x
  • Country ranking ?

    425
  • Producer ranking ?

    23
  • Decanting time

    6h
  • When to drink

    from 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Pork Tenderloin

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Latour 2012 – what price is right?

By Liv-ex

Latour 2012 will be released onto the market on March 18th. The chateau opted out of the En Primeur system in 2012 following the release of its 2011 vintage. Since then, it has re-released a number of vintages (2008 and 2011 being the latest), with ex-chateau provenance used to justify price tags higher than the market price.

Pricing details of the new release have not been disclosed. Frédé...

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The Story

The chateau makes three different wines. The so-called grand vin, that is Château Latour itself, a second wine called Les Forts de Latour and a third wine simply called Pauillac. The grand vin comes from the original part of the vineyards, called the Enclos. This is the most prestigious part of the vineyard where the vines have a fine view of the Gironde estuary. The tradition in Bordeaux says that vines that overlook the water make the best w...

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Wine Information

The 2012 Bordeaux vintage report.

The 2012 Bordeaux vintage is a year for vineyard management and workers. Call it a wine makers vintage, or change your tune and name it vineyard managers vintage. Either descriptor works perfectly. The estates with the financial ability to take the necessary actions in the vineyards during the season, coupled with the willingness to severely declassify unripe grapes will produce the best wines. Even then, i...

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Vintage 2012

The 2012 Bordeaux vintage report.

The 2012 Bordeaux vintage is a year for vineyard management and workers. Call it a wine makers vintage, or change your tune and name it vineyard managers vintage. Either descriptor works perfectly. The estates with the financial ability to take the necessary actions in the vineyards during the season, coupled with the willingness to severely declassify unripe grapes will produce the best wines.  Even then, ...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

16 tasting notes

Tasting note

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Written Notes

The colour is dark with a beautiful intensity.The nose is fruity, refined, ripe and extremely expressive. On the palate, the wine is rounded and smooth, spicy and very aromatic. It evolves pleasurably towards a delicious finale with fine tannins.

Lots of black pepper and dark fruits with plums on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, tannic and powerful. So muscular. Flexing. Form and chewiness throughout.

  • 94p

Latour turned out with quite feminin wine with silky fruit and tannin, splendid length, depth and balance. More finesse than power here.

  • 94p
Deepish ruby. Dense, coffee, cassis, deep, layered and complex, a bit tight nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, quite refined, fruity, refreshing, textured but velvety behind, long length. 93-95
  • 93p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Grapes

10% Merlot
90% Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Poor

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

None

Glass time

2h

Inside Information

Reminiscent of the 2008, the 2012 is a classic Latour, but is neither profoundly concentrated nor potentially one of the greatest efforts from this exceptional terroir. While noble, racy, stylish and medium-bodied, the normal power and density one expects of Latour is missing in this vintage. It is made in a more elegant, softer, lighter style, undoubtedly a smart decision since pushing extraction with potentially less than ideal grapes could have resulted in rustic aromas and flavors. This medium-bodied Latour reveals moderate tannin, but it should be drinkable when released, and last for nearly two decades. 

Chateau Latour harvested its Merlot between September 24 and October 4, and most of the crop ended up in Les Forts de Latour and Pauillac. The Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between October 5 and 16, the Cabernet Franc on October 8 (obviously a wet harvest), and the Petit Verdot on October 12. The 2012 Latour, which is off the market as a wine future until the Pinault family and Frederic Engerer agree on when to release it (probably 7-8 years from now), is a blend of 90.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.6% Merlot and the rest a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot. Only 36% of the crop was utilized in the grand vin, which achieved 12.8% natural alcohol.

 

Wine Advocate #206
Apr 2013
Robert M. Parker, Jr. (92-94) Drink: N/A
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