it needs a very long decanting. I have encountered perfect examples of the 2016 Latour, and though I did not meet one today, I will do so again. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

Densely packed with cassis, blackberry and black cherry preserve flavors, this glides rather than pounds, with remarkable purity, sleek graphite and tobacco notes, and a long finish that glistens like just-polished steel. Don't think the sleekness means a lack of longevity; this is balanced like a Calder sculpture, and the graphite spine is the bedrock that will let this sashay to being one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage. Best from 2025 through 2045.

The 2016 blend is 92.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.1% Merlot, with an IPT of 83. It represents 36% of the overall production. At this stage, you are almost as aware of how much is being held back as how much is being revealed. The power in reserve is thrilling, even more so because although there is a lightness and florality running through the palate, it sacrifices none of the Latour signature. This is more 2005 then 2010 in expression, a beautiful wine with an amazing style that has the length and texture of the great vintages, freshened up by exceptional salinity on the finish. Fine, fine tannins, crushed tobacco and mint leaves, a momentum that is unmissable and more 'Latour' than the 2015 was at this stage. Hélène Génin is the winemaker and Vincent Masson (son of Pierre Masson) is the estate's biodynamic consultant. This vintage is 50% biodynamic for the grand vin (entirely organic), but from 2017 that is being extended to 100%. My guess is that we should expect to wait eight or so years before they put this on the market.

98–100 Barrel Sample. Reaching for 100 points, this Latour has great structure and power. Almost pure Cabernet Sauvignon this year, it is a grandiose wine, packed with tannins, rich black fruits and a solid core that will allow it to age over so many years. The acidity and crisp black-currant flavor at the end means the fruit can only shine even more as it develops. Superb.